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AP: NBA And Players Reach Tentative Deal

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Saturday November 26, 2011 @ 12:58am PSTTags: NBA Lockout

The TV sports industry will be relieved that, around 12:30 AM today, The AP is quoting NBA Commissioner David Stern as saying, “We’re optimistic that will all come to pass and that the NBA season will begin December 25th. He confirmed the two sides reached a “tentative understanding that is subject to a variety of approvals and very complex machinations”. Already, the league had cut 10 games from the normal season in a revised schedule which would mean a big hit on ad revenue for ABC/ESPN, TNT/Turner and regional sports networks that hold lucrative TV rights to games. The tentative end to the 148-day lockout was reached after a secret meeting earlier this week when the sides met for more than 15 hours Friday, working to try to save the season. Now this handshake deal still must be ratified by both owners and players. A majority on each side is needed. The NBA needs votes from 15 of 29 owners. (The league owns the New Orleans Hornets.) The union needs a simple majority of its 430-plus members. Under the deal, a 66-game season would begin on Christmas. Stern had said the league needs about 30 days from an agreement to when games could be played, and that deadline created a sense of urgency.

Before now, the NBA’s locked-out players had rejected the league’s latest offer for a new collective bargaining agreement today, with union executive director Billy Hunter calling the proposed deal “extremely unfair.” He said the players’ association was beginning the process of disbanding the union — the first step in filing an antitrust action against the league and sending the whole mess to the courts. It’s the same tactic the NFL’s players used during their lockout over the summer, but this time the move would jeopardize the entire NBA season. Commissioner David Stern had called the latest labor offer the league’s best, proposing a 50-50 split in revenue between players and owners. He said the next offer on the table will be much less favorable: a 53-47 split in favor of the league.

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NBA Players Reject Latest Contract Offer, Plan To Decertify Union; Season In Doubt

By PATRICK HIPES, Managing Editor | Monday November 14, 2011 @ 11:30am PSTTags: ABC, David Stern, ESPN, NBA, NBA Lockout, TNT, Turner

The NBA’s locked-out players rejected the league’s latest offer for a new collective bargaining agreement today, with union executive director Billy Hunter calling the proposed deal “extremely unfair.” He said the players’ association is beginning the process of disbanding … Read More »

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Huh? ABC Schedules New Game Show On Sunday Afternoon

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday October 13, 2011 @ 2:53pm PDTTags: ABC, NBA, NBA Lockout
Nellie Andreeva

UPDATED: ABC’s game show Million Dollar Mind Game (formerly The Six) is finally getting its day in the sun after almost a year on the shelf. But there is a twist — ABC is scheduling the series, originally developed and … Read More »

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Sports Report: NFL Thursday TV Package In Play; Dodgers Anger Ally Fox Sports; NBA Lockout Hits The Courts

By PATRICK HIPES, Managing Editor | Tuesday August 2, 2011 @ 7:00pm PDTTags: Bud Selig, Fox Sports, Frank McCourt, Los Angeles Dodgers, NBA, NBA Lockout, NFL, NFL Network, Roger Goodell

The NFL is shopping an eight-game Thursday primetime TV package, with commissioner Roger Goodell having informal conversations with networks last week, according to the Sports Business Journal, which is reporting that a stake in the league’s NFL Network might be in play for the winning bidder. The talks are expected to gain momentum now that the league-imposed lockout is over. The NFL Network currently has rights to eight late-season Thursday NFL games; the new package will cover the early season. The SBJ says Turner and Comcast would be front-runners, especially since they have cut previous deals that included league-owned assets (Turner pacted with the NBA in 2007; Comcast has a similar deal with the NHL). Fox and ESPN also are expected to be interested in the package. … Read More »

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