I dealt with this issue throughout the 1996 and 2002 Olympic Games: journalists used to covering a team (or a side in the World Cup) in a certain fashion, show up at a mega-event only to find the rules of engagement have changed. Tightly-controlled governing bodies such as FIFA, the IOC, and even the NCAA like to put their best face forward for the rights holders, often at the expense of the mainstream media. (H/T to @fangsbites for including in his daily links)

This flew under my radar yesterday. Of course it is subject to appeal, but YouTube (and its owner Google) scored a big win over plaintiffs Viacom and the English Premier League over liability of copyrighted content uploaded to its site. As @internetcases explains, YouTube successfully used the "safe harbor" area of the DMCA. This could, and I emphasize COULD, make it easier for private individuals to post copyrighted video from sporting events on internet sites. Again, Viacom will likely appeal.

In 1994, the FCC conducted a thorough review of the siphoning of previously free to air sports to cable, or pay, networks. The commission found no evidence of that. Wonder what would happen if the commission re-investigated that today. (H/T @fangsbites for the link)

The word “upfronts” is shorthand for an annual rite of passage for television networks and the industry that operates in orbit around them.

It generally refers to three activities:

• No. 1: The unveiling of new television network schedules
• No. 2: The cajoling of advertisers by the networks
• No. 3: The selling of billions of dollars in advertising time

No. 1 is the most important for fans who want to know when their favorite shows will return and which new shows will join the schedule. Nos. 2 and 3 are the most important to networks who want to keep shows in production and keep generating steady profits for their parent companies.

This week, NBC and Fox will present their schedules to advertisers on Monday; ABC on Tuesday; CBS on Wednesday; and the CW on Thursday. A handful of cable channels like TNT and ESPN will also hold presentations. Decoder will be blogging about each of them.

The presentations are really only the start of the upfront process. Typically, after the networks make their presentations, the sales executives take over, beginning negotiations with agencies, who are bargaining on behalf of marketers, about buying commercial time in advance for the coming season. (That is how “upfront” gets its name, as the dealing happens ahead of time.) When the economy is booming and demand for ad time is strong, the talks begin quickly — sometimes they do not even wait for the upfront week to finish — and end quickly. When the economy is hurting and demand is weak, like last year, the talks start slowly and can drag on for weeks or even months.

Analysts forecast that the 2010-11 upfront market will be much more robust than last year, with ad revenue for the broadcasters as much as 15 to 20 percent higher than in 2009, although that would bring the total back to only around where it was in 2008, before the recession took its toll.

One trend being watched is the demand in recent weeks and months for commercial time that is bought on a short-term basis in what is called the scatter market; scatter rates have been running 15 to 30 percent higher than the rates the networks obtained during the upfront sales last year, auguring more demand and possibly higher prices.

Lots of news today from ESPN and its presentation to advertisers, called an "upfront". For those unfamiliar with the term, here's an excellent summary.