Cable programs usually mean fewer viewers. But it is not surprising that the NBA took money over exposure with its new television deal.

The owners always go for the money. That's how they became rich.

Will this be a case, however, of get paid now, pay more later?

If fewer people are watching, then it logically follows that fewer people will be interested in the product. Less interest usually equals less money.

That's the big question as the lawyers wipe their fingerprints off the soon-to-be announced deal that will see the NBA leave NBC to become mainly a cable commodity, beginning with the 2002-03 season. The new package calls for a limited amount of games on ABC, with the bulk going to ESPN, TNT and a proposed NBA channel, which the league and AOL Time Warner will co-own.

What makes the deal so radical is that many of the NBA's showcase events will be seen on cable, which traditionally attracts significantly fewer viewers than network television. The conference finals and the All-Star Game will be entirely on cable.

ABC will air the NBA Finals, but it only will do eight first- and second-round games. Gone will be those tripleheaders of playoff basketball that are a staple on NBC. ABC also will do only 15 regular-season games, compared with as many as 33 on NBC. There's a good reason.

ESPN, not its Disney brother ABC, is the main impetus driving its part of the deal. By getting its share of playoff games, along with a twice-a-week regular-season package, the cable sports giant believes it is able to justify its aggressive joint bid with ABC of a reported $2.4 billion over six years.

NBC, which is losing millions on the current deal, came in at $1.3 billion over four years, down from the current $1.75 billion. With ratings slipping, the network couldn't justify putting itself in a position to lose even more money.

The NBA said thanks to NBC and jumped at the cable cash. The combined package will see the league pull in a reported $650 million per year from television. It represents a slight jump from the current package and $50 million to $60 million more annually than they would have received from staying with NBC.

Instead of coming in with an expected decrease, Commissioner David Stern is even more of a hero in the eyes of the owners for producing an increase in a terrible economy.

However, what is the price for exposure? Consider this: A bad rating on a network broadcast almost always is better than the biggest audience on cable. ESPN did much boasting for doing its largest rating of the year for last Sunday night's Baltimore-Pittsburgh NFL game. The number, however, fell below the average viewership for NFL games on Fox and CBS.

If the intent is to bring as many people into the tent as possible, then network television is the route. For all the talk about ESPN's promotional might, is there anything more powerful than NBC slipping in a ``Watch the NBA'' ad during ER?

Can the NBA grow its base on cable, especially with ESPN? For all its strengths, ESPN viewership still is made up mostly of avid male sports fans. It is hard to imagine women and casual fans going over there regularly.

Still, the NBA is poised to become a ``cable'' sport, similar to the NHL. To show how much the tables have turned, when the deal goes into effect, there will be more NASCAR races on network television than NBA games.

The NBA will be trumpeting the virtues of cable when the deal is announced, blowing loudest for its proposed new channel. The prediction here, however, is that the NBA channel, which will air four games per week, will be as successful as the disastrous Olympic Triplecast experience in 1992.

Considering the glut of games already available on ESPN and TNT, not to mention local team outlets, cable operators will balk at ponying up the expense of adding the channel, especially when they have to pass it along to their subscribers. Would you pay 50 cents a month to see more of the Memphis Grizzlies?

Industry insiders contend that all things being equal, or just a few percentage points off, the NBA would have stayed with the network power of NBC. Instead, the league followed its bankbook.