FEATURE: As new media drives engagement deeper, there are no limits on the costs for sports rights

TORONTO – The sheer numbers some sports produce are staggering – and we’re not talking about the ones you see on the scoreboards in the stadiums or arenas. When it comes to sports television, the National Football League is the big kahuna. The league’s current $20 billion U.S. broadcast contracts with Fox, CBS, NBC and ESPN end in 2013, and the new deals, worth almost $40 billion over eight years will kick in for 2014. Speaking at The Cable Show in Boston on May 23rd, NBA Commissioner David Stern told delegates that between the league, its teams and players, the...