Celtics TV Station News

["Josh Farber" <joshfarber@home.com>]

Here is a new article from the Boston Globe.  Can someone please tell me
exactly what it means?  Will Channel 38 and Fox Sports New England both be
airing games at the same time?  Or Will one station get part of the games
and the other station get the rest?

>>>>Celtics close to rights deal


The Celtics are about three weeks away from signing a television deal with
Fox Sports New England and Channel 38.


The parties are in the final stages of negotiations to give the team an
over-the-air partner after the departure of Channel 68, which Pax recently
bought from Boston University.


Pax, a family-oriented station, had no interest in keeping the Celtics' road
games, which Channel 68 carried last season in an unusual arrangement.


The Celtics and Channel 68 agreed to split advertising revenue, share
production costs, and deal with the rights fee over time. The station would
make money after a certain point.


Channel 38 carried the games before the Celtics accepted the three-year deal
with Channel 68. Two years ago, Channel 38 paid an estimated $100,000 for
every road game covered (about $4 million per year). The station also
carries Bruins games and didn't press hard to keep the Celtics package.
Unconvinced that sports teams would generate profits, station officials
opted to pick up syndicated shows.


Last year, Fox Sports New England offered the Celtics a lucrative 10-year
deal, but the team balked at having the majority of its games on cable.

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