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View Full Version : TBN on the TV deal

Jim Bob
July 1st, 2003, 9:04:20 AM
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20030701/1023361.asp

The Buffalo Sabres have declined to exercise their $1 million option to break their contract with Adelphia Communications to televise their games next season.
The National Hockey League team now awaits the cable operator's decision whether to televise the games on its own Empire Sports Network or disband the channel and make a deal with another regional sports network that is carried on Adelphia's system.

The Sabres had until today to pay $1 million to break the deal, for which they will be paid about $6.5 million per year over the next four seasons. The rights fee Adelphia paid was so high that it isn't at all surprising that no regional sports channel wanted to match it.

"I told Adelphia that we will not exercise the option to terminate," Larry Quinn, the team's managing partner, said Monday.
LALAFONTAINE
July 1st, 2003, 9:50:13 AM
Good news.
Jim Bob
July 1st, 2003, 10:06:48 AM
Originally posted by LALALALALALAFONTAINE
Good news.

Read the whole article though. There are a lot of options that are really ugly like Adelphia putting the games on a cable access channel on Adelphia cable systems.

That would leave anyone without Adelphia cable in the Buffalo area and everyone outside of Buffalo in the dark.
Forum21
July 1st, 2003, 10:23:43 AM
Originally posted by Jim Bob


That would leave anyone without Adelphia cable in the Buffalo area and everyone outside of Buffalo in the dark.

Of course it would. They want you to buy a premium package like NHL Center Ice, just like I have to...

I just can't see the Sabres liking that scenerio with Golisano and Quinn trying to build a regional brand. It makes me think that something is in the works that would see the sabres games carried throughout Cnetral and Western NY.
Jim Bob
July 1st, 2003, 11:33:51 AM
Of course it would. They want you to buy a premium package like NHL Center Ice, just like I have to...

Why? Adelphia's cut of the NHL Center Ice package is far less than they get from having Empire on cable networks throughout the region.

Adelphia's just looking at this thing as how can they lose the least amount of money or make as much as possible.

I wonder if they have tried selling Empire to the Fox Sports Network?
LALAFONTAINE
July 1st, 2003, 1:31:20 PM
I stand corrected. This hasn't gone away, and Empire might be toast. Crap.