Quote:
Originally Posted by tonnage
I think it all has to do with networks wanting games to be sped up. The 4 hour games mess their programming up.
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Absolutely. All of that dead time was happening during the broadcast, not during longer or more frequent commercial breaks – and the proliferation of in-game promo reads and quick-hitter ads has already reached (I would say, exceeded) saturation level.
Due to the dominant financial role of media contracts, current and potential broadcasting partners are the primary market of the major American professional sports leagues. They never make a decision on scheduling, rules, etc., without prioritizing the interests of these parties. In return, they get commentators and announcers who are nothing but hype men and shills for the leagues. It is all part of a larger trend. The explosion in sport revenues has not been achieved by increasing the number of people passionate about the game itself – its mechanics and integrity. It is the result of targeting a more general audience via reorienting as just another type of popular entertainment option.