NBC has added horse racing's Breeders Cup, as ESPN gives up those TV rights, and will this year air the first-ever running of the $5 million Cup Classic in primetime.
For ESPN, which has been airing fewer horse races in the seven years that it's had Cup TV rights, the move represents an exit from covering horse racing, which now joins hockey and golf as sports that ESPN has largely walked away from. The Cup will be held Nov. 2-3, when ESPN/ABC already has lots of college football and NASCAR action.
For NBC, which already has racing's Triple Crown, the Cup provides more complementary big-event programming to fill hours on its recently rebranded cable channel, the NBC Sports Network. In 2010, NBC had 5.5 hours of total horse racing -- NBC hadn't yet peaked up Belmont Stakes -- but in 2012 NBC/NBCSN will have more than 56 total hours devoted to the sport.
Reid Cherner has been with USA TODAY since 1982 and written Game On! since March 2008.
He has covered everything from high schools to horse racing to the college and the pros. The only thing he likes more than his own voice is the sound of readers telling him when he's right and wrong.
Michael Hiestand has covered sports media and marketing for USA TODAY, tackling the sports biz ranging from what's behind mega-events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl to the sometimes-hidden numbers behind the sports world's bottom line.