Perhaps someone read the fine print in a recent In-Stat report that stated, "Cable sports is valued significantly less than on-demand access to TV content or premium TV channels; more sports will not protect against cord cutting." Or perhaps there's just an inevitable power struggle going on at 30 Rock. Whatever the case, the New York Post reports "growing friction" between long-time NBC Olympics proponent Dick Ebersol and his new bosses at Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA).
The big rub between the two is how much to pay for the rights to air the Olympics. Last time around, Comcast-free NBC outbid every other source--and lost money. Losing money is not how Comcast accumulated enough bread to spend $31 billion acquiring NBCUniversal.
"This is a big test of what Dick's role is" and how much freedom NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke's going to give him, a source told the newspaper. Conjecture is that if the 63-year-old Ebersol doesn't get his way, he'll take his medals and retire from competition ... and NBC.
For more:
- the New York Post has this story
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In-Stat: More sports won't stop cable cord cutting
Retrans warning? NBC realigns sports with Comcast