FOX Is Now Praying For A Long World Series

http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2008/10/fox-is-now-praying-for-lon...orld.ht

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
We all know that the Red Sox bring ratings, and I honestly thought
that FOX would be crying after their loss Sunday night, but the
network is surprisingly upbeat given the uphill ratings climb in front
of them. According to President of Fox Sports, Ed Goren, the secret to
their success lies not in the actual teams playing, but rather the
length of said series. From Globe and Mail via SBD....

"It's not just about the matchup," Goren said. "As important as
anything else is the number of games, the volume of games. If we get
six or seven games in this matchup, we will out-rate last year's Red
Sox World Series."

The longer it goes, the larger the numbers get. If a network is
fortunate enough to televise a seven-game series, the ratings for the
latter games will pull up the overall average.

"These things build," Goren said. "It's water-cooler talk. It becomes
must-see TV."

Still, if this Series is over in four games and the average rating
dips to historic lows, Fox will be required to reimburse advertisers
with additional ad spots on other shows.

Fox's advertising revenue won't be affected, because the commercial
time was bought before the World Series teams were decided. A ratings
decline this year, however, would affect 2009 prices.

The network is reportedly charging $475,000 (U.S.) for a 30-second
spot.
While the talk of a longer series equaling better ratings isn't
necessarily groundbreaking, it's still interesting to hear Fox flat
out admit that's what they're hoping for. While I obviously want to
see the most competitive World Series possible, there's a small part
of me that wants to see Fox tank in the ratings. You know....just to
see how bad it is.

Networks made their Red Sox-Yankees bed along time ago, and now they
have to lie in it.