Surprised no-one posted on this one yet.

https://www.pba.com/articles/PBA-and-FOX-Sports-Announce-Multi-Year-Multi-Platform-Deal3b-PBA-Returns-to-Broadcast-TV-in-2019

PBA and FOX Sports Announce Multi-Year, Multi-Platform Deal; PBA Returns to Broadcast TV in 2019
by bvint  |  Tuesday, March 20, 7:21 AM

LOS ANGELES and CHICAGO – The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) and FOX Sports today announced a multi-year, multi-platform agreement making FOX Sports the new television partner for the Go Bowling! PBA Tour starting in 2019. The package will bring a substantial schedule of live PBA events to television, including prime time events and a new bracket-style, multi-week PBA Playoffs tournament that concludes with a unique PBA championship finale. The announcement was made by PBA CEO and Commissioner Tom Clark and William Wanger, FOX Sports Executive VP of Programming, Live Operations and Research.

“The PBA has been searching for the best possible broadcast partner to serve our fans, players and the bowling industry, and we have determined that partner is FOX Sports,” Clark said. “We are particularly excited that the PBA Tour returns to broadcast television, where it started 56 years ago, with shows on FOX next year.”

In 2019, FOX Sports will televise four PBA Tour shows on FOX and 25 on FS1 in a series of two-hour telecasts. All programs will also be streamed on FOX Sports GO. Details pertaining to the FOX Sports-PBA package regarding PBA Tour locations, dates and times, and the television announcing team will be released at a later date.

“FOX Sports is thrilled to add the highly rated PBA Tour to our extensive lineup, joining other sport partners including the NFL, the FIFA World Cup, MLB, NASCAR, MLS, UFC, NHRA, Supercross, USGA, college football and basketball, and others,” said Wanger. “We believe that adding a FOX Sports look and feel to bowling will help bring the sport to a whole new level.”

The PBA was represented in the transaction by Ed Desser of Desser Sports Media (www.desser.tv).

The agreement between FOX Sports and the PBA extends a non-stop television presence for professional bowling that began in 1962 with ABC Television’s 36 years of continuous coverage of the Pro Bowlers Tour and 38 consecutive years of coverage on ESPN, beginning with ESPN’s formation in 1979.

Both parties plan to supplement the broadcast and cable coverage of the PBA Tour’s premier events with live-streaming of preliminary rounds by PBA’s Xtra Frame online bowling channel as well as extensive use of the FOX Sports and PBA Network outlets including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and their respective websites.

What I don't know is if this means that the PBA and Disney (ESPN/ABC/etc.) are going to let their contract lapse. If so, that ends the combined 74 years of coverage that ESPN and ABC had of bowling. If not, then that means that both ESPN, Fox, and CBS are all going to be covering bowling within the same year, with some being on broadcast TV and not requiring a sports package or digital tier.

Plus... they have already hinted at the return of Rob Stone.

BL.

I personally would like CDB be a commentator on the show instead of Randy. Hes a cooook. And as far as blue oil goes, stop the blue oil for this season.

Not sure if you're meaning Barnes or Ballard on this one.

BL.

I would bet money that it's a one year provisional with options for extension at the same rate. If the ratings suck after the first few shows, it will die a quite death and not be renewed.

But will that be up to Fox broadcasting or up to the PBA??

Many, many non-bowling people watched during the ABC years years; fewer and fewer watched during the EPSN years.

I have been enjoying the CBS Sports broadcasts.

A lot of that enjoyment has to do with not suffering through Randy Peterson and Rob Stone's inanities.

Quote from: milorafferty on March 21, 2018, 04:15:02 PM

I would bet money that it's a one year provisional with options for extension at the same rate. If the ratings suck after the first few shows, it will die a quite death and not be renewed.

But will that be up to Fox broadcasting or up to the PBA??

Many, many non-bowling people watched during the ABC years years; fewer and fewer watched during the EPSN years.

I have been enjoying the CBS Sports broadcasts.

A lot of that enjoyment has to do with not suffering through Randy Peterson and Rob Stone's inanities.

It could be up to both I guess, but Fox has all the leverage. The PBA needs Fox more than Fox needs the PBA.

Quote from: charlest on March 21, 2018, 07:41:35 PM

Quote from: milorafferty on March 21, 2018, 04:15:02 PM

I would bet money that it's a one year provisional with options for extension at the same rate. If the ratings suck after the first few shows, it will die a quite death and not be renewed.

But will that be up to Fox broadcasting or up to the PBA??

Many, many non-bowling people watched during the ABC years years; fewer and fewer watched during the EPSN years.

I have been enjoying the CBS Sports broadcasts.

A lot of that enjoyment has to do with not suffering through Randy Peterson and Rob Stone's inanities.

It could be up to both I guess, but Fox has all the leverage. The PBA needs Fox more than Fox needs the PBA.

I disagree.  Fox needs programming content to compete 24 hours a day/365 days a year with the likes of Disney/ABC/ESPN, NBC/NBCSN and CBS/CBSSN.  All that programming time is hard to fill up.  There are only so many "cheap" content fillers that aren't the NFL/MLB/NBA/NHL/College Basketball & Football.  Bowling suits the niche quite ably.  In fact, I think bowling as a TV product is in a better position than it was 5 years ago due to NBC/CBS/Fox's further foray into sports programming.  More competition to fill time slots means more money in the PBA's pockets. 

With all that said, the PBA still has a lot of work to do. The PBA is a bit lucky that the TV networks are in competition for content.  If ESPN was the only channel around, the PBA would be buried.

Cable TV is dying though.  In fact broadcast TV is dying.  Sports bubble (inflated TV rights money, public paying for stadiums, team values going up much faster than inflation, etc) is about to pop in a big way and there is going to be some serious labor unrest in the next decade when the pie starts shrinking in general (leaving bowling aside which is way ahead of the curve).  If we haven't already reached peak physical sports we will very soon.  Millennials (and younger) are all about e-sports on demand. (ugh hurt to type that).  All that said maybe bowling as a low cost content filler can carve out a bit of niche at least in the short/medium run.

Quote from: HackJandy on March 22, 2018, 11:23:52 AM

Cable TV is dying though.  In fact broadcast TV is dying.  Sports bubble (inflated TV rights money, public paying for stadiums, team values going up much faster than inflation, etc) is about to pop in a big way and there is going to be some serious labor unrest in the next decade when the pie starts shrinking in general (leaving bowling aside which is way ahead of the curve).

We have been hearing that for years. Sure, the view numbers for broadcasts are down, but that could be more from saturation of options than declining viewers.


One thing I can be sure of is the eye test. I see an awful lot of people who obviously spend significant time sitting around eating Cheetos doing nothing. I assume they are staring blankly at a TV the entire time. At least until they have to get up and go get a new bag. 

Yeah but are they on their xbox or watching netflix or staring at computer monitors watching youtube instead?  Boomers dying off/retiring is going to change society more than most of us understand I think.  Never before have we had an older generation so big.