POSTED: January 8th 2010
NewsUpdate
Q&A: Harvey Schiller on how baseball can emerge a winner from Olympic defeat - Part II
LAURA WALDEN & KEIR RADNEDGE / Sports Features Communications
Second part of the series
TAMPA/LONDON: GlobalOptions Group CEO Harvey Schiller shared his views on the future of baseball, Olympic television rights, event security and the USOC's new leader in an exclusive interview with SportsFeatures.com.
Through the Olympic reinstatement campaign the women’s baseball movement gained much interest and support. Do you think there is room in the not to far off future for another chance at a women’s pro baseball league?
I do not think so. I also do not think a professional league is necessary. What is necessary is giving young women the chance to stay with baseball in their teens and through high school, and then being able to play in a club atmosphere after that. If that leads to some professional league down the line that makes good financial sense then great. The goal should be grassroots opportunity around the world.
Do you think a women’s baseball could have the fan attraction and pull for TV and sponsors that women’s beach volleyball has?
Hard to say. Volleyball has carved a niche in the Olympics. Baseball is a different sport…it’s a team sport, and it’s a sport that teaches great lessons for boys and girls. It does not have to go the way of beach volleyball to be successful.
You have also served as Vice President of sports programming for Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS) and as President of Turner Sports, Inc. How do you view the next round of North American broadcast rights bidding to be in terms of dollars and competition between networks for rights?
It appears to be a two horse race at this point, but things can change. Never underestimate Dick Ebersol.
What is your take on the USOC teaming up with Comcast to produce the Olympic network, the step backward, and then the consequent majority takeover of NBC Universal by Comcast?
I think TV will continue to be evolutionary and that the market will bear what the consumer wants to see. The timing of the whole announcement was not great, and hopefully that will not damage plans in the future. That’s up to the current leadership.
How big a role do you think online streaming and phone apps will be within this market?
Digital is going to be the key to success not just for sports but for all entertainment programming going forward. You need to control your digital rights and find every possible way to bring those pieces to the consumer in a cost effective way. It is not now, nor will it ever be again, just about TV. TV will always be a big part of anyones media plan and no one should think they can survive without it, but digital, and the one to one connection with the consumer, will also continue to grow.
Do you think this is a divine plan by NBC to create a bigger Goliath to fight to maintain the US broadcast rights?
As I said before, never underestimate Dick Ebersol.
You have a long background in baseball what are your plans for the future to stay involved with the sport?
I am on the Hall of Fame committee and have told both MLB and the IBAF that I am available to assist in any capacity they would like. I remain a fan and supporter of the game and am very grateful for the opportunity that was given to me and will do whatever I can to help. That is up to the current administration.
You also are CEO of Global Options Group, which does a great deal of security and risk management planning around the world. What do you think will be the future of security with regard to the Olympics and other sporting events?
We live in a very different world now with regard to personal security, and the dollars spent and technology now available is more than ever before. That being said, it is gratifying to know that the work being done behind the scenes to make sure that fans and participants are as safe as possible is already being put into place for years down the road. We have worked with assessing stadium security at a number of venues, and although you can’t always be 100 pct safe, it is good to know that every possible step is taken in these mass events to make sure all are being protected.
Keywords · Harvey Schiller · IBAF · baseball · GlobalOptions Group · USOC · NBC · Dick Ebersol · Comcast
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Laura Walden ()
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