NBC TV Deal Could Be US Game-Changer For NUFC

At right is a picture of what Newcastle United fandom in the US looked like last Sunday, and on too many previous weekend mornings: Toon shirts crammed into a corner of a pub, squinting at a jumpy computer screen, while red-clad fans of Liverpool and Man U and Arsenal were treated to real broadcasts on real TVs.

These days may soon be over.

We imagine word of the Premier League's new US television deal isn't making more than a ripple across the Atlantic, but here in America, fans of English soccer are reeling at the possibility of all PL matches being broadcast or streamed live via NBC and its partner networks starting next season. And no club stands to benefit more from the new arrangement than Newcastle United.

Newcastle United fans in America aren't likely to miss the Fox era of Premier League coverage. A glance at the @FoxSoccer timeline on Twitter will give you an idea of the shallow hokiness to which US supporters of PL clubs have been subjected the past few years. The level of televised commentary has been shockingly lazy and uninformed - before a recent Newcastle match Davide Santon was referred to as "David Stanton" and the studio commentators had clearly never heard of other Newcastle players referenced by Warren Barton, who as an NUFC alumnus is the only Fox personality who appears to be fully aware Newcastle United exists. Fox and its ESPN2 partner don't have airspace for more than a handful of live matches on TV broadcast per week, so their coverage and knowledge have tilted heavily to the four or five "big" clubs they perceive as comprising the US audience. To cite one example, Newcastle's final match against Everton last season was shunted to an online stream despite its Champions League implications, while space on broadcast TV was devoted to seven other matches including two involving Liverpool and Chelsea that had no relevance whatsoever.

Unlike Fox, which holds daytime broadcast rights to NCAA and NFL American football, NBC has plenty of room for weekend sports programming on its main network as well as cable/satellite subsidiaries like CNBC, MSNBC and the new NBC Sports Network, which has been doing a classy job with MLS broadcasts. Details about the new TV schedule are yet to come, but the network's stated intention of providing 18 to 20 matches live on NBC itself is especially tantalizing to fans here, considering that not even in England are Premier League games offered over the air and for free. On vacation recently I was thrilled enough to see a tape-delayed broadcast of the Newcastle-Man U match being shown to curious Americans in a remote Northwoods tavern via Fox, filling a hole in the network's NFL schedule. Imagine Newcastle being shown live and free in every pub in the land via one of just four major over-the-air networks here.

That's where Newcastle's organization and fans stand to benefit handsomely under the new television deal. Newcastle United is essentially the biggest Premier League club being discounted by American TV under the current arrangement. Everyone expects NBC will concentrate heavily on Manchester United and Arsenal and Chelsea and Liverpool, as Fox has. But NBC has the capacity to do more, and better too, judging from the quality of its Olympic and MLS coverage. With Newcastle waiting at the front of the line, this Toon Army loyalist can hardly wait.

Comments

[Sean/Ameritoon]

I'm with you, man! So sick of taking the red-headed step child role to the likes of Liverpool and other meaningless games. That end of season match burned me too! But with Costigan there - in a semi-leading role - we know that Cessepool are going to get a higher ranking that the Toon. My only concern is that I currently do NOT get NBC Sports but I do get most of their other channels. I'm wondering about how Directv will slice and dice this channel - what additional package do I have to get in order to get NBC-U.
It will probably be a good thing, because Fox's Soccer News broadcast has really gone to the crapper. With Bobby McMahon only making the odd cameo, the current staff are crap. Their desire to get the audience involved is mildly amusing, with their twitter commentary. But it's just poor broadcasting using some piece of eye-candy (and that's a stretch) to do that.

[NIGEL]

DIRECT TV CURRENTLY HAVE ALL THE NBC PACKAGE AT NO EXTRA CHARGE WHERES FOX SOCCER PLUS YOUR PAYING EXTRA FOR A THE MOMENT

[Charlietoon]

Yeah its annoying that all Liverpool and Tottenhams European games have been on Fox Soccer which I have an all NUfcs euro adventures are on the extra channel FXSP. Who cares about Liverpool anymore?!?

[Brad]

L
O
L
...a NCUFC fan asking who cares about Liverpool. Your on a rich vein of stupid there Charlie..

[Jerry]

I think every team is going to benefit, not just NUFC. Soccer in America is going to improve in our technical and tactical development for youth players and coaches from watching these games. So many different styles to learn from. Watched the Liverpool v. Everton game and watching BR's tactical change at half going from 4-3-3 to 3-5-2 was brilliant. Everton's style in the first half was perfect for their physical qualities, but were stifled by the tactical change. I think the understanding of the game at youth level is going to grow in America....I hope.

[Bob]

I agree, I think all the clubs and the league and sport in general will benefit. I just think it's a special boon for NUFC, being the most unjustly overlooked club at the moment in my admittedly biased but nonetheless striving-to-be-objective journalistic mind.

[Chris]

There is no guarantee that NBC will make better selections with their games. Fox's selection has been predictable and ridiculous over the years clearly favoring certain teams. There is no way anyone can say that Southampton vs Tottenham is a better match than Newcastle vs West Brom. I will give NBC the benefit of the doubt that they won't do this. My only reservation is that all Newcastle games are on television at some point through tape delay. With this new arrangement they won't be. I want to hear more about what NBC's plan is for the 4 games that are not being shown live on tv.

[Bob]

I guess I agree NBC might not make "better" selections per se. They just have more space for more games to select. They say fans will be able to get to every game live either on TV or online, and right now they don't charge for online content the way Fox does. We'll see.

[KIT]

" Who cares about Liverpool anymore?!?"

probably the very people buying kits enough to make it the 4th highest club from a merchandizing standpoint....and that's GLOBAL.

adn i am being honest when i say i have absolutely no clue where newcastle come into that, which suggests to me that they're not near the top.

so while it's annoying for you as a fan, that is why - not enough people care enough about newcastle for third parties like fox/nbc to make money off of that sentiment.

my suggestion to you would be to go recruit more fans, establish supporters clubs, and increase the viewing numbers....you make them enough money and i guarantee you will see more of your club.

[Toonfella]

Kit - you might be hanging on to the old coat tails of Liverpool in the US but believe me, in England they are becoming 'yesterdays' team.
And saddled with loads of debt.
Way behind us in the league at the end of last year and behind us again this year.
Time to take those blinkers off methinks.

[Bob M]

Remind me again why NUFC is talking about touring Brazil this summer?

A nice big tour of the US to promote the club ahead of this deal sounds like a good idea to me.

[Dave from Newcastle]

Even if NUFC are not on NBC more than 2-3X a year, the ability to be on NBCU or MSNBC would be a great advantage.

Poor FSC, they won't be around in 4-5 years which I guess is Karma for getting rid of Steven Cohen on FFF.