Bally Sports files for Chapter 11

Impact might not be felt immediately  The nation’s biggest regional sports network chain just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but of all the talk and bluster about its implosion, they actually might come out fine. Well, maybe. Bally Sports parent Diamond Sports Group entered those waters last Tuesday with the Southern District of Texas bankruptcy court as the company – […]

Monday ratings roundup: Viewers flood “Neighborhood”

ESPN scores with MNF, tiebreaker baseball Note: All numbers are adult 18-49, unless noted CBS premiered two new multi-cam sitcoms Monday night with the heavily promoted The Neighborhood and Happy Together as part of their effort to retool their Monday night lineup. The results were positive for Neighborhood with the Cedric The Entertainer vehicle earning a 1.3 rating/6 share, while […]

Cubs’ proposed network in jeopardy?

Changing marketing conditions could be factor; AT&T may be only hope If the Cubs are looking to launch their own TV network in 2020, their options are becoming quite limited. According to a report Monday in Sports Business Journal and Awful Announcing, AT&T is considering looking to add the baseball team to their portfolio of sports rights. AT&T operates a […]

AT&T, TimeWarner propose merger

AT&T to purchase TimeWarner for $85 billion Opponents to deal already lining up Bugs Bunny, Sheldon Cooper, and Scooby Doo are getting ready to reach out and touch someone – a lot of people, that is. While Chicago and the rest of America (except in the St. Louis area) was busy celebrating the Cubs’ advancing to the World Series for […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: “Arsenio” to return for second season

Grab Baggin’- * It’s like good prevailing over evil: CBS Television Distribution announced the renewal of The Arsenio Hall Show for a second season Wednesday evening, with former Tonight Show host Jay Leno delivering the news to Arsenio in person (see above.) This comes as Arsenio has the youngest median age of any late night talk show amid a recent ratings […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: The white flag

On Monday, the Chicago White Sox traded veterans Jim Thome to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Jose Contreras to the Colorado Rockies, bringing back memories of the July 1997 White Flag Trade which sent Wilson Alvarez and two others to the San Francisco Giants. The move was sent as a signal the White Sox has given up on the season […]

2007 World Series second-lowest ever

Hold the celebration Fox – the 2007 World Series between the Red Sox and the Rockies turned out to be the second-lowest rated World Series ever, only above last year’s World Series between Detroit and St. Louis. Earlier this year, the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals recorded record-low numbers. Still, the World Series was up 5 percent from […]

The right team makes the difference

So much for the notion of viewers fleeing major sporting events… If you are the L.A. Lakers, New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, or the Boston Red Sox – it’s instant ratings gold. Game One of the Rockies-Red Sox World Series on Fox grabbed a 10.5 household overnight rating and a 5.8 in adults 18-49, up 61 percent in the demo […]

An unlikely smash hit

And who thought it would be a new sitcom – yes, sitcom – called Samantha Who? who grew week to week in 18-49s in its’ Monday night time slot. Samantha Who?, the Colorado Rockies of prime time.

NLCS bombs in the ratings

No surprise here: The National League Championship Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies averaged an anemic 2.8 rating and 6 share on TBS, down 61 percent from last year’s series between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals, which aired on Fox. This year’s NLCS ended in a four game sweep with the Rockies sweeping […]

Sports broadcasts continue to struggle in the ratings

If you thought Chicago sports teams were having a bad year… ratings for live sports broadcasts are still struggling just as badly, and no wonder: – The National League Championship Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies on TBS had a household rating of 2.2 for Game 1. Colorado swept the series from Arizona 4-0 with last night’s […]