AAC Media Contract details

[HuskyHawk]

What a bunch of Chicken Littles complaining about the sky falling.

1. UConn gets almost 3X what it made before. And 2X what the Big East gets.
2. I can watch every single game. I can even watch baseball and probably soccer. That's awesome.
3. We have branding on ESPN+. This is not all that different than the ACC Network or other digital networks, except we get the content with ESPN+ instead of having to subscribe to a conference specific service.
4. UConn hoops will be on TV plenty. Football probably takes the bigger hit, until they learn how to score more points than the other team.

 

[polycom]

What a bunch of Chicken Littles complaining about the sky falling.

1. UConn gets almost 3X what it made before. And 2X what the Big East gets.
2. I can watch every single game. I can even watch baseball and probably soccer. That's awesome.
3. We have branding on ESPN+. This is not all that different than the ACC Network or other digital networks, except we get the content with ESPN+ instead of having to subscribe to a conference specific service.
4. UConn hoops will be on TV plenty. Football probably takes the bigger hit, until they learn how to score more points than the other team.

Uh the sky isn't falling it already fell. Sure we get more money today and tomorrow, but in a few years that more money will look like peanuts. ESPN+ is a subscription service that our already fickle fanbase may not pay for aka it's a huge gamble. You think Uconn will be a TV a bunch but you have no idea.

 

[whaler11]

What a bunch of Chicken Littles complaining about the sky falling.

1. UConn gets almost 3X what it made before. And 2X what the Big East gets.
2. I can watch every single game. I can even watch baseball and probably soccer. That's awesome.
3. We have branding on ESPN+. This is not all that different than the ACC Network or other digital networks, except we get the content with ESPN+ instead of having to subscribe to a conference specific service.
4. UConn hoops will be on TV plenty. Football probably takes the bigger hit, until they learn how to score more points than the other team.

this is the kind of thinking that leads to the clown show we have in storrs.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Uh the sky isn't falling it already fell. Sure we get more money today and tomorrow, but in a few years that more money will look like peanuts. ESPN+ is a subscription service that our already fickle fanbase may not pay for aka it's a huge gamble. You think Uconn will be a TV a bunch but you have no idea.

If they won't they deserve what they get. Any fan who won't pony up $5 a month isn't a fan. This wouldn't be an issue even at a school like Iowa State, they'd all sign up immediately.

The best possible thing for UConn's future would be for ESPN to see an absolute flood of people in New England and metro New York signing up for ESPN+. If we don't we have validated everybody who ever said UConn has no value to a P5 and it isn't big time. The sky is just fine, unless we bring it down upon us.

As for the PR, it was obviously leaked anonymously on purpose so that UConn can tweak the AAC and ESPN without anything official being said. It was a nudge that said....get this done.

 

[Towney007]

How anyone can read that statement and think this is good is such homeric, delusional nonsense.

Thank goodness *a reporter* called to see if he could get a dropped leak or... anything.

What a total embarrassment.

 

[SubInATub]

If they won't they deserve what they get. Any fan who won't pony up $5 a month isn't a fan. This wouldn't be an issue even at a school like Iowa State, they'd all sign up immediately.

The best possible thing for UConn's future would be for ESPN to see an absolute flood of people in New England and metro New York signing up for ESPN+. If we don't we have validated everybody who ever said UConn has no value to a P5 and it isn't big time. The sky is just fine, unless we bring it down upon us.

As for the PR, it was obviously leaked anonymously on purpose so that UConn can tweak the AAC and ESPN without anything official being said. It was a nudge that said....get this done.

bad take. made up facts to support your false claim. Next!

 

[polycom]

Do people think the big 12 is going to do anything without calling Texas and begging for their blessing? AAC signed a deal and we "leaked" our response to the deal... What...

 

[zls44]

make sure to send money tho

Do me a favor- go take a look at the reason for donation solicitation on the men's hockey UConn Gives page, I have a feeling you're going to laugh really hard.


(still donated, btw)

 

[BUConn10]

The best part is the hidden kicker: including ESPNU with the rest of their premium networks. As if 65 games on main network wasn’t bad enough, they don’t specify the distribution so for all we know 50 of those 65 could fall on ESPNU making them effectively the same exposure wise as ESPN8theOcho, CBSSN, and ESPN+ or whatever new network they need to create to relegate our garbage content too.

 

[Towney007]

Anyone who was mad on here at people being negative can now go read UConn's statement on the deal which is pretty darn negative.

Clouds.

 

[auror]

you can’t even make up how big of a joke this administration is.

lol @ anyone still pretending this people can find their rear ends in a dark room.

good on mike anthony for making a call.

uconn provides the most value to espn in this deal and either the administration has no idea what the conference is doing or they have so little influence they pretend they have no idea what is going on.

front porch lol

make sure to send money tho

We're paying for our past sins. This is what happens when you end up in a conference of differing viewpoints, budgets, and goals.

Seems pretty clear UConn didn't want the deal (or parts of the deal), but got out-voted.

You don't have any leverage if you've already made it clear you will leave at first opportunity, and even less if you can't actually leave the conference (because no one wants you).

Not sure what they COULD do in this situation. But like I said, it's the poor past decisions and execution that led to this point.

 

[Towney007]

Dude, everyone in this conference is trying to get out as fast as they can. That's what makes it a bad conference.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Anyone who was mad on here at people being negative can now go read UConn's statement on the deal which is pretty darn negative.

Clouds.

Link to statement?

 

[zls44]

Link to statement?

 

[auror]

Dude, everyone in this conference is trying to get out as fast as they can. That's what makes it a bad conference.

I guess maybe that's why they went 12 years. So Aresco can lure some mid-majors once everyone else flees. Although I think they said ESPN had some key member negotiation things in there.

 

[CL82]

Meh, it's not great, but it isn't like all the American content got shunted to +. Has anyone done the comparison of what we were getting on ESPN, the deuce and U in our old (and very good, at least in terms of exposure) deal?

If you think this deal is horrible, you probably had unrealistic expectations. That doesn't make it a great deal but unless I reading it wrong it's not horrific. It looks like most of the plus games will be games that previously wouldn't have been broadcast. It does bother me that our tier 3 rights are propping up this deal. They are worth a few million, most of our conference mates wouldn't see that.

 

[Ha Who]

If they won't they deserve what they get. Any fan who won't pony up $5 a month isn't a fan. This wouldn't be an issue even at a school like Iowa State, they'd all sign up immediately.

The best possible thing for UConn's future would be for ESPN to see an absolute flood of people in New England and metro New York signing up for ESPN+. If we don't we have validated everybody who ever said UConn has no value to a P5 and it isn't big time. The sky is just fine, unless we bring it down upon us.

As for the PR, it was obviously leaked anonymously on purpose so that UConn can tweak the AAC and ESPN without anything official being said. It was a nudge that said....get this done.

Money isn’t the issue. NYC exposure is. Nationally plus will do nothing. Bye 6th borough

 

[Walker11]

Anyone who was mad on here at people being negative can now go read UConn's statement on the deal which is pretty darn negative.

Clouds.

I can be mad at you for posting the same unoriginal comment over and over while remaining bummed about the reality of our situation.

 

[Towney007]

If you think this deal is horrible, you probably had unrealistic expectations. That doesn't make it a great deal but unless I reading it wrong it's not horrific.

Have at it. Be very mad though, please.

 

[lange10]

Anyone have TV ratings from this past year for conference members?

The optimist in me has to think ESPN recognizes the power in our fanbases viewership and will feature us primarily on the main networks. The pessimist in me thinks ESPN recognizes the power in our fanbases viewership and knows we’ll be big buyers of the ESPN+ platform.

 

[DAC17]

So we now have to pay $5 a month to watch UConn football and basketball? Anyone seeing the slippery slope here? And the players still get nothing. And most all of them do not wind up with NFL and NBA contracts... More on principle than anything, I won’t be fessing up that money. I can probably attend a football game for $5 anyway, using parking lot tickets!

 

[ASweet3781]

 

[ThetaZoo]

I wonder why ESPN actively wants to end the sports program of the flagship program in it's state? Maybe they don't like the taxes, maybe they think the fans are ungrateful. None of it makes much sense. ESPN + state officials + UConn officials should have easily gotten us into a P5 instead, we have a landing page on ESPN+.

This is the $64,000 question. Neither politicians nor UConn officials will address this publicly.

 

[Towney007]

Wow. He doubled down.

 

[polycom]

Wow. He doubled down.

What are these iOS press releases? These aren’t instagram models.

 

[CL82]

Counter argument: ESPN just captured its largest fanbase for ESPN+ why give those captive audience eyeballs to SNY?

Mmm, oh I don't know for cash and the right to rebroadcast SNY broadcasts out of the SNY market? Remember no SNY, no broadcast of most women's games.

 

[LBird33]

The loss of exposure on SNY. Will hurt this school. Never thought i’d Say this but it’s time to move on. Football will be at best 500 ball. Just stinks.

 

[LBird33]

Even the AAC is moving away from us.
A 2nd tier conference. Man we have fallen into the black hole

 

[billybud]

The loss of exposure on SNY. Will hurt this school. Never thought i’d Say this but it’s time to move on. Football will be at best 500 ball. Just stinks.

I think that UConn will get that exposure...but SNY would have to pay ESPN for content...

...or, maybe, ESPN will subcontract SNY to continue AAC production under the ESPN+ name. SNY is not cut completely out, but folks will still have to buy ESPN+.

 

[LBird33]

I think that UConn will get that exposure...but SNY would have to pay ESPN for content...

...or, maybe, ESPN will subcontract SNY to continue AAC production under the ESPN+ name. SNY is not cut completely out, but folks will still have to buy ESPN+.

Hope your right