Sports leaders unfazed by TV ratings decline

By Ben Klayman

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Four U.S. sports commissioners said their television ratings were down due to the multitude of gadgets and services consumers have to entertain themselves, but argued their games are no less popular.

Whether it's downloading their favorite shows to their iPod, watching clips on their cell phones, scrolling through Web sites or tuning into a niche cable television show, finicky consumers have more options, the heads of Major League Baseball, NASCAR, the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer said at the Reuters Media Summit this week.

"Compared to five to 10 years ago, life is changing," Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said. "There's so much more technology and so much competition that it just isn't possible anymore to produce those kinds of ratings unless you get into the seventh game of a World Series between Boston and the Cubs."

He added: "You have hundreds of TV channels. You've got sports on all day long, every day. I'm very pleased with our ratings and most importantly our TV partners are very happy."

Baseball has seen its TV ratings slip every year since 2003, from 2.7 to 2.3 in the most recently completed season, according to Nielsen Media Research. While the numbers are different, other leagues show similar declines.

NASCAR Chief Executive Brian France said promise from six or seven years ago of a digital revolution has arrived.

"You can actually watch your favorite show on your iPod," he said. "That has to put pressure on the other places you're going to get entertained."

France is by no means panicking, however.  Continued...