Change Is in the Air For U.S. Figure Skating Championships

The Chicago Tribune learned that the U.S. Figure Skating Championships will be spread out over nine days and two weekends in 2010 to provide for live coverage of the sport on NBC leading into the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Under the new format, which will only be in effect for 2010 and other Olympic years that follow, the senior men’s and pairs competition would take place during the first weekend and the ladies and ice dance would be the second weekend. The juniors and novice competitions will take place the week in between. In non-Olympic years, the schedule would revert back to its current setup with all four free skate programs taking place on the same weekend.

The move will allow NBC to telecast the short and free skate programs of each of the four disciplines to give figure skating a bigger national TV audience and generate interest in the Winter Olympics. While I can understand U.S. Figure Skating and NBC wanting to capitalize on its recent successful coverage of the national championships in St. Paul, Minn., which increased 65 percent over last year’s coverage on ABC/ESPN, I think this plan is risky and could harm attendance. I know of few people who would be willing to attend an event over two consecutive weekends. For the diehards, it means staying an extra couple of days. For the not-so-diehard, it means choosing one weekend over the other or staying home altogether. With the sport already struggling to attract fans, it can’t afford to lose more of their in-person audience.

In related news, NBC will provide coverage of the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles next year. I would think that this development closes the door on any possible agreement between ABC/ESPN beyond this year when the current contract expires. Furthermore, if NBC’s ratings for these figure skating events continue to rise, look for a longer-term deal with the network after the Vancouver Olympic Games.

NBC Deal Promises Fresh Start for Figure Skating

I was thrilled to learn that the U.S. Figure Skating Association signed a three-year deal with NBC to broadcast the national championships and Skate America competition beginning October 2007, with much of the finals broadcast live during primetime. In a Woman’s Eye post several months ago, I wrote that the USFSA would be better off working out a deal with another network or forgoing a deal altogether rather than renew their arrangement with ABC/ESPN. In recent years, TV viewership for the sport had declined and ABC was clearly lacking any kind of commitment or motivation to promote the sport on its network. ESPN serves a predominantly male audience while figure skating’s largely female fan base was ignored. Programming also suffered as the network resorted to fluff stories and overhyped dramas to appeal to viewers. Even long-time announcers Dick Button and Peggy Fleming seemed old and tired at times. It was clear that it was time for a change.

Figure skating is a natural fit for NBC. The three-year deal will conclude with the 2010 national championships and will serve as a promotional lead-in for NBC’s coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. The network’s cable outlet, USA Network, its local affiliates and online resources open up bigger and better promotional opportunities for the sport.

The deal is a testing ground for both parties. NBC can help figure skating rebuild its fan base, and the sport can help the network refine its programming capabilities of Olympic sports in preparation for its coverage of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

The only remaining question is who will be in the broadcast booth. I can see Dick Button doing occasional commentary for the broadcasts, but frankly, I think his days in the broadcast booth are over. A fresh opportunity like this deserves fresh faces, and the team of Paul Wylie and Suzie Wynn would be a great asset to NBC. They have done a terrific job as the secondary broadcast team on ESPN, covering the Four Continents and the Grand Prix events. They’re professional, unbiased and knowledgeable, and they refrain from “cheerleading” the skaters the way some of their colleagues at ABC/ESPN are guilty of doing.

ABC has been the broadcast home to figure skating for 43 years and still has rights to the international events, such as the World Championships, through 2008. After so long on one network, many fans may have a hard time adjusting to NBC as the new network for figure skating. But in this case, the change was not only good, it was necessary.