Comcast to market French Super Cup match at Red Bull Arena

Discussion in 'TV, Satellite & Radio' started by huhe888, Apr 5, 2012.

  1. huhe888

    huhe888 Red Card

    Oct 3, 2007
    Interesting announcement from Comcast over the weekend:

    Comcast-Spectacor's Front Row Marketing subsidiary will handle the advertising sales and marketing of the 2012 French Super Cup (Trophée des Champions), which will be played at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey on July 28, one week before the start of the 2012-2013 Ligue 1 season.

    http://aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/...-will-open-season-with-game-at-red-bull-arena

    The 2011-2012 champion of Ligue 1 will play the winner of the 2011-2012 Coupe de France.

    (The 2011 French Super Cup was played at Stade Saputo in Montreal.)

    ==

    Note that Paris Saint-Germain is currently level with Montpellier at the top of the Ligue 1 table. PSG is owned by the Qatar Investment Authority.

    One of the semifinalists in the Coupe de France is Ajaccio, which features Mexican National Team goalkeeper Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa. Ochoa is the star of several TV commercials targeting the U.S. Hispanic market, notably for Allstate, Home Depot, and Powerade.

    One would expect the match to be shown in the U.S. on Telemundo and Comcast-operated regional sports networks such as SNY.

    ==

    Is Comcast angling to be the launch partner of beIN Sports USA?

    Is Telemundo angling for the U.S. rights to the Barcelona-Real Madrid clasicos in La Liga BBVA next season?


    Inquiring minds want to know.
     
  2. jcvf90

    jcvf90 Member

    Dec 12, 2006
    Boca Raton, FL
    For my own selfish Comcast customer reasons, I really do hope so.
     
  3. sfdanryan

    sfdanryan Member

    Jun 5, 2009
    Comcast suuuuuuuuuuucks! Dumped them a year ago, and couldn't be happier. They only just recently added FSC HD, but still dont offer GolTv HD or FS+ in the Bay Area.
     
  4. huhe888

    huhe888 Red Card

    Oct 3, 2007
    Comcast was the LAST MSO to sign with FOX Soccer, and only after Comcast had determined that FOX Soccer (then known as FOX Sports World) was not a direct competitor to its own OLN service (now NBC Sports Network) for U.S. rights to international sports events.

    Not surprised to see Comcast buddying up to the Emir of Qatar, as Comcast would love to put FOX Soccer out of business once and for all.

    (Qatar Media Corporation is bankrolling Ligue 1 through at least 2016 [with a possible extension to 2018 in the French market only; Qatar Media Corporation already owns international rights to Ligue 1 through 2018] as it holds all media rights to Ligue 1 worldwide with the exception of 1 "1st pick" match each week in the French domestic market.)

    Comcast is still smarting from losing out on the U.S. media rights in English to the FIFA events for 2015-2022 to FOX Sports Media Group (despite bidding $1 billion for the rights in both English and Spanish.)
     
  5. coracaodoporto

    Jan 3, 2012
    Club:
    FC Porto
    I live near Red Bull Arena and thoughout the whole state of NJ I have never met a single person of French descent. The most popular European soccer league in the Harrison-Newark area is the Portuguese league, then Real Madrid, then EPL and Barca being tied. Manchester United used to be huge here too but once Ronaldo left to Madrid it fell with only Nani on the team. When Mourinho moved to Madrid then it really solidified Madrid as the favorite non-Portuguese league team in this area. French League doesn't get a bleep here not even when Pauleta was on PSG.
     
  6. huhe888

    huhe888 Red Card

    Oct 3, 2007
    That is the precise reason why this move by Comcast has to be viewed with suspicion.

    You and I both know that Ligue 1 clubs are worth practically nothing in the U.S. market, as no Ligue 1 clubs have set foot on U.S. soil for a preseason friendly for at least the past 20 years until this summer.

    Yet Comcast has decided to stick its hand in the cookie jar only a few weeks after industry insiders found that Qatar Media Corporation is moving quickly to start its own sports TV networks in the U.S. under the "beIN Sports" brands as Qatar Media blew away GOLTV-ESPN Deportes and FOX Sports Media Group for U.S. rights to La Liga and Serie A respectively (in addition to having locked up U.S. right to Ligue 1 for the next 6 seasons.)

    Why would Comcast all of a sudden get involved with Ligue 1 by working with Ligue 1 to market the French Super Cup at Red Bull Arena of all places?

    (No, having "Memo" Ochoa in goal for Ajaccio isn't going to sell out Red Bull Arena. Not even close. I predict no more than 15,000 at Red Bull Arena even if Ajaccio were to win the Coupe de France, and possibly as few as 10,000 if the matchup were Montpellier vs Lyon instead of PSG vs Ajaccio. )

    We know that Comcast (NBC Sports Group) does not particularly like FOX Sports Media Group even though the two companies are partners in National Sports Programming, Inc. (which provide backdrop programming to the regional sports networks affiliated with FOX Sports Net.)

    ==

    I would not be surprised to see the Barca-RM clasicos in La Liga air on Telemundo starting next season.

    If beIN Sports USA were to win the U.S. media rights to the English Premier League in 2013-2016, I would not be surprised to see Man United vs Chelsea, Man United vs Arsenal, and Man United vs Liverpool air on NBC Sports Network or possibly NBC free-to-air.
     
  7. matty311

    matty311 Member

    Jul 2, 2003
    Pittsburgh
    Club:
    AFC Ajax
    NOPE

    Ajaccio is NOT in Coupe De France semifinal.Gazelec FCO Ajaccio is.

    You see, AC Ajaccio are a club that are currently playing in Ligue 1. They brought in a Mexican keeper last summer named Guillermo Ochoa(I wonder if Comcast helped finance that deal in anticipation of them partnering with BE IN Sports to bring Ligue 1 to U.S starting next year.)

    Gazelec Ajaccio are a club that play in the third tier of the French leagues. Guillermo Ochoa, nor anyone else of Mexican heritage currently plays for them

    No Guillermo Ochoa angle on this one
     
  8. corolla

    corolla Member

    Jan 8, 2008
    Club:
    Olympique de Marseille
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    Nice work! Ollie aka Mr Wrong is wrong again. Good news is i live about 45 minutes from RBA and love French Football. Im getting front row seats as soon as they go on sale. Hoping for a PSG v Lyon matchup!
     
  9. Kryptonite

    Kryptonite Fancy Title Here

    Apr 10, 1999
    Columbus
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Hopefully you have the money to do so. Judging by coracaodoporto's post, you may be one of the only ones there.

    (Unless you mean first row behind the goal.)
     
  10. corolla

    corolla Member

    Jan 8, 2008
    Club:
    Olympique de Marseille
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    I went to Trophee des Champions match in Montreal back in 2009. My wife got us tickets on the halfway line about 6 rows up. Fun time! With enough advertising and decently priced tickets, theyll get a decent crowd. RBA is Camp Nou in size anyway.
     
  11. TarheelJTK

    TarheelJTK Member

    Dec 14, 2004
    Jersey City
    He was fearlessly wrong on this one and it wasn't even one of his ridiculous predictions.

    I'm about 15 minutes from RBA by PATH and I will definitely be there.
     
  12. Redbullsnation2012

    May 26, 2010
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Yes. FEARLESS!! OUTRAGEOUS!! :D
     
  13. blackhornet

    blackhornet Member

    Jun 26, 2008
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Why would a fledgling network give away their most prized ratings-garnering matches to NBC? There'd be no incentive for anyone to add their channel?
     
  14. huhe888

    huhe888 Red Card

    Oct 3, 2007
    1. Because Comcast "owns" too many pay TV customers and can demand a "launch fee" for putting beIN Sports USA on its systems.

    2. Because the English Premier League will require the Emir to agree in writing to put the "big" matches on a network with full distribution before accepting the bid from beIN Sports USA for U.S. rights.

    This hypothetical plan by Comcast, if it were to work, would accomplish the following:

    1. the Emir will have to buy time to put el clasico on Telemundo, and big EPL matches on Telemundo and either NBC Sports Network or NBC, in exchange for a discount on the "launch fee" Comcast will charge the Emir to put beIN Sports USA on Comcast cable systems

    2. the big EPL and La Liga matches of value (the only ones with a chance to draw 1 million viewers or above) will end up on the networks of NBCUniversal (51% owned by Comcast), i.e. Telemundo and either NBC Sports Network or NBC, instead of FOX, ESPN, or Univision.

    3. NBCUniversal will actually get paid to air the big matches by leasing time. Neither Telemundo nor NBC Sports Group will have to pay for the rights or production costs.

    All upside, no downside for Comcast, which has the leverage because it owns the most pay TV customers as well as 2 fully-distributed free-to-air networks (1 in English and 1 in Spanish.)

    Slick, clever, diabolical. Classic Comcast.

    --

    How will FOX, ESPN, Inc. and Univision react to that?

    Less than 5 months away until the U.S. rights to EPL are tendered. Expect the big boys to play more "high stakes poker" against each other. The Emir has to be laughing right now.
     
  15. corolla

    corolla Member

    Jan 8, 2008
    Club:
    Olympique de Marseille
    Nat'l Team:
    France
    Instead of repeating the same old "High Stakes Poker" "Liga Ninos" and "The Kids" how about you try something new like "I was wrong", "Oops" and "Once Again, I F*##ed Up".....

    Still waiting to hear that you were wrong about the Ajaccio thing. I know that you don't watch French football because it's not Deloitte Top10 as far as money making clubs and that you're not a Francophone African Immigrant that would usually like Ligue 1 :rolleyes:, but you still were wrong and as usual, when you're wrong, you continue to spout off about other things, thus redirecting the attention away from your error and onto something else that you will eventually be wrong about again. Stick to big fonts and making tv schedules that's about the only thing people want to hear from you.
     
  16. blackhornet

    blackhornet Member

    Jun 26, 2008
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That's great for Comcast. But what's in it for Al Jazeera/Bein Sports? Are they that desperate for a channel? Would they tie other Al Jazeera channels into this mix?

    And what would be their strategy for non-Comcast distribution?
     
  17. Rivaldinho

    Rivaldinho Member

    Jan 26, 2003
    Why do you think the Premier League will require that?
     
  18. huhe888

    huhe888 Red Card

    Oct 3, 2007
    Google "GuangDong TV WinTV" for the 2007-2009 fiasco in Mainland China, when only 20,000 subscribers were willing to pay the equivalent of 20% of an average factory workers' salary to watch Premier League matches on WinTV.

    The Premier League will NOT allow another WinTV fiasco to happen anywhere in the world, especially not in the U.S.
     
  19. Rivaldinho

    Rivaldinho Member

    Jan 26, 2003
    Has the Premier League ever had a requirement like this in their rights auctions?
     
  20. huhe888

    huhe888 Red Card

    Oct 3, 2007
    Yes.

    Prior to the tender process for the rights to 2010-2013 season, the Premier League required bidders in several markets, notably Mainland China, to guarantee that 38 matches be aired on free-to-air television each season.

    Furthermore, the Premier League would not certify GuangDong TV as a bidder for the rights in Mainland China for 2010-2013 unless GuangDong TV were to put 38 matches on free-to-air television during the 2009-2010 season.

    (GuangDong TV now has sublicense agreements with the likes of Beijing TV and Shanghai Media Group. WinTV was shut down after the 2010-2011 season. At its peak, WinTV was only able to sell 20,000 subscriptions.)

    The Premier League will NOT allow another WinTV fiasco anywhere in the world, and definitely NOT in the U.S. where 4 out of 20 Premier League owners reside.

    ==

    Because Comcast owns the most pay TV households in the U.S. as well as 2 free-to-air broadcast networks (NBC and Telemundo), Comcast is in position to "steal" the U.S. telecasts to all the big European soccer matches on weekends without having to pay rights fees for any of them.

    Comcast, and only Comcast, owns everything that the Emir of Qatar needs in the U.S. market. Not FOX, not ESPN, not Univision, but Comcast, and only Comcast.
     

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