Fox Roots for Long Series And Right Teams in Baseball Playoffs

FOX ROOTS, ROOTS, ROOTS FOR LONG SERIES AND RIGHT TEAMS IN BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Amy Schatz Amy.Schatz@wsj.com]
For Chicago readers, you may need a reminder that the baseball season has not yet officially ended -- yes, some teams are still playing games that matter. With one week left in the season, this is the time of year when TV sports executives, like the contending managers, start reaching for the antacids. The stakes are high. News Corp.'s Fox network is currently in the middle of a 13-year baseball run that is costing it a total of $4.3 billion. More so than with other major sports, Fox bet that money on what happens when the regular season is over, especially on the World Series. Not only are some matchups more attractive than others, but a series can flame out in four blowout games, or stretch for a sublime seven. A bland, short series means fewer ad sales and a poorer platform with which to promote the network's new prime-time entertainment lineup, which will begin airing after the monthlong orgy of playoff baseball. "Probably 75% of the economics are wrapped up in the postseason," said former CBS Sports president Neal Pilson, now a sports television consultant.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB115914789708572750.html?mod=todays_us_ma...
(requires subscription)