Here's a topic alluded to by tdot over on the Yahoo thread. Question about actv participating in ppv by Fox. Doesn't seem likely to me at this time. I think it would be a difficult marketing proposition on such short notice, but could certainly happen down the road.
Fox Puts Spurs Playoff
Games on PPV
By R. THOMAS UMSTEAD May 24, 1999
Hoping to capitalize on the success of the San
Antonio Spurs basketball franchise, Fox Sports
Southwest is distributing the team's home playoff
games on pay-per-view beyond the local-market
cable system.
Fox, which holds the rights to Spurs PPV playoff
games for the first time, will distribute the games
to several AT&T Broadband & Internet Systems
(formerly Tele-Communications Inc.) systems
within the San Antonio market, network executives
said.
Although Fox Sports has distributed Spurs games
on basic cable since the 1987-88 season, these
are the first playoff PPV telecasts offered to
systems in the outer markets of San Antonio.
Paragon Cable of San Antonio had offered the
postseason games exclusively for several years.
"Tele-Communications Inc. serves a lot of bedroom
communities within a 35-mile radius that will now
have access to the games," said Spurs senior vice
president of broadcasting Lawrence Payne.
Fox will offer, via PPV, each Spurs home game not
telecast by NBC. The over-the-air network was
expected to distribute two games last week, and
could offer as many as six if the Spurs advance to
the Western Conference finals.
Unlike previous years, when Paragon raised PPV
prices for each playoff round, Fox and the Spurs
will maintain a $24.95 price throughout the
postseason, Payne said.
With a potentially wider distribution base and the
strong play of the Spurs, which finished with the
best regular-season record in the National
Basketball Association, Payne is hopeful PPV
revenue from the games could approach record
numbers. "I'm optimistic, but we'll have to see what
happens," he said.
Fox Sports Southwest general manager Jon
Heitdke also said the Spurs' playoff run could be
very lucrative for the network, the team and
operators. "The way the team finished the season,
and with it being the only professional sports team
in town, it could be one of the most successful
years for the team on PPV," he said.
Although Fox and the Spurs did not offer regular
season PPV games this year – mostly due to the
players' strike, which shortened the season –
Payne said it's possible the team could offer PPV
games next year.
Except for the Portland Trailblazers and the
Houston Rockets, which are both distributing
playoff games this year on PPV, United
States-based professional teams have never
offered pay-per-view or have dropped such
telecasts over the past three years in favor of
distribution via regional sports networks.
"Until we've seen the schedule, we won't make any
decisions," Payne said. "We've had some form of
PPV since the mid 1980's, so it's certainly an
option we'll consider."
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