Broadcasters won’t take the loss of college football bowl games lying down. Fox was recently outbid by ESPN for the TV rights to the Bowl Championship Series. The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network ponied $500 million to carry the games for four years starting in 2011, according to published reports. Fox was paying around $80 million a year.
The NAB Television Board of Directors adopted a resolution to keep the series on over-the-air TV.
“Broadcasters continue to support the rights of all Americans to have free access to telecasts of major sporting events, particularly those of publicly funded educational institutions," the resolution stated. "The NAB Television Board of Directors hereby directs NAB staff to work with policymakers to educate them on the importance of ensuring that no segments of society are disenfranchised from this highly valued programming."
