Non-Key Tweets

[UC1995]

So like twice the TV money we are currently getting for all sports?

Still, you can't give away the milk and expect them to buy the cow. [on edit-damn it, Bizlaw beat me to it]
The price to 1st tier access in Connecticut is full admission.

If Cinci and another school leaves, UConn should press Aresco to push for a vote to allow teams sell their own rights. UConn WBB is worth $1M, easily. UConn Men's Hockey is worth at least that. Certainly Men's BBall and football are each worth more. So UConn could sell its TV rights for $5-10M on SNY or YES. I think that that is very conservative. They'd be worth more to a national company. Yet when they are packaged with the rest of the AAC they worth less than $2 mil?

Problem is that you get more money for the athletic department but we lose any chance of national exposure without ESPN's monopoly. SNY and YES will only take you so far.

 

[Fishy]

Problem is that you get more money for the athletic department but we lose any chance of national exposure without ESPN's monopoly. SNY and YES will only take you so far.

That really is the problem.

ESPN at $0 a year is worth more than the Big East/Fox at $3M.

SNY is great for showing UConn games to UConn fans, but it doesn't do much to create exposure for the program.

 

[NYUConn]

That really is the problem.

ESPN at $0 a year is worth more than the Big East/Fox at $3M.

SNY is great for showing UConn games to UConn fans, but it doesn't do much to create exposure for the program.

Theoretically, if ESPN cuts the American TV deal by 50% it would free up some money to ink a small deal separately with UConn.

Is UConn men's and women's BBall worth $.5-$1M annually to the worldwide leader? I don't know, but I would think that given the national following of each of program it would be worth the conversation.

If the school could get it's media rights back, could they put together a piecemeal arrangement with a handful of networks to net $3-4M annually for their T1-3 rights?

 

[RustyHusky]

I'm sorry, but people are going to turn on the TV to watch a renewed OU vs. Nebraska football rivalry...or OSU vs. OU. Meanwhile, Michigan State vs. Kansas basketball would be premier television too. I'm not saying we don't offer anything, I'm just saying that OU and Kansas together as a packaged deal bring a hefty sum to the table that I don't think we can compete with. It's not ALL about TVs. You have to have content too, and both OU and Kansas are marquee brand names that people want to watch. They're national brands.

 

[tzznandrew]

I'm sorry, but people are going to turn on the TV to watch a renewed OU vs. Nebraska football rivalry...or OSU vs. OU. Meanwhile, Michigan State vs. Kansas basketball would be premier television too. I'm not saying we don't offer anything, I'm just saying that OU and Kansas together as a packaged deal bring a hefty sum to the table that I don't think we can compete with. It's not ALL about TVs. You have to have content too, and both OU and Kansas are marquee brand names that people want to watch. They're national brands.

UConn and Virginia brings a ton. Any one of these in isolation doesn't bring a ton, though. It has to be matched with its partner and its market.

 

[Fishy]

Theoretically, if ESPN cuts the American TV deal by 50% it would free up some money to ink a small deal separately with UConn.

Is UConn men's and women's BBall worth $.5-$1M annually to the worldwide leader? I don't know, but I would think that given the national following of each of program it would be worth the conversation.

If the school could get it's media rights back, could they put together a piecemeal arrangement with a handful of networks to net $3-4M annually for their T1-3 rights?

The most likely result of additional expansion is the termination of our current contract. There's no reason for ESPN not to blow it up - they would have all the leverage in putting something cheaper with less exposure requirements back together. The idea that ESPN would cut a side-deal with UConn doesn't make a lot of sense for them and it probably wouldn't pass muster with our partners...the other members of the American. We're not an independent and cannot act as one.

Maybe we have enough sway in that shamble of a conference to part out the third tier, but I would advise not to expect a silver lining should the Big 12 expand without us. It's probably the last expansion move for the next decade.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Without numbers your position is a guess. The numbers are important. In the BTN model a large part of the revenue stream is directly related to carriage fees and advertising revenues (they get 50% from ads). So I ask again, what are the numbers?

I posted them in a different thread this summer...not going to look them up again.

 

[Fishy]

I'm sorry, but people are going to turn on the TV to watch a renewed OU vs. Nebraska football rivalry...or OSU vs. OU. Meanwhile, Michigan State vs. Kansas basketball would be premier television too. I'm not saying we don't offer anything, I'm just saying that OU and Kansas together as a packaged deal bring a hefty sum to the table that I don't think we can compete with. It's not ALL about TVs. You have to have content too, and both OU and Kansas are marquee brand names that people want to watch. They're national brands.

PSA - This one's a troll.

 

[NYUConn]

The most likely result of additional expansion is the termination of our current contract. There's no reason for ESPN not to blow it up - they would have all the leverage in putting something cheaper with less exposure requirements back together. The idea that ESPN would cut a side-deal with UConn doesn't make a lot of sense for them and it probably wouldn't pass muster with our partners...the other members of the American. We're not an independent and cannot act as one.

Maybe we have enough sway in that shamble of a conference to part out the third tier, but I would advise not to expect a silver lining should the Big 12 expand without us. It's probably the last expansion move for the next decade.

I think you're probably right, RE: ESPN would blow the contract up.

However, I don't know that it is inconceivable that ESPN wouldn't cut a side deal with UConn. Current AAC TV deal w/ESPN is worth $126/7 years. Navy retains their own TV rights from what I understand, so that pie is split 11 ways.

Basically comes out to about $1.6 million per year per school.

Now let's say we lose two non-UConn members. ESPN blows the deal up, reduces the exposure and cuts the payout in half. At that point the schools are now earning about $800K per year under the new deal. ESPN would be saving $8.8 million per year moving forward.

UConn sports, which posts higher overnight numbers in BBall and Football consistently than most of the highest-profile G5 match ups, comes in and says if you keep our exposure level at pre-Big 12 expansion numbers and cut us a deal for $1M a year. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me, no?

Now this all presupposes that somehow UConn can pry our media rights away from The American, which as long as we are committed to playing D1 football, I don't know how that happens (because the threat of joining the Big East is hollow without a football home).

I know it's a lot of hypotheticals, but I don't think ESPN would outright say no to a side deal with UConn if somehow we could get our rights back.

 

[Dooley]

Our T3 rights with IMG were valued at $8M/yr, signed in 2010-2020 amidst the falling of the Big East conference. WBB signed a T3 contract with SNY for $1.4M/yr in 2012 after the fall. Our combined T3 rights are easily in the $10M/yr range (easily within P5 range). If we were simply able to just get part of that back, we would generate FAR more revenue than our AAC competitors.

 

[RustyHusky]

UConn and Virginia brings a ton. Any one of these in isolation doesn't bring a ton, though. It has to be matched with its partner and its market.

That's kind of my point. The B1G wouldn't turn their nose up at Oklahoma if Oklahoma were interested, and if OU were to go then they would take Kansas before they took UConn. Kansas by themselves may not be as good as taking us, but coupled with Oklahoma they become significantly more valuable.

 

[RustyHusky]

It's easy to label me a troll when I'm the only one, apparently, that doesn't think we're the center of the expansion universe. We may be a great choice for a conference, but it's not difficult to see that we may not be the only option or even the best option. Other schools have merits too, and it's time to recognize that.

 

[TRest]

It's easy to label me a troll when I'm the only one, apparently, that doesn't think we're the center of the expansion universe. We may be a great choice for a conference, but it's not difficult to see that we may not be the only option or even the best option. Other schools have merits too, and it's time to recognize that.

All of our pals from other schools have been quick to point this out, it is hardly an insight.

 

[jostar1]

Dave Sittler‏@DaveSittler ESPN's depleted coffers will probably prevent Big 12 expansion.

Greg Flugaur ‏@flugempire · 4h4 hours ago
@MikeBrem But if Big 12 does not expand...if ESPN chooses not to spit out pro rata on the 2 adds...OU is gone in 2025.
Why...???

Greg Flugaur ‏@flugempire · 4h4 hours ago
@MikeBrem ...because next B12 TV contract negotiations will be done solely on last 10 yrs of ratings (2014-2024).
Bad news for B12...

Greg Flugaur ‏@flugempire · 4h4 hours ago
@MikeBrem ...and OU knows this...they know small footprint with no branding is killing B12 leverage in future negotiations.
Dismal

 

[RustyHusky]

It's simple: OU looks to be on the move. They've signaled they're more interested in the B1G. If that happens, Kansas is going to go with them and not UConn. I don't have to like that to accept that reality. Our best hope is that the B1G takes two from the east as well and that we're one of them.

 

[jostar1]

Sean ‏@smm140 · 13h13 hours ago
@HoustonsOwnDrew @smm140 theDudeofWV @Expansion_Crush I live in Houston and this town is dominated by UT and Tx ATM

 

[CTMike]

Maybe ESPN doesn't care what happens to the B12 come 2025?

 

[dayooper]

Maybe ESPN doesn't care what happens to the B12 come 2025?

I think they would drop right now if they could.

 

[RustyHusky]

I think ESPN would love to carve up the BigXII, which unfortunately would likely be all bad for us as it dumps more expansion candidates onto the market.

 

[pj]

It's easy to label me a troll when I'm the only one, apparently, that doesn't think we're the center of the expansion universe. We may be a great choice for a conference, but it's not difficult to see that we may not be the only option or even the best option. Other schools have merits too, and it's time to recognize that.

Point to a single post from anyone saying that Oklahoma and Kansas, or any other P5 schools, have no merits and are not options.

You're making up straw men.

 

[pj]

I think ESPN would love to carve up the BigXII, which unfortunately would likely be all bad for us as it dumps more expansion candidates onto the market.

It also opens up partners.

If the P4/P5 are going to break away they need to include all the major draws in college athletics. A break up of the B12 would likely help UConn find a home. We would do well on any commercial analysis against most of the B12.

 

[Dooley]

If the B12 breaks up, that is nothing but GOOD news for UConn. We want movement. Chaos, even. Everyone staying pat for a decade is a killer blow to UConn. Worst case scenario: we partner up with some B12 leftovers and the "best of" G5 schools. Best case scenario: we partner up with OU, Texas, and Kansas to the B1G and create a mega year-round dominating super conference.

 

[Fishy]

It's easy to label me a troll when I'm the only one, apparently, that doesn't think we're the center of the expansion universe. We may be a great choice for a conference, but it's not difficult to see that we may not be the only option or even the best option. Other schools have merits too, and it's time to recognize that.

No, it's because you're not a UConn fan.

You can go now.

 

[Sea Goat]

I think ESPN would love to carve up the BigXII, which unfortunately would likely be all bad for us as it dumps more expansion candidates onto the market.

Get your troll ass out of here. You are a pathetic piece of .

 

[RustyHusky]

Why? Because you don't like hearing what I have to say? Because the truth is, if OU leaves the BigXII it could mean we're stuck in this crappy conference? I don't like it, but it's time to face the reality that we're not the center of the expansion universe.