From Ebersol to Ratings in 'A&R' Debut

A busy week-plus of TV sports news, combined with some travels, has limited my action on the blog. It's time to catch up and quickly cover a few things all at once.

That prompts the debut of "Act and React," a potentially regular feature as opposed to a make-up game. Here goes ...

ACT: Dick Ebersol leaves NBC Sports.
REACT: Wow. And the move comes with less than a month before Olympic negotiations. While those left at NBC insist the network remains interested in the Olympics, the move cannot enhance the likelihood that the Peacock Network, now owned by Comcast, will retain the rights. Then again, after striking out on recent college football deals, Comcast/NBC might want the Olympics worse than before. Ebersol's inability to come to a contract agreement for himself and remain with the company does not mean an end to his career. He's still motivated (maybe more than ever) and young. At the end of June he'll be the biggest free agent in sports. Period.

ACT: Gus Johson to Fox Sports.
REACT: A loss for the first few rounds of the NCAA Tournament, but he was unlikely to ever get a shot at the Final Four. Probably a good financial move for him, and he'll become the major college basketball and football voice for the Pac-12 Conference and probably still work Big Ten Conference games as well.

ACT: Marv Albert might be working on a deal for him to do NFL games for CBS Sports -- a more likely possibility with the departure of Gus Johnson to Fox Sports.
REACT: Yes!

ACT: Miami Heat take series lead in Eastern Conference finals.
REACT: More fans might show up at start of games to prevent shots of those silly empty seats draped in white -- reminiscent of fake snow used for by NHL on 50-degree day for Winter Classic in Pittsburgh in January.

ACT: ESPN shares research that TV sports ratings are up 21 percent over the last five years, compared to a 6 percent increase for TV viewing overall.
REACT: And that's exactly why rights fees for college conferences, and all televised sports, have gone up so significantly as the most recent deals have been announced. People are watching more than ever before. Although audiences might be splintering a bit, the numbers are still more than solid -- making sports worth spending on for TV types.