"Phillies get $2.5 billion, equity stake in Comcast SportsNet"

From Philly.com

Review by Taylor Longacre in SRM 334

In today’s fast pace society sports dominate our conversations, our living rooms, and our restaurants, just to name a few. Our worlds revolve around the sport industry and we are significantly impacted everyday whether we know it or not. Recently the Philadelphia Phillies, a major league baseball team, signed a lucrative television deal. In the article Phillies get $2.5 billion, equity stake in Comcast SportsNet written by Matt Gelb and Bob Fernandez, many intriguing points are conveyed. According to Gelb and Fernandez from the Inquirer, the Phillies will have twenty-five percent ownership of the network, it is a twenty-five year contract, and advertising from broadcasts will be split in some manner. (Philly.Com) Also the Comcast Network will not be limited on how many Phillies games they will be allowed to televise; which is what makes this deal so interesting to me. Being from Philadelphia I grew up watching the Philadelphia Flyers and Sixers play on Comcast but not as much of the Phillies; Comcast is now televising three out of four sports teams in the area.

This article relates to media and communication because as stated by Gelb and Fernandez, “Media companies are furiously locking up the rights to live sporting events because the future of TV is unclear. There is still a premium for advertisers to target live televised sports, and the value is manifesting in these contracts.” (Philly.com) Comcast is one of the main media outlets for the sports in the area which gives them tremendous power over their competition. If Dish Network and DirecTV want to compete with Comcast they have to start carrying the Comcast Network for their customers to be able to view their favorite sports teams. This decision impacts rival media outlets on so many levels. Now if a Phillies fan wants to watch their team and they do not have Comcast it will be harder for them and cost more money. Fortunately in this mass media world we live in games can be streamed online but as a viewer you are losing clarity and convenience.

The Phillies television deal with Comcast emphasizes a couple points that were made in class. Hyper Localism in particular is critical in looking at this deal. Comcast airs all sports in the Philadelphia area and is really putting pressure on other media sources. Also after this deal went through, Comcast fired the two broadcasters for the team and are on the verge of replacing them. In conclusion, Sports + Media = Money. In this case the Phillies and Comcast are working together to better serve each sides interests.