Neal Pilson Quotes on Sports (11 Quotes)

The principal thrust of advertising is reaching a specific audience. A sports audience is not necessarily a 'Friends' audience.

I think historically, work stoppages do have a short-term impact on television ratings, ... We've experienced that with all of the sports, even the NFL. In the long term, the ratings eventually return to what we might characterize as normal levels.

That's not to say extreme sports are about to become the nation's pastime. I don't see it turning into Major League Baseball or NFL football, ... But it's still a growing segment of televised sports that works well as an economic unit.

It's an accepted strategy that has been widely used. You buy a premium product, and the increase in subscribers more than offsets the cost. Golf is a strong TV sport. I think you'll see the channel grow in subscriber base over the next two to five years.

The concern is if there is any question about the integrity of the game or the sport, it would have a horrendous effect on the whole financial structure of sport itself.

It makes the channel a major factor in sports television. They are now the authoritative, 247, TVvideo platform for golf.

Golf ratings are up with or without Tiger. Nobody's going to argue the point that he impacts ratings. At the same time, golf is a highly profitable, highly successful sport. This isn't a doomsday scenario for golf.

In sports, a significant majority of viewers are tuning into an event. But we all believe that announcers do make a difference, and we compensate them accordingly. You can not take an amateur and put them on a major sports property without cringing.

The leagues that can deliver audiences will thrive. Sports leagues will continue to go and franchise values will continue to grow.

It's not an empty threat, ... This will have a ripple impact across all manner of pro and college sports. I think in this situation the professional leagues and major college associations have to line up with ESPN in Washington or wherever necessary.

Weaker sports are going to have more problems in a weak economy. The big sports tend to take up most of the money. An advertiser with a limited budget is not going to buy women's soccer if the choice is that or college football.