Scott Tainsky accepted for publication in Sport Management Review
Mike Ilitch School of Business Professor of Management Scott Tainsky has had an article accepted for publication in Sport Management Review, a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal that covers the management, marketing and governance of sport at all levels and in all of its manifestations.
Tainsky, who is also director of sport and entertainment management programs at the Ilitch School, co-authored the paper, “Regional Sports Networks and Determinants of Lead-In and Lead-Out Sports Television Viewership,” with Steven Salaga (University of Georgia) and Michael Mondello (University of South Florida).
Abstract
The financial health of major North American professional sports franchises is closely tied to Regional Sports Networks. These networks purchase local market broadcast rights from franchises and then create sequenced pre-game and post-game show content bookending each live contest. Despite the financial importance of Regional Sports Networks, no study has empirically examined the drivers of viewership for this sequential content. We create a sample of sequenced pre-game show, game broadcast, and post-game show ratings and uncover statistically significant audience carryover from each broadcast to the next. We also demonstrate substantial variance in the viewership determinants for each live program, suggesting viewers have different consumption preferences for each program type. We further illustrate that local team performance significantly impacts ratings for the subsequent pre-game show broadcast, even if there is extensive time lag between the programs. The results are crucial to broadcast rights valuation, advertising values, and programming strategy.
