Fox Broadcasting Co. executives could get trapped in a squeeze play if Major League Baseball players go on strike this summer.
Fox uses the playoffs and the World Series as a monthlong billboard to hype the network's slate of new fall shows. Even though Fox ultimately loses money on baseball, postseason play has delivered some of the network's highest ratings and, along with professional football, helped thrust Fox into TV's big leagues.
"With baseball comes a unique set of opportunities and a unique set of challenges," said Sandy Grushow, chairman of Fox Television Entertainment Group.
Last season, Fox's broadcasts of the World Series drew an average of 24.5 million viewers--more than twice the audience of Fox's most popular programs. Fox took advantage of the platform to reach male viewers, particularly younger men who are more likely to tune in to "The Simpsons" or "24." The network jammed the airwaves with promotions and teasers for its shows. Fox even turned the backstop behind home plate into a computer-generated billboard, superimposing images of network icons such as "Ally McBeal."
Not only does baseball help Fox draw millions of October viewers who otherwise might watch "Frasier" on NBC or "Everybody Loves Raymond" on CBS, it also allows the network to reserve its arsenal of new shows for the all-important November sweeps when station ratings are measured. The sport also helps the network postpone the introduction of midseason shows to replace those that falter right out of the gate.
"Baseball is like 'program-helper,' " Grushow said.
But there are programming downsides. Baseball forces the network to roll out its fall lineup in hiccups. Fox introduces a few new episodes during the final weeks of September to stay competitive with NBC, CBS and ABC but must shelve those series and hold off the rest of its new shows until the World Series ends in late October or early November. By that time, many viewers have warmed to new shows on other networks.
Fox executives say they're not expecting the current labor negotiations to end in a strike, but the network isn't taking any chances. Executives have been working on contingency plans for more than a month, but they won't divulge details.
"It starts with a personal visit to [Major League Baseball Commissioner] Bud Selig's house," Grushow joked.
But privately, Fox executives worry that baseball's labor troubles have the potential to cancel or delay the World Series, prompting a repeat of the problems the network faced last year.
