Interesting article.........
Big Ten's Rights Deal Threatens To Widen Financial Gap Between Even The Biggest Conferences
According to Wilner’s projections for 2018, distributions of more than $50 million would give the Big Ten a sizable revenue advantage over schools from the SEC (approximately $43 million each), the Big 12 ($36.5 million), the Pac-12 ($32 million) and the ACC ($28 million).
The SEC Network’s cash infusion has placed that conference in an enviable position, but the rights deal with ESPN is in place through 2033-34. The Big Ten’s TV contracts expire after 2022-23, sooner than all of the other major conferences'. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Big Ten will score an even more expensive deal in a few years, but the record viewership that Fox enjoyed in its first year as a Big Ten college football partner – a bounce of 23% in average viewership – is an early indication that the property will remain extremely valuable to the network.
Big Ten's Rights Deal Threatens To Widen Financial Gap Between Even The Biggest Conferences
According to Wilner’s projections for 2018, distributions of more than $50 million would give the Big Ten a sizable revenue advantage over schools from the SEC (approximately $43 million each), the Big 12 ($36.5 million), the Pac-12 ($32 million) and the ACC ($28 million).
The SEC Network’s cash infusion has placed that conference in an enviable position, but the rights deal with ESPN is in place through 2033-34. The Big Ten’s TV contracts expire after 2022-23, sooner than all of the other major conferences'. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Big Ten will score an even more expensive deal in a few years, but the record viewership that Fox enjoyed in its first year as a Big Ten college football partner – a bounce of 23% in average viewership – is an early indication that the property will remain extremely valuable to the network.