Accu-Stats Signs 2-Year TV Deal for U.S. Open w/ESPN Star Sports

bboxgrinder said:
Will this be shown live or is this another we have to wait 6 months to see on ESPN?
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From my read never- it's for ESPN Star Sports shown in Asia. But still it means 20 x more exposure for the pros and it means money in Barry's Pocket to pay from. It may also mean that some Taiwan Pros and or China Pros may play for the first time which makes it a much stronger tournament.
 
Nostroke said:
From my read never- it's for ESPN Star Sports shown in Asia. But still it means 20 x more exposure for the pros and it means money in Barry's Pocket to pay from. It may also mean that some Taiwan Pros and or China Pros may play for the first time which makes it a much stronger tournament.
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Yep, Mika won't be the favorite here....

It will most likely be someone under 26 yr old.
 
JoeyA said:
HOPEFULLY, practical minds will collaborate on this NEW DEVELOPMENT and fresh dialogue will begin between Barry and the ABP. This is a new opportunity for the players and the U.S. Open 9 Ball Championship.

The players owe it to the sport and themselves to help pull this wagon in the right direction. I'm all for the players getting paid.

Barry needs to provide a method for being able to guarantee the purse. To streamline his budget, maybe Barry should consider discontinuing the paid entry fees for past winners PERMANENTLY, reduce the purse and make any other budget changes necessary to guarantee the payouts.

THIS IS A NEW DAY AND A NEW BEGINNING FOR THE PLAYERS, BARRY AND ACCU-STATS.

Hopefully, everyone will understand what a great opportunity this is and make the necessary conciliatory moves. Hopefully, this will be announced shortly and then negotiations will be done in private and a new understanding will be able to take place.
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Sorry to be the one to burst everyone's bubble but this is the same day not a new one.

ESPN Star bought the rights to the last 2 US Opens and aired them in Asia. We will not be seeing the event on TV here in the good old USA. Either the sport doesn't appeal to advertisers or ESPN wants nothing to do with the Players or maybe a little bit of both.

ESPN Star is not paying 6 figures as someone suggested. If the contract for the next 2 years is of the same scale as the last 2 I think they will barely hit 5 digits and that will not be enough to even cover the production costs. BTW they haven't in the past paid in advance. They paid after they received the final product on Terms.... not sure if it was 30 60 or 90 days.

Don't get me wrong. This is great news on several fronts. It means we know Accu-Stats will be filming and streaming the US Open for the next 2 years. That is good for Pat Fleming, Barry and the pool fans that are willing to buy DVDs and Pay for streams. It also means TV exposure for pool.... in Asia =(

As far as advertising dollars the only thing that will be seen will be players patches and the signage in the arena. ESPN Star will segment the production as they see fit and sell commercial slots and KEEP those revenues. Those advertisers will be Asian companies relevant to the market viewing. The commentators cannot even be relied on to do product shout outs as ESPN Star will not be broadcasting the footage in English.

So in short if the players or anyone else thinks the ship has come in, they are sadly looking at the wrong dock.

I need to point this out again. To qualify for WPA points an event has to have at least 50,000 added. The players have requested that Barry do what it takes to make the US Open qualify. That means he foots the 50,000 added AND the fee to the WPA as well. The US Open needs to be a WPA event in my opinion. To me it is more prestigious than any of the so called World Titles.........
 
JAM said:
Good timing for Pat Fleming and Accu-Stats to sign a 2-year media deal with ESPN Star Sports which is shown in 26 countries in Asia. Pool industry members can now showcase their products via a patch on a player's shirt, which could help boost sales in a currently struggling pool market as exhibited by the number of BCA Expo vendor booths this year compared to other years.

Thanks to the HD equipment utillized by Accu-Stats, it is now compatible with TV viewing on ESPN Star Sports.

Here's the article from AzBilliards Main Page:

Pat Fleming of Accu-Stats Media Productions, David Thomson of Medium Pool and, Barry Behrman and Shannon Behrman Paschall, promotors of the US Open 9-Ball Championships, have confirmed a two year deal to air America's most prestigious event to 26 countries in Asia via ESPN Star Sports.

"Now that Accu-Stats has acquired High Definition(HD) equipment, in 16:9 format, we can meet today's formidable broadcasting standards," assured owner and Hall of Famer Pat Fleming.

"HD certainly increases broadcaster demand," affirmed Medium Pool's David Thomson. "And, that makes my job a lot easier. Now, we can offer the Accu-Stats' product and America's most respected pool tournament worldwide. We even have interest from Iran.

Thomson continued, "It is also stimulating to be working with Barry and Shannon to invite sponsors to participate in the 36 year old event."

"And that makes our job a lot easier," smiled Behrman. "US Open sponsors have an incredible opportunity for exposure in a marketplace that is now global."

David concurred. "Take China, for example. This financial quarter, their economy grew by 10%, pool is booming there and, so has their demand for American products."

Our players should be happy, too. Now massive audiences can put a face to the names they have heard so many times or seen on Accu-Stats Tournament Match Pay-per-View and DVDs.

And, let's not forget, their sponsor's patches will be seen by millions as they compete for the America's most sought-after title. ESPN Star Sports, alone, has 175 million subscribers.

I think this is exciting. I would love for it to also be shown in American ESPN TV, but this is a good stepping stone. Bravo to all those who made this happen! :cool:
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Good for Pat!

The new HD Equipment will open new markets to his programming.
 
The Renfro said:
Sorry to be the one to burst everyone's bubble but this is the same day not a new one.

I need to point this out again. To qualify for WPA points an event has to have at least 50,000 added. The players have requested that Barry do what it takes to make the US Open qualify. That means he foots the 50,000 added AND the fee to the WPA as well. The US Open needs to be a WPA event in my opinion. To me it is more prestigious than any of the so called World Titles.........
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The US Open does appear on the WPA Event Calendar what does that mean?

http://www.wpa-pool.com/web/sports_calendar
 
It means Barry is adding 50k and paying the WPA fee to be a points event. Several posters keep stating that he needs to reduce the added money or payouts to the amount that he can put up front.

Was just stating that I think the US Open SHOULD always be a WPA event and that means he should not reduce the added monies. The players want the WPA points so they don't want the added money reduced.

Barry was adding 40k 2 years ago and was not an official WPA points event. Several of the players approached Barry about bumping it up 10k so they would earn points. I am pretty sure one of them was JA... There were several of the pros discussing the subject with Barry in the bracket room on the 2nd day of the tournament.
 
This should make the boycott stronger if they can remain united. If the Filipinos have joined the dyslexic PBA and remain with them - and Asia gets wind that none on playing in the US Open, what do you think the television ratings will be?
 
The Renfro said:
Sorry to be the one to burst everyone's bubble but this is the same day not a new one.

ESPN Star bought the rights to the last 2 US Opens and aired them in Asia. We will not be seeing the event on TV here in the good old USA. Either the sport doesn't appeal to advertisers or ESPN wants nothing to do with the Players or maybe a little bit of both.

ESPN Star is not paying 6 figures as someone suggested. If the contract for the next 2 years is of the same scale as the last 2 I think they will barely hit 5 digits and that will not be enough to even cover the production costs. BTW they haven't in the past paid in advance. They paid after they received the final product on Terms.... not sure if it was 30 60 or 90 days.

Don't get me wrong. This is great news on several fronts. It means we know Accu-Stats will be filming and streaming the US Open for the next 2 years. That is good for Pat Fleming, Barry and the pool fans that are willing to buy DVDs and Pay for streams. It also means TV exposure for pool.... in Asia =(

As far as advertising dollars the only thing that will be seen will be players patches and the signage in the arena. ESPN Star will segment the production as they see fit and sell commercial slots and KEEP those revenues. Those advertisers will be Asian companies relevant to the market viewing. The commentators cannot even be relied on to do product shout outs as ESPN Star will not be broadcasting the footage in English.

So in short if the players or anyone else thinks the ship has come in, they are sadly looking at the wrong dock.

I need to point this out again. To qualify for WPA points an event has to have at least 50,000 added. The players have requested that Barry do what it takes to make the US Open qualify. That means he foots the 50,000 added AND the fee to the WPA as well. The US Open needs to be a WPA event in my opinion. To me it is more prestigious than any of the so called World Titles.........
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Thanks for the clarification, although I didn't think for a minute that ESPN Star Sports was filling the coffers of Barry's or Accu-Stats.

If Barry cannot afford to add $50,000.00 to the entry fees, perhaps he can add less or reduce expenses in other areas. One thing I'm sure everyone wants is for the U.S. OPen 9 Ball Championship to be solvent.

It seems to me that it should be the WPA that should be making sure that the players get paid but that's just me.

I know ESPN Star Sports is primarily an Asian market but is ESPN Star Sports able to broadcast in the U.S. (but not through ESPN (usa) )???

Since ESPN Star Sports is so large in these other countries, maybe EXXON will step up to the plate and help out this tournament like they did the recent Qatar tournament. I'm very curious as to what their contribution was to that event.
 
Joey that may be what ends up being the saving grace in this whole deal. With it's growing popularity in Asia and Europe an International Sponsor could step in and Pro Pool would be a drop in the bucket to them.

The biggest hurdle I can see in that happening for US tournaments would be that audiences tend to identify with players that look like them. I know that statement may come across as somewhat racist but all you have todo is look at the LPGA. When the women winning no longer looked like the girl next door the viewing numbers plummeted and fewer and fewer tournaments are televised. Mens Tennis is another sport that is taking a bath in viewership far from it's glory days in the 90s when Americans were prominent.

I think ESPN looks at the demographics of their viewers and compares them to the likely match ups that they will air. It may be that the Pinoy invasion and their prominence in the sport helped speed up the sports fall from US media coverage.
 
The Renfro said:
Sorry to be the one to burst everyone's bubble but this is the same day not a new one.

ESPN Star bought the rights to the last 2 US Opens and aired them in Asia. We will not be seeing the event on TV here in the good old USA. Either the sport doesn't appeal to advertisers or ESPN wants nothing to do with the Players or maybe a little bit of both.

ESPN Star is not paying 6 figures as someone suggested. If the contract for the next 2 years is of the same scale as the last 2 I think they will barely hit 5 digits and that will not be enough to even cover the production costs. BTW they haven't in the past paid in advance. They paid after they received the final product on Terms.... not sure if it was 30 60 or 90 days.

Don't get me wrong. This is great news on several fronts. It means we know Accu-Stats will be filming and streaming the US Open for the next 2 years. That is good for Pat Fleming, Barry and the pool fans that are willing to buy DVDs and Pay for streams. It also means TV exposure for pool.... in Asia =(

As far as advertising dollars the only thing that will be seen will be players patches and the signage in the arena. ESPN Star will segment the production as they see fit and sell commercial slots and KEEP those revenues. Those advertisers will be Asian companies relevant to the market viewing. The commentators cannot even be relied on to do product shout outs as ESPN Star will not be broadcasting the footage in English.

So in short if the players or anyone else thinks the ship has come in, they are sadly looking at the wrong dock.

I need to point this out again. To qualify for WPA points an event has to have at least 50,000 added. The players have requested that Barry do what it takes to make the US Open qualify. That means he foots the 50,000 added AND the fee to the WPA as well. The US Open needs to be a WPA event in my opinion. To me it is more prestigious than any of the so called World Titles.........
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When did the WPA drop the required added money to $50,000? Last year it was $75,000.
 
JAM...I have known David Thomson for 15 yrs at least. He's been around pool, as a photographer for decades. He developed a pool/billiards 'agency' (Medium Pool) many years ago, to market his services, and to provide marketing services to players and others seeking representation and/or access to event data. He is pretty knowledgeable and definitely a "player" in the professional pool scene. He resides in S. CA, but you see him at pool events everywhere...kinda like Nostroke (Hi Dave! :thumbup:)!

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

JAM said:
I realize that I am out of the loop, but I am not familiar with David Thomson of Medium Pool. Does anybody have any info on this entity? :smile:

Punctuation in the press release is a little off kilter, but the news itself is great! :cool:
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JAM...Agreed! If KT had just taken $1,000,000 a year...split it into 10 events, with $100K added at each event, the pros would have been in "hog heaven", and every one of KT's 'projections' would have come true...ino, the pros would all be making a decent living. So much for that fantasy! :rolleyes:

Scott Lee
www.poolknoweldge.com

JAM said:
If it had started on a different financial platform, I believe the IPT would still be here today. :cool:
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Dave Thomson is one sharp cookie when it comes to marketing. He designed the cover of Pool Wars and did the publicity for the L.A. Open many years ago. We drew huge crowds to those events. You can ask Don Mackey what happened to the L.A. Open. Or ask the players who supported that boycott. We only paid out 300K in two years, cash on the spot in 1993-4. Then it was gone, done in by some dirty pool.

Yes, the Open has been seen on TV in Asia previously, as have many other pool tournaments. I've said this many times before, pool is a big TV sport in Asia! Not anything like it is in the USA. These shows will probably never air over here. The top pros are much better known all over Asia. They get recognized in airports and restaurants, and get asked for their autographs. Even a lowly TV commentator may be recognized on the streets of Manila. :smile:

There is little in the way of money being paid for these broadcasts, just another market being opened up to "American" pool. I doubt that it even pays a small portion of Accu-Stat's expenses to shoot these shows. It does mean more opportunities for prospective sponsors to show their products to the Asian market. And that can equate to more dollars in revenue for Accu-Stats.

As for the players it can only help them to be more highly visible on television! The more well known they are, the more value they have to sponsors and promoters of international events. Hopefully they get the message this time. Sign the releases and play on TV! It's good for you and your career. This is Marketing 101, but many players still don't get it. Sad.
 
jay helfert said:
Dave Thomson is one sharp cookie when it comes to marketing. He designed the cover of Pool Wars and did the publicity for the L.A. Open many years ago. We drew huge crowds to those events. You can ask Don Mackey what happened to the L.A. Open. Or ask the players who supported that boycott. We only paid out 300K in two years, cash on the spot in 1993-4. Then it was gone, done in by some dirty pool.

Yes, the Open has been seen on TV in Asia previously, as have many other pool tournaments. I've said this many times before, pool is a big TV sport in Asia! Not anything like it is in the USA. These shows will probably never air over here. The top pros are much better known all over Asia. They get recognized in airports and restaurants, and get asked for their autographs. Even a lowly TV commentator may be recognized on the streets of Manila. :smile:

There is little in the way of money being paid for these broadcasts, just another market being opened up to "American" pool. I doubt that it even pays a small portion of Accu-Stat's expenses to shoot these shows. It does mean more opportunities for prospective sponsors to show their products to the Asian market. And that can equate to more dollars in revenue for Accu-Stats.

As for the players it can only help them to be more highly visible on television! The more well known they are, the more value they have to sponsors and promoters of international events. Hopefully they get the message this time. Sign the releases and play on TV! It's good for you and your career. This is Marketing 101, but many players still don't get it. Sad.
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Jay, you should be embarrassed of yourself, you know pool better than this! A pool player must "fly under the radar" in order to earn the big bucks. You didn't get the memo? :rolleyes:
 
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