Al Roker Leaving "The Today Show"?

Interesting story from the New York Post today involving Al Roker's expiring contract with the "Today" show. According to their website, NBC will use Sam Champion as leverage while they're in negotiations with Roker to extend his contract. NBC believes that they won't have to pay Roker as much for his next contract because they could simply replace him with The Weather Channel's Sam Champion, who is almost as popular as Roker. 

Roker has told his agents to start looking at other places for him to move to in case his negotiations with NBC become icy. I doubt Roker leaves "Today" any time soon unless he wants to. Champion is under contract to host a morning show for TWC over the next three years and the likelihood that TWC will want their morning weatherman on another show full-time in the same timeslot is slim to none unless a strategy is worked out where he splits his time between the two shows in a similar way to what Roker (TWC/Today) and Willie Geist (Morning Joe/Today) currently do.

Also, Champion was drawn to work at TWC mainly because it's located in Atlanta which is closer to his husband in Miami than New York is. Will he want to go back to living in New York full-time? Let's also not forget that Al Roker is the MOST POPULAR host on the "Today" show according to his Q Score (an industry wide survey which tests the popularity of TV personalities). Could "Today"'s ratings erode even more without Roker at the helm?

"Today" will eventually need to transition to younger cast members and that transition is already in process with the additions of Savannah, Tamron, Willie and Carson. But with ratings still rocky, it wouldn't be wise for the show to make such a drastic change to it's lineup especially when you consider that Roker has been with the show for at least 18 years. Here's a list of possible destinations should Roker decide to leave "Today":

• CNN - "New Day" needs a spark.......FAST! Roker might be the person that'll be able to provide that spark to an otherwise very bland copycat of "Today". Roker would also be a very trustworthy face to lead CNN's breaking news coverage of various weather disasters which occur every year.

• ABC - It would be tough to pull off because as we saw with Ann Curry, viewers don't like to see anchors pushed off for no reason, but "GMA" could add Roker to it's cast and have him do weather part-time while also contributing weather reports to all of ABC News' other telecasts. Roker's production company could also receive a development deal that puts all of Roker's future projects on various Disney cable networks. The only reason this might not work is because Roker may not want to work at the same place as his wife and because "GMA" may not want to make any changes to it's lineup.

• AccuWeather - AccuWeather is starting it's own 24/7 cable network to compete directly against TWC. The network would become way more valuable to cable operators and TV viewers with a face to lead the network who is well known in America -- Al Roker. The only problem with this potential deal is that AccuWeather is based in State College, PA while Roker would most likely want to stay in NYC where he has family.

Why Was An ESPN Show Promoted On MSNBC Today?

Very awkward segment (at least to me since I'm such a media geek) earlier today on MSNBC's The Cycle. They had ESPN's Jemele Hill and Michael Smith on to give predictions and analysis for this weekend's NFL Championship games. 

Toure (one of the hosts of the show) promoted the pair as friends of his, so maybe that's how they got onto the show but it still perplexes me that they had such a long segment on the show AND got major promotion for their show after the segment finished. The Numbers Never Lie decal was also very clearly visible. Let's remember that NBC, which owns MSNBC, also owns ESPN's archrival NBCSN. 

How did the higher ups at NBC allow this to happen? It's a perfect chance for NBCSN to promote their talent on another NBC network. Maybe this was part of the recent ESPN/NBC Ryder Cup deal in which ESPN traded it's rights of the Ryder Cup to NBC in exchange for more EPL highlights on SportsCenter? Maybe part of the deal was contingent on ESPN getting more promo on NBC shows which aren't affiliated with NBC Sports? Or maybe I'm just overblowing this whole thing?

Also, considering Keith Olbermann works at ESPN now, wouldn't MSNBC want to stay as far away from ESPN as possible? Normal viewers probably didn't notice and probably don't care if I'm being frank but it's weird that an NBC News show's first option to help preview a sports segment was to call up representatives at ESPN.

Questions to Ponder About NFL Thursday Night Rights Sale

News broke late Sunday night that the NFL is seeking bids from it's rightsholders (CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN) as well as TNT for a package of anywhere between 6-8 Thursday night games at the beginning of the season. The package would start next season and would be part of a 1 year deal. I have a bunch of questions about this. Some that I can answer and some that I can't. Chime in on the comments section to give your input.

Sources: Reuters, NYT

1. Why would the NFL sell rights to games normally televised on NFLN? Doesn't it weaken NFLN? Unlike 2006, when the Thursday nighters first started on NFLN, the network is now pretty well distributed and essential to the sports television diet for many fans. It's very unlikely that less games will mean that cable operators will do whatever it takes to drop the channel from it's lineup, especially because there's a chance that NFLN could win the rights to a playoff game sometime soon either in the divisional round or in the wild card (this all depends on whether the number of teams in the playoffs expands). With that being said, any reduction of NFL games weakens the network whether that's the narrative they want to push or not because it means less ad revenue. It also means that cable operators have a reason to offer less carriage fees to the NFL.

2. Why won't the NFL let Google bid for these games? According to Reuters, "Google, which had expressed interest in streaming NFL games in the past, was not asked to bid, according to the person." This is probably because the NFL wants these games on a well distributed network. Money will probably matter when choosing a partner but distribution and reach will matter more. Google doesn't guarantee the wide distribution that television does because everyone has different types of speed for their internet connection and no one knows whether Google could truly handle the number of people that usually watch NFL games on 1 stream.

3. Why does the NFL want the games on a wide distributed network? They want to use that network's platform to promote Thursday night games and make them just as big as Sunday and Monday night games, which they aren't at the moment. Having the first couple of games on a big network could give NFLN the momentum it needs to get their ratings for games as high as ESPN's and NBC's ratings are whenever they air primetime football games. The first package of Thursday night games would basically be a promotional tool/preview of what to expect later in the season on NFLN.

4. Why is this deal only going to last for only one season? I really don't understand this one right here. Maybe it's because they feel like they'll only need promotional support for one year and want to eventually move all the games back to NFLN in the 2015-2016 season? Or maybe it's just a short term precursor to a longer term deal which could take into effect after the 1 year contract is up?

5. What other networks could bid? According to Reuters, "The league also sent out requests to other TV outlets (besides the rightsholders and TNT), according to one person with knowledge of the bids. Recipients of those bids couldn't be determined" The only two cable companies which I could see possibly bidding that haven't been mentioned are Viacom and Discovery Communications, although neither has ever shown interest in bidding for sports and probably wouldn't bid for such a short deal. Who knows? Maybe the league gets into a revenue sharing agreement with a well distributed network that's considered an outlier in main street America like Univision, Ion, PBS. Or maybe AMC or A&E make a surprise bid?

6. Could ABC get back into broadcasting NFL games? According to the New York Times, it's possible or should I say plausible. "It is conceivable, for example, that ESPN would buy the deal and put the games on ABC, its sibling network in the Walt Disney empire."

7. Does the NFL prefer a broadcast network or a cable network? According to the New York Times, "The league’s preference would probably be a broadcast network like NBC, CBS or Fox, but it would also be pleased if a cable channel got the package."

8. Who is the favorite? According to John Ourand of Sports Business Daily, "I think Turner, Fox and NBC, in no particular order."

9. Could Turner actually broadcast the NBA and the NFL side by side on it's networks? A lot of people have ruled Turner out because they can't see NFL games airing on TBS or TruTV while NBA games air on TNT. I don't see what the problem with that would be though. Having the two most watched broadcasts on cable on the same night could mean LOADS of ad revenue especially because Thursday nights are one of the most watched nights on TV.

Many people are going to be looking at purchasing various things such as a car, a movie ticket, food etc. over the weekend. Turner would have the opportunity to offer ads on the two most watched sports shows of the night and could even garner more ad revenue at a premium because of how much the NFL means to advertisers. This would also help Turner grow their Bleacher Report brand immensely. 

10. Could TNT's NBA slate get pushed back if NFL games were to air on TNT? Most likely. They would either get pushed back or moved. I could see TNT starting their NBA season later OR moving the games to Tuesday nights OR moving their slate to NBA TV, which would give NBA TV a better slate of quality games (Thursdays are usually reserved for marquee games in the NBA). Turner could even use the NFL games to promote NBA TV which would give it more attention than it usually gets.

11. Could Fox Sports actually air Thursday nighters on MyNetworkTV? According to John Ourand, it's possible. He was asked if Fox Sports 1 bid for rights and here was his response: "Fox Sports was, yes. Could be for Fox, FS1 or MyNetwork."

12. Why would Fox air games on MNT instead of FS1? 

- As mentioned before, NFL has a preference towards broadcast rather than cable because it wants to ensure the widest distribution possible. Wide distribution = more promotion for Thursday night games = cementing in people's minds that Thursday night means NFL just like Sunday and Monday night do.

- Fox has decently rated Thursday night programming at the moment including "Idol" and "X-Factor". Airing NFL games on Thursday nights short-term would jeopardize those shows as well as Thursday night ratings long term since Thursday nights are already interrupted by baseball in the fall.

- Football rights creates more value for the MNT owned-and-operated affiliates that it owns and opens the door to possibly selling those local stations to conglomerates like Sinclair, who are looking to acquire as many local stations as possible. The ad revenue from the games could even spark MNT to go back to producing original programming, although that revenue would probably go to the Fox Sports department rather than MNT's offices.

13. Who do I think wins? It's a two-way race between Turner and NBC in my opinion. NBC could use these games to enhance their own Thursday night schedule and/or help out NBCSN, so they're in desperate need of these rights. Turner, on the other hand, could use these rights to start their own sports network and/or garner more ad revenue/carriage fees than they currently get as it is. Those two have the most to gain which means those two will bid the most. At the end of the day, my prediction is that Turner will be back in the NFL business and will become a strategic partner in NFL Media which encompasses NFL Network and NFL.com. Long-term, we could even see Turner working with the NFL and NBA to produce joint events/interactions.

Tim Brando Show Out At CBSSN?

The Tim Brando Show already went through some changes in 2013 on the radio airwaves, moving from terrestrial radio to Sirius/XM, and now it looks like they may be on the move in the television world as well. Brando has been a major face of CBS' college football and college basketball programming for years which is why he fit so well on the CBS Sports Network. But, because Brando's show is owned and broadcasted on Sirius/XM, it's always been a very awkward situation to be on CBSSN given the fact that CBS owns and operates it's own sports radio complex.

Brando's show has been temporarily replaced by a repeat of CBS-owned "Boomer and Carton", which just started airing on CBSSN recently. But could "B&C" or another CBS Sports Radio show end up replacing Tim Brando permanently on CBSSN? Despite the hiatus, many CBS Sports personalities are still making appearances as prominent guests on the show.

The show's Facebook page has been very cryptic as fans have asked why the changes are happening. Administrators on the page say that the show is "negotiating the date of our return" although there's no word on if that means returning to CBSSN or returning to television at another home. Here is a list of some potential places we could see Brando's show if it doesn't return to CBSSN.

• SEC Network - Brando has a storied history with ESPN and also currently hosts the pregame show to SEC coverage on CBS. His show is also very college sports focused (specifically in SEC Country) and it's no secret that Tim Brando and Paul Finebaum, the face of the network, are very close friends. Simulcasting his radio show on an ESPN-owned network wouldn't conflict with his gig at the ACC Network because Raycom Sports and ESPN are close allies but it could signal an exit from his CBS pregame job if he ends up taking additional hosting duties on the network.

• Fox Sports 1 - Fox Sports 1 is in need of daytime programming and a show with as much of a rabid fanbase as Brando's could help provide a little jolt to the daytime ratings. FS1 could use this show to build credibility in the South among SEC fans as well. The biggest roadblock that could prevent this from happening is that Fox Sports has their own radio operation which they could simulcast shows from which means it doesn't need to depend on a Sirius/XM-owned show. The counterargument to that argument though, is that the show which airs in Brando's timeslot on Fox Sports Radio, the Dan Patrick Show, currently airs on TV on the NBC Sports Network. 

• Liberty Media, the owners of Sirius/XM, have a relationship/history with Fox and because of this, a deal to bring Brando to Fox wouldn't be unexpected. Liberty owned 4 FSN affiliates at one point in time before selling the affiliates to DirecTV. 

• The Atlanta Braves, which are owned by Liberty, are also television partners with Fox although the chances that bigwigs at Liberty Media will be involved in negotiations to put Brando's radio show on TV are slim to none.

• RSN Syndication - A 3 hour radio show simulcast followed by a repeat could fill in 6 hours of legitimate sports talk for RSNs across the nation that struggle to fill holes in their schedule.

• Liberty Media is looking to eventually acquire Time Warner Cable, which owns RSNs in LA and other locations. A radio show simulcast could help fill in various timeslots on those RSNs.

• WILDCARD: ONLINE - Sirius/XM has a relationship with the MLB, which features Chris Russo on their network nowadays. Could Sirius/XM ask MLB Advanced Media to build a website which could host a video simulcast of Brando's show and other Sirius/XM radio shows? Or could MLBAM host a video simulcast on their sports website, Sports on Earth?

• WILDCARD: CMT/GAC - Brando is openly conservative and a proud Southerner which fits the demographic of many viewers who tune into CMT/GAC. Both networks have also moved away from music and headed into a more unscripted format. With that being said, this probably won't happen unless Brando changes the theme of his show to include less sports and more entertainment fare. CMT also hasn't aired much sports programming other than a Cowboys cheerleaders reality series while GAC hasn't aired any sports programming.

• WILDCARD: NFL Network - This would SHOCK me, but if the NFL Network wants to expand their college football coverage maybe this is the way they do it after NFL AM? NFL.com already devotes more of it's resources than expected to college football so who knows?

• The other likely possibility is that Brando's is OUT from television altogether. I would expect Brando's show to either come back to CBSSN or to be removed from television altogether unfortunately.

Cable News Primetime Lineup on December 31st, 2014 Prediction

I think it'll stay the same. The only show I could see moving in primetime is "Hannity". While Hannity's ratings are still high, his style of anchoring is way more partisan than anyone else in the primetime lineup including O'Reilly. He'll be a great addition to jazz up the Republican fan base for the 2014 mid-terms but I don't think he matches the identity and general theme of the other primetime hosts, whose aim is to critically analyze the events of the day. Many may laugh at my suggestion that O'Reilly isn't a partisan but O'Reilly doesn't toe the Republican party line as much as Hannity does. In fact, O'Reilly is very inclusive of other viewpoints as is Greta and Megyn.

I could see Fox News moving Hannity back to his 9pm time slot on the Fox Business Network, which is in need of a jolt and has a clear stance on limited government throughout it's schedule. If Hannity does move, it leaves the door open for "The Five" to go primetime. The likelihood of all of this happening is slim to none though, especially given the fact that Hannity is signed to a long-term agreement to continue on FNC Primetime. 

Prediction: The same.

The 10pm hour is destined to change. Lawrence O'Donnell has publicly said that he doesn't want to host a cable news show forever. Could this open the primetime door for MSNBC rising star Alex Wagner? I think so. Wagner is already moving to 4pm to replace Martin Bashir and it's only a matter of time before her meteoric rise continues. If I were MSNBC, I would put Maddow head on vs. O'Reilly but we already know MSNBC doesn't want to jeopardize their biggest star being clobbered in the ratings.

Expect Chris Hayes to stay at 8pm. His ratings are slowly increasing after getting off to a bad start (thanks to Chris Matthews' lead in) and MSNBC is in need of consistency in that timeslot. At 10pm, I would expect Alex Wagner's panel show, "NOW," to take over as the last voice of the night.

Prediction: 10pm move

Oh Lord! I'm up in the air about CNN. Who knows what they have planned for primetime!? Here's what I think. At 7pm, Anderson Cooper will host AC360 with a look at all the latest headlines followed by a block of unscripted shows from 8pm-10pm. Monday through Wednesday, the block will feature a different lineup of shows while Thursday will serve as movie/documentary night with an encore on Friday. At 10pm, Don Lemon takes over with a review of the show/documentary as the topic of discussion followed by a sports highlights show powered by Bleacher Report at 11pm. Erin Burnett will no longer be a part of CNN while Piers Morgan will reduce his role to only airing on Friday nights and weekends with a signature interview outside of the studio (reminiscent of the interview he did with Rick Warren, the highlight of Morgan's 2013 at CNN). The Lead will add an extra 30 minutes to it's telecast, airing 4-5:30pm with The Sit Room on from 5:30pm-7pm.

Sidenote: CNN will head back to a 2-anchor format in the daytime with Robin Meade taking Kate Bouldan's place on "New Day".

Prediction: PANDEMONIUM!!!

HLN will have just as much chaos and pandemonium as CNN. I think CNN's primetime ratings will increase in 2014 (catching up with MSNBC) while HLN will take a STEEP downturn. Dr. Drew will move to 7:30pm with Jane Velez-Mitchell at 7pm. Nancy Grace will continue at 8pm, but then from 9pm-11pm we'll see a bunch of cheesy reality shows which are copycats of shows already on the air. Each day will include a different set of shows and most of the shows will be under the Upwave brand. The biggest surprise will be Jay Leno, who'll come on at 11pm and compete with rival Conan. Leno's show will not have a late-night feel to it though and will be set in a studio without an audience.

Prediction: Pandemonium. But less than CNN. Still pandemonium though.

We might see Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg get some primetime specials here and there but other than that, I don't expect much for CNBC's primetime lineup. NBC Sports may acquire more TV rights and CNBC could serve as the home for their overrun programming. Peacock Productions might also place some of it's random specials which can't find a home on CNBC's primetime lineup. But CNBC Prime is a goner with "60 Minutes" repeats as the main replacement.

Prediction: CNBC Prime axed!

More of the same. Unless Fox News risks moving one of it's major stars to the FBN lineup alongside Cavuto, we'll get more of the same from these guys. Primetime doesn't need to be much of a success if Maria Bartiromo and the WSJ can help the network improve it's daytime ratings. I wouldn't be shocked if Erin Burnett moved to FBN for a primetime show and/or to serve as it's main breaking news anchor.

Prediction: The same.

If Bloomberg stays the same and is owned by Bloomberg Inc. by this time next year, then I don't think their lineup changes. I could see Bloomberg expand into producing more documentaries which air in primetime but other than documentaries and "Charlie Rose" re-runs, there's not much hope for Bloomberg's primetime future if it's still owned by Bloomberg. I'm under the impression though, that Bloomberg will look to sell it's TV network to focus solely on the internet in 2014 and if that happens then the primetime lineup will obviously change.

Prediction: If the network is owned by Bloomberg by this time next year, then nothing changes.

Prediction: No changes to primetime. Ratings will finally match the ratings of it's former incarnation, Current. If a major breaking news story hits the Middle East in 2014, expect AJA to match CNN in the ratings.

Prediction: Jorge Ramos will make a lot of noise through a major interview he does on his show. Alicia Menendez will take over the 9pm hour. Fusion will finally get added carriage in 2014.

Vice is launching a new 24-hour news network which will mostly exist online. According to some articles published back in 2012, the network will be available in 18 other countries on television. I don't think "Vice News" will be available on television here in the U.S. in 2014 unless it leases time or buys a television network of it's own (such as Bloomberg) although those chances are slim to none. 

I also don't think this online network will make an immediate dent on ratings on a daily basis but I do think that they'll be a force to reckon with during peak primetime hours if breaking news arises. CNN may lose it's dominant streak as the leader in breaking news in 2014 because Fox News will be using a trusted journalist with cool, new gadgets for all of it's breaking news stories (Shepard Smith) while Vice will most likely provide an uncensored point of view which the traditional nets are not comfortable with that'll interest viewers in the demo.

For example, if "Vice News" were around during the Boston bombings, I imagine they would probably have a Vice correspondent move in temporarily with a family in Watertown who was forced to stay indoors or follow a cop who was right in the middle of the action. This kind of uncensored view could be the key to taking down the traditional cable nets or at the very least, bruising them during live breaking news coverage. 

Prediction: Fox News will take over as breaking news leader in the primetime ratings with help from Vice. Vice will take away viewers from CNN and reach 1 million views on a live stream of a breaking news story while Fox News viewers will stay on Fox News rather than turn to CNN. Fox News will also use Vice correspondents (and vice versa) and even possibly simulcast coverage together for a certain time period.

Prediction: CBS News' new internet news network will include a lot of hosts who are normally contributors on various cable news primetime shows. Those contributors will continue to make appearances on cable news primetime which will help promote the online network.

Prediction: Politico and Sinclair will look into cable news. Possibly launching cable news primetime shows which compete with the other guys.

Sports Media Post: New Ways To Watch Football in 2014 and Beyond, New Home for the UFC?

The game of football continues to grow it's reach and audience every year. Although the Super Bowl experienced a ratings drop last season, there is no other sport on television which draws the audiences which football does. Because of this, the fees which the NFL receives from FOX, CBS, NBC, NFL Network and ESPN to broadcast those games continue to exponentially increase and the deals last for a long stretch of time (current deals don't expire until 2021).

As the amount of cable networks and online networks dedicated to men and sports increase, expect the ways of watching football to increase and expand in different ways through 2014 and beyond. Here are some ideas which I could see coming into fruition on a screen near you.

1. Sky Sports Soccer Saturday - Sky Sports News in England covers soccer in a unique way as Awful Announcing describes:

Soccer Saturday features a variety of analysts and on-site reporters that watch and offer commentary on games while they happen.  (Yes, it means you're basically watching people watch games.)  While the concept may seem ridiculous and pointless to some of you, it actually produces crazy television when everything is happening at once across England.

If your team isn't playing and you can't afford NFL RedZone, how cool would it be to have a panel of former NFL analysts with the chemistry of "Inside the NBA" analyzing various games which they're watching live while reporters are on the scene describing the atmosphere, environment, the latest injuries and talking to fans in the crowd? Here's an example.


2. RSN/Local Feed - As the NFL Network was launching in the early 2000s, three organizations (Cowboys, Bucs and Falcons) had already established regional sports networks of their own to give fans maximum access to their team. But the NFL feared that these local RSNs would stop the NFL Network from spreading to more homes so they banned teams from starting them and forced the established RSNs to cease existence. With the NFL Network now reaching more viewers than it did as it was launching, maybe the NFL will allow teams to start their own networks again? And maybe the NFL could give fans the option to listen to their local radio feed synced with video live on these RSNs? (Very unlikely given how much CBS and Fox pay for rights UNLESS CBS and Fox start the RSNs themselves or teams pay CBS/Fox to simulcast feed. A man can only dream, lol.)

3. Multicast - NBC already offers various camera angles of the game online and it's only a matter of time before CBS and Fox start doing the same thing with their feeds, potentially broadcasting them on their own national cable sports networks if the NFL allows them.

4. Fans View - Two dedicated and well known fans from opposite teams calling games and reacting to the action together and live in real time would be a pretty cool option for fans. Fireman Ed and Barack Obama calling a Jets-Bears game would be unconvential and intriguing, wouldn't it? How about Michael Phelps and Wiz Khalifa calling a Ravens-Steelers rivalry game?

5. Fantasycast - A panel of fantasy experts constantly giving updates of various, key players would help fantasy owners adjust their lineups and keep track of where their team stands. It's an angle of analysis which the normal, regular football telecasts don't give much of, if any.

6. Match of the Day - One of the best sports shows to debut this year was NBCSN's "Match of the Day" which provided extended highlights and analysis of every single match played that day in the English Premier League. Why not have extended highlights of NFL games which exclusively feature the announcers as they called the game and the crowd noise without any hosts setting up the action for you? When you watch a quick 5 minute snippet of highlights, you've missed a lot of the intricacies of the game.

With extended highlights, you get to re-live the game and find out how the big plays were set up with less amount of time than if you were watching the game live but more amount of time than the game may be allotted on "SportsCenter". You'll understand what happened in the game and how a team won or lost more if the highlights are 15 mins. long vs. 3-5 minutes long.

2. WGN America = Possible Contender for NBA Rights? Tribune is currently in the process of rebuilding it's national cable network, WGN America, into a replica of TNT/TBS/FX/AMC etc. They want a general entertainment network with original high-brow dramas, high rated re-runs and some sports on the side.

For those who are unaware, WGN America is a superstation, defined as a broadcast station which spread it's reach beyond it's home city across the country via satellite. The FCC would later ban superstations from existing because the superstations affected local affiliate ratings since they were broadcasting a lot of the same programming. WGN America was one of the few superstations grandfathered in and allowed to continue operations which meant that they could continue airing White Sox, Cubs and Bulls games nationally.

While this usually helps their ratings, they're limited to the amount of games they can broadcast due to restrictions put on by the MLB and NBA respectively. Could Tribune be willing to pump out a ton of money to acquire a package of NBA games which could help increase the number of cable carriers the network has as well as the carriage fees which they take in? The NBA games would serve as a great promotional tool for their original programming. It's the same strategy which TNT has used all these years to increase their value.

WGN has a close relationship with the White Sox/Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf for obvious reasons. Reinsdorf happens to own an up and coming sports media company known as Silver Chalice. Would Reinsdorf be willing to flush out a bunch of money together with WGN to acquire NBA rights which could be produced and broadcast on both WGN America and Silver Chalice's sports websites? Right now there are no talks which are known to be occurring between WGN and the NBA but who knows what the future holds?

3. UFC Expanding Broadcast Partners? - UFC 168 brought out some interesting partnerships with other media partners other than Fox. While FS1 aired the "prelims" and FS2 aired a post-fight show, ESPN played a major role in UFC's promotion of the fight on Twitter. Dana White live-tweeted his take on the Rousey-Tate/Weidman-Silva matches as they were happening on @SportsCenter's Twitter page. AXS TV, Mark Cuban's network, was also a major sponsor of some of the early fights on the pay-per-view card.

Fox's contract with the UFC is nowhere near expiring and Dana White has publicly expressed that he is very pleased with the way Fox treats the sport. But it is no secret that the ratings are down in all of Fox's UFC programming (Prelim fights, "The Ultimate Fighter" etc.) Could this simply be the UFC trying expanding it's reach through promotion and inclusion of other networks or could this be a sign of things to come in the future?

Maybe in the UFC's next contract, they'll split their rights between more than one network? Or maybe I'm just making a big deal out of nothing. ESPN is a sports powerhouse and it would be stupid to promote your sport exclusively on one network if you're trying to reach as many sports networks as possible. And if AXS TV is willing to pay the UFC advertising money then it would be stupid for the UFC to not accept it.

To play devil's advocate with my devil's advocate thoughts though (lol), the UFC doesn't do many appearances on other sports networks such as NBC Sports, Turner Sports or CBS Sports, so why promote on ESPN? Also, why would the UFC let AXS TV sponsor an event when AXS TV is basically the home to every other MMA promotion not named UFC or Bellator?

In terms of the future, I wouldn't be surprised if the UFC started a minor league division to give it's talent time to develop and sold those rights to AXS TV. I also wouldn't be surprised if the UFC let AXS TV simulcast the prelims and international fights which air exclusively online. But I don't think Fox's relationship will be ending with the UFC anytime soon no matter how much money ESPN may throw at them. Dana White seems to be the type of person who respects loyalty.

4. Live Streaming From The Super Bowl - Back in 2011, I covered the amount of web streams which were taking place live from the Super Bowl in Dallas. With the big game taking place in New York this year, expect the amount of live streams available to be bigger than EVER. Many more companies are throwing Super Bowl parties/concerts/festivities etc. this year than in years past and I'm sure they'll be itching to live stream their events to showcase the athletes and celebrities who endorse their products.

Expect FoxSports.com to be livestreaming the sights and sounds from New York. They have already sold advertising on their live stream and as the broadcast home of the big game, Fox will be doing as much as it can to promote Fox Sports as the new worldwide leader in sports both online and on television via FS1.

Other websites who will be live-streaming content from the Super Bowl:

• NFL.com/live, which will include interviews from radio row with various NFL Network personalities
• OCNN, if Chad Ochocinco still works for them. NFL players who've been eliminated from the playoffs usually participate in press conferences and live stream content through OCNN
• CBSSports.com, where Chad Ochocinco works
• NBCSports.com, which will feature live streaming interviews with Mike Florio
• YahooSports.com, which will feature interviews from Yahoo Sports Radio
• NFLPA, who normally live streams red carpet festivities from their annual Super Bowl party
• UStream, which will feature live streams of radio row interviews from various radio stations nationally

Stay tuned to this page as we continue to update you on all the various live streams available to give you an all access pass to all the pandemonium surrounding a cold weather Super Bowl.