It seems that Comcast is really pushing to become a player in the world of major and minor sports. Comcast not only owns the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL, and the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA, but the cable channel Versus airs NHL games, UFL games, and now NBA D League games.
The fact here is minor league sports are very popular with many sports fans, and it is the only real place for the sports television market to grow. I am pretty excited to see a few basketball stars of tomorrow play, since I live in city far removed from a NBA D league team.
Versus is also making a statement about the state of the NHL as a TV product, even though they probably didn’t mean too. The fact here is Versus is showing minor league sports, and the center piece of that is the NHL. On top of its TV coverage of the IRL which is by far the minor league of American Motor Sports.
The NFL, MLB, NBA, and NASCAR all split time among Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, and ESPN. While the NHL has some games on NBC they are sharing time on Versus with an upstart football league, minor league basketball, and a second tier Motorsports series.
Back to the original point, Versus will look to build a niche audience for its TV broadcasts of NBA D League games, and There seems to be an appetite for coverage like this, and Versus should do ok numbers with it.
For 2010 the following 10 regular season games will be broadcast on Versus:
1. 1-16-10 between the Ford Wayne Mad Ants and Sioux Falls Skyforce
2. 1-23-10 between the Ford Wayne Mad Ants and Iowa Energy
3. 1-30-10 between the Bakersfield Jam and Idaho Stampede
4. 2-6-10 between the Reno Big Horns and Rio Grande Valley Vipers
5. 2-20-10 between the Dakota Wizards and Sioux Falls Skyforce
6. 2-27-10 between the Bakersfield Jam and Austin Toros
7. 3-13-10 between the Tulsa 66ers and Rio Grande Valley Vipers
8. 3-20-10 between the Dakota Wizards and Erie Bayhawks
9. 3-27-10 between the LA D-Fenders and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers
10.4-3-10 between the Erie Bayhawks and Maine Red Claws
In addition to these ten games Versus will air six playoff games for the league.
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