Turner May Snatch Away MLS Contract From MLBAM
By Rafat Ali - Sun 23 Dec 2007 03:56 AM PST
We mentioned earlier in the year that Turner was on the verge of tying up with NBA to run the network’s 12 million-subscriber NBA TV, as well NBA.com. Now it looks like the deal is done, according to this BW story. The announcement should be coming soon.
Turner Sports New Media group also handles PGA and Nascar’s digital properties. If the NBA deal mirrors the ones with the PGA and Nascar, Turner would earn a fee for managing the both online and TV properties and split ad revenues with the NBA.
Meanwhile, the news bit: Turner is also in talks with Major League Soccer to run its online operations. MLS’s digital presence is currently managed by Major League Baseball’s digital media division (MLBAM). MLS says no decision has been made yet, but it is under consideration. This would be a blow to MLBAM’s otherwise successful digital operations...its media outsourcing services deals haven’t panned out as expected, according to our sources in the industry.
Posted in: Companies, Time Warner, Turner, Entertainment, Sports
