Backchannelmedia

The Stamford Advocate, Stamford, Conn.

Jul. 28--Stamford-based Outdoor Life Network's drive to be a mainstream sports player like ESPN won't be a downhill ride, local marketing and media experts said yesterday.

Philadelphia-based Comcast Corp. wants to convert its Outdoor Life Network from a special interest venue that features bass fishing, bicycle racing and bull riding, into an ESPN-style sports network, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.

The journal cited unnamed people familiar with Comcast's plans. Comcast declined to comment.

Comcast, the biggest cable television company in the United States with 21.5 million subscribers, failed to buy Walt Disney Co. and its ESPN sports network last year.

Comcast has the financial resources and talent to challenge Disney and ESPN, said Bob Basche, chairman of the Stamford-based sports marketer Millsport. Comcast's OLN unit, however, would have to recruit a major sports league, such as the NHL, to compete with ESPN, Basche added. The National Hockey League is shopping for a TV contract after it lost last season because of a labor dispute. The Journal story said that Comcast is in negotiations with both the NFL and the NHL.

"OLN is well-positioned to take advantage of their relationship with Comcast and make a statement to one of the major sports leagues that they are relevant to the mainstream sports fan," Basche said.

But ESPN is poised to protect its valuable TV markets, he said.

"A challenge by OLN to ESPN's dominance won't be easy with ESPN Executive Vice President Mark Shapiro at the helm," Basche said. "They (ESPN) are well aware of any challenge coming from another cable network."

Shapiro, ESPN's executive vice president of programming, told the journal that OLN "was a hunting, fishing and camping network with some cycling and boats thrown in."

Founded in 1995, the Outdoor Life Network televises the Tour de France bike race, America's Cup yacht races, bull riding, bear hunting, volleyball and motocross.

"They are smart to program to varied sports interests," said Clif McFeeley, president of North Castle Partners, a Stamford-based advertising agency. McFeeley said TV advertising revenues are rising and could support another major sports network.

But will OLN be that new major player?

"The answer is no if they are just trying to mimic ESPN. The answer is yes if they come at it with a distinct image of their own," McFeeley said. OLN would not comment on its expansion plans, spokeswoman Amy Phillips said yesterday.

The company employs a total of 150 people at its Stamford headquarters and production facility in South Norwalk. The network has 63.8 million subscribers and revenues of $144.9 million.

-----

To see more of The Stamford Advocate, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.stamfordadvocate.com.

Copyright (c) 2005, The Stamford Advocate, Conn.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.

DIS, CMCSK,