Turner says goodbye to Champions League

14 Comments

1. 

   Donald Duck

   July 1, 2020 at 5:43 pm

   Please say you will discuss the 10% stadium capacity for fans this week for the Danish league. The matches might not have been the best in the world but given the circumstances just seeing the fans scattered throughout the stadium made my day.

   Reply
2. 

   TheOriginalTom

   June 30, 2020 at 2:22 pm

   Good to hear a mention of the Colorado Rapids! My best soccer on TV moment of this miserable 2020 year was watching the Rapids in a packed bar in downtown Denver filled with Spanish and English speaking fans. We have a fun, knowledgeable, inclusive culture.

   Reply
3. 

   Chris Guardiano

   June 30, 2020 at 2:59 am

   I read somewhere that the main reason why Turner opted out of the Champions League is because they owe the NCAA millions of dollars due to March Madness (the men’s college basketball tournament which Turner have the cable rights to) being cancelled this year due to the pandemic even though the NCAA were the ones that cancelled March Madness. To make this even more complicated, the NCAA were livid that Turner paid more money to UEFA to acquire the Champions League back in 2017 than they did to renew March Madness a year earlier. As a result the NCAA threatened to terminate the deal they have with Turner and give the cable rights to ESPN if Turner didn’t pay the NCAA more money. This would have been a major loss for Turner because it is one the major money makers for their sports division alongside the NBA. So basically what I am trying to say is that the NCAA blackmailed Turner into giving up the Champions League so that they could get more revenue from Turner to broadcast future March Madness tournaments through 2026 when the current deal expires.

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   • 

     Eddie

     June 30, 2020 at 10:15 am

     They expire after 2032 of match madness with CBS and Turner.

     Reply
   • 

     Karl

     June 30, 2020 at 10:30 am

     Can you link to where you saw this? This premise is absolutely ridiculous and I highly doubt it’s accuracy.

     Reply
     • 

       Donald Duck

       June 30, 2020 at 10:42 am

       https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.sbnation.com/platform/amp/college-basketball/2016/4/12/11415764/ncaa-tournament-tv-broadcast-rights-money-payout-cbs-turner

       Here is 1 of many news article links.

       Reply
       • 

         Barry

         June 30, 2020 at 12:54 pm

         The article you posted is from 2016, four years before the pandemic canceled this year’s tournament. It doesn’t address Karl’s question regarding Chris Guardiano’s post.

         I agree with Karl that the conspiracy theory Chris is espousing is absurd, not to mention factually incorrect. Turner was paying $60 million per year for the rights to the Champions League. CBS and currently Turner pay the NCAA $800 million per year with Turner paying the majority portion of that, in excess of $400 million per year as well as subsidizing CBS if ad revenue doesn’t meet expectations and CBS loses a lot of money.

         Here’s the link: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cbs-tw-share-march-madness-22904

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       • 

         Karl

         June 30, 2020 at 1:22 pm

         Sorry- I was referencing the comment stating the NCAA was “livid” about Turner’s UEFA deal.

         Reply
         • 

           Donald Duck

           June 30, 2020 at 2:29 pm

           It was my fault for not understanding the actual question. Glad another poster was able to give you the right answer.

           Reply
   • 

     Barry

     June 30, 2020 at 1:15 pm

     I posted a reply to Chris’ post but it isn’t showing up so I thought I’d try again with just some data. Turner paid about $60 million per year for Champions League rights. Various sources list their current annual payments for the NCAA tournament from $400 million to $560 million. So the theory about the NCAA being mad that Turner is paying more for the Champions League contradicts the actual payments being made.

     Here is a link with the data. The stuff about Turner’s payment is the last sentence in the 13th paragraph. https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2016/04/18/Media/NCAA-CBS-Turner.aspx

     Reply
4. 

   Ivan

   June 28, 2020 at 9:18 am

   Good riddance, and don’t let the door hit you on your way out.
   Didn’t they have some basketball player as an “analyst” because he “happened to like soccer”?
   Univision, on the other hand, have Zamorrano and Stoichkov…enough said.
   Turner’ coverage, between the paid platform and shockingly amateurish studio production, was a disgrace.

   Reply
5. 

   NaBUru38

   June 25, 2020 at 12:48 pm

   Breaking news: FuboTV will add Disney channels, including ESPN.

   Reply
   • 

     potnoodle

     June 25, 2020 at 2:42 pm

     Stand by for a hefty fee increase for suvscribers.

     Reply
     • 

       Turfit

       June 25, 2020 at 8:37 pm

       ESPN, Fox Sports, beIN Sports, TUDN, TyC Sports, GOLTV, NBCSN, CBS Sports Network, Fox Soccer Plus, Eleven Sports, Pac 12, BTN, Stadium, all on Fubo, what more can a soccer fan ask for?

       Reply