NBC Sale Prompts Calls for Salary Cap: Is Comcast trying to buy a ratings championship?

Major telelvision networks need a new system of luxury taxes and revenue sharing programs, says Redsock owner John Henry, following the news that Comcast is purchasing NBC.


"Change is needed and that is reflected by the fact that over a billion dollars have been paid to one company with high operating profits," the know-it-all owner said in an e-mail to TV Guide. "Who, except Comcast, can think this is a good idea?"

Henry added, "At the end of the day, the small market TV networks cannot begin to compete with Comcast and have a very hard time competing with the networks that are struggling to pay them so much. Consequently, a system that directly impacts competition has to replace the current system, that hoped to, but ultimately did not cure competitive imbalances."

Henry said TV "needs slotting for amateurs, a worldwide amateur draft and most importantly, an effective competitive balance tax that directly addresses disparity once and for all."

He concluded that, in a worst-case scenario, Comcast could go out and sign pitcher John Lackey, basically ensuring that it wins the 2010 world ratings championship.

"If they Lackey, it's over," he said. "CBS can have Marco Scutaro. It won't matter. Lackey is the key."