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Mike Reynolds
SportsChannel Florida and the Florida Marlins have concluded a 12-year deal giving the regional sports network exclusive cable rights to the Major League Baseball club. As part of the new long-term agreement, SportsChannel Florida will televise a minimum of 70 Marlins games annually.
Some observers in the sports community believe the pact may ultimately pave the way for Cablevision Systems Corp. to repurchase the RSN from H. Wayne Huizenga's sports and entertainment property Front Row Communications, which owns a 70% stake in SportsChannel Florida through a deal made with the MSO in 1996. Cablevision retains the other 30% of the sports net. Negotiations between the parties reportedly heated up last fall.
Indeed, many expect that Huizenga's recent sale of the Marlins to Florida commodities trader, John Henry, will at some point, precipitate such a transaction, especially now that Front Row has increased its value via the long-term cable contract with the National League team.
However, Rod Mickler, VP/GM-SportsChannel Florida offered this comment last week: "I'm not familiar with any conversation about sale of the channel. Nineteen-ninety-eight was the first year when the channel was profitable. I believe Mr. Huizenga is pleased with his investment."
Ownership issues aside, SportsChannel Florida also controls broadcast rights for the Marlins for the next six seasons, the first four of which are now held by Barry Diller's WAMI station in Miami. Mickler said that Channel 69 paid an unspecified rights fee to the RSN to televise 55 games during each of the next two seasons. SportsChannel Florida retains some ad inventory in the WAMI telecasts and is packaging it with avails in its cable package, encompassing 70 Marlins games in 1999 (and 95 in 2000). SportsChannel Florida also holds cable rights to the American League Tampa Bay Devil Rays and will air 64 games in 1999.
Last year, marked the first season SportsChannel Florida held exclusive cable rights to the Marlins, which had been previously shared with Sunshine Network (the RSNs televised 35 games apiece in 1997). In turn, SportsChannel Florida teamed the Marlins and expansionist Devil Rays together under the "Baseball Night in Florida" programming/advertising/promotional umbrella, which is being deployed again for the upcoming season.
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