AAC Media Contract

[Chin Diesel]

You can just use a different address unless you really like local news/sports.

That was my other good reason for You Tube TV. Where I live, I was having trouble with the CBS OTA signal and couldn't get Fox at all. Sling TV didn't provide them or any of the cable news channels. Only two channels I "miss" at all with You Tube TV are Food Network and Travel Channel. And yet, I've survived.

 

[calluke]

I got rid of cable last year and got Hulu. I get all the ESPN channels and had zero problem watching Uconn games. except when they are on CBSSN.

I have Hulu and I get CBSSN.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Exit 4]

Will this be like a wedding where they ask the audience if there are any objections? If so, I think Geno and SNY might have something to say.

 

[UCDaveD]

Will this be like a wedding where they ask the audience if there are any objections? If so, I think Geno and SNY might have something to say.

I think it'll be more like this wedding...we're the Starks

 

[UofCT]

Will this be like a wedding where they ask the audience if there are any objections? If so, I think Geno and SNY might have something to say.

Any possibility of UConn not signing on?

 

[ThabeetDown]

Just wait until ESPN puts P5 games on ESPN+ to up the subs. Sad!

That won't happen

Look at what just happened: ESPN, Big 12 Agree To Sweeping Media-Rights Deal

 

[gampelcrazies]

Look at what just happened: ESPN, Big 12 Agree To Sweeping Media-Rights Deal

I guess you got me and I was wrong. But I’m still not a fan of the ESPN+ platform

 

[noeynox]

Texas, which has Longhorn Network, and Oklahoma, which has its own local rights deal, will not provide content to ESPN+.

Maybe there is some hope for SNY yet.

 

[auror]

Texas, which has Longhorn Network, and Oklahoma, which has its own local rights deal, will not provide content to ESPN+.

Maybe there is some hope for SNY yet.

I think this encapsulates UConn's anger over the deal. Sure, it's possible ESPN will work something out with SNY, but the B12 and ESPN carved out a niche for Oklahoma in the deal itself, while the AAC did no such courtesy upfront for UConn.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

"Eight of the 10 schools will provide more than 50 exclusive events per year, including at least one football game, any spring football game and any basketball game that is not on an ESPN linear network."

So 8 Big12 FCS matchups plus some Iowa State v TCU hoops here and then?

 

[Exit 4]

I think this encapsulates UConn's anger over the deal. Sure, it's possible ESPN will work something out with SNY, but the B12 and ESPN carved out a niche for Oklahoma in the deal itself, while the AAC did no such courtesy upfront for UConn.

Bingo, that is my take. If we got the carve out UConn wouldn't be protesting. We got the opposite treatment.

 

[whaler11]

"Eight of the 10 schools will provide more than 50 exclusive events per year, including at least one football game, any spring football game and any basketball game that is not on an ESPN linear network."

So 8 Big12 FCS matchups plus some Iowa State v TCU hoops here and then?

Right it’s the one football game they were keeping at part of their old deal that was FCS and on things like Cyclone Vision. So really no football - how much men’s basketball is the question.

 

[whaler11]

40 mill for 6 years for three championship games, the 8 worst football games of the season, non revenue sports for those not named UT or OU and some undisclosed amount of basketball not on ESPN/2/U/N. Less than 3/4 a million per school.

 

[noeynox]

I think this encapsulates UConn's anger over the deal. Sure, it's possible ESPN will work something out with SNY, but the B12 and ESPN carved out a niche for Oklahoma in the deal itself, while the AAC did no such courtesy upfront for UConn.

Very true. My only question, how much lobbying did UConn's leadership do behind closed doors for this? We don't know. I make no assumptions with this crew when it comes to being proactive vs reactive.

Time for Lamont to flex on ESPN perhaps.

 

[huskymedic]

Big 12 Conference, ESPN Enhance Comprehensive Rights Agreement

>>Hundreds of Events Added Through 2024-25

Under the expanded agreement, hundreds of additional Big 12 sports events annually will be presented under the new Big 12-branded offering on ESPN+, with each participating Big 12 Conference school assigning available rights to ESPN and delivering more than 50 exclusive events per year. The lineup will include:

• An exclusive regular-season football game each season from each participating school, as well as any spring football games;
• All regular season and exhibition men’s basketball games not distributed on ESPN’s linear networks (expected to be upwards of 75 games per year);
• Women’s basketball and other conference sports such as volleyball, soccer, wrestling, softball, baseball and more;
• Select Big 12 Conference championship events and original content.

Eight of the conference’s 10 schools will produce and deliver multiple sports under the new Big 12-branded platform on ESPN+, with schools joining on a rolling basis. Starting in 2019, there will be games from Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State, in addition to the select Big 12 Conference championship events.

In 2020-21, Iowa State, TCU, West Virginia and Texas Tech will join the lineup. Due to existing long-term rights agreements, Texas (the Longhorn Network) and Oklahoma will not produce and deliver programming included on ESPN+ at this time, but will be featured as road teams in games listed under the new Big 12-branded offering on the service.<<

 

[UConnJim]

Pretty clear that ESPN+ is where ESPN will be pushing content for everybody going forward. Why? Cable bundling is in secular decline and ESPN+ is the only way that ESPN can grow going forward. And, it is pretty clear that ESPN3 will be gone. You will only be able to stream for free (with subscription) games shown on the ESPN linear networks.

Why did Texas and Oklahoma get a carve out? Texas has the Longhorn Network and if you move content from LN to ESPN+, there is no need for the LN and LN is owned by ESPN/Texas/IMG. Oklahoma has a deal for their Tier 3 rights in place already for the length of this deal.

This is different than UConn's situation with SNY. UConn wants to continue the relationship with SNY due to exposure. UConn just wants ESPN to sublicense the rights to SNY.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[auror]

Why did Texas and Oklahoma get a carve out? Texas has the Longhorn Network and if you move content from LN to ESPN+, there is no need for the LN and LN is owned by ESPN/Texas/IMG. Oklahoma has a deal for their Tier 3 rights in place already for the length of this deal.

This is different than UConn's situation with SNY. UConn wants to continue the relationship with SNY due to exposure. UConn just wants ESPN to sublicense the rights to SNY.

Yes, because Oklahoma negotiated that Tier 3 rights deal when the media deal was (edit for clarity - "originally") being negotiated, just like UConn wanted. Even if UConn would have settled for just the exposure without the $ (although they definitely want the $), they wanted it negotiated.

 

[huskymedic]

Yes, because Oklahoma negotiated that Tier 3 rights deal when the media deal was being negotiated, just like UConn wanted. Even if UConn would have settled for just the exposure without the $ (although they definitely want the $), they wanted it negotiated.

Wasn’t the Sooner Sports TV deal negotiated a number of years back (2012-2014)?

 

[auror]

Wasn’t the Sooner Sports TV deal negotiated a number of years back (2012-2014)?

When the Big 12 deal happened in 2012, the schools kept their tier 3 rights. Texas got the big pay day with ESPN, and 5 days after the full big 12 deal was announced Oklahoma did their deal with Fox for Sooner Sports.

We have an existing tier 3 deal that pays us directly (the AAC allowed us an exception to get the full money instead of splitting it with conference), just like those Big 12 people did.

So Big 12 renegotiates, they give their tier 3 rights to ESPN just as the AAC did. Except the Big 12 let Oklahoma and Texas keep their deals. Meanwhile AAC is yanking ours away.

 

[UConnNick]

When the Big 12 deal happened in 2012, the schools kept their tier 3 rights. Texas got the big pay day with ESPN, and 5 days after the full big 12 deal was announced Oklahoma did their deal with Fox for Sooner Sports.

We have an existing tier 3 deal that pays us directly (the AAC allowed us an exception to get the full money instead of splitting it with conference), just like those Big 12 people did.

So Big 12 renegotiates, they give their tier 3 rights to ESPN just as the AAC did. Except the Big 12 let Oklahoma and Texas keep their deals. Meanwhile AAC is yanking ours away.

I suspect our administration was asleep at the wheel yet again, judging by our woeful track record for the past 10 or more years. Why are we always reactive instead of proactive? It's the same thing that always happened to us in the old Big East. The whole league was held hostage by the Pee Cee mafia running the conference office. It's what caused the FB schools to bolt. Adding DePaul and Marquette was done only to insure a tie vote split down the middle between the FB and BB schools. The commissioner broke any tie votes between the two sides, which insured the BB schools always getting whatever they wanted, because Tranghese/Marinatto both came from the Providence AD. That entire structure was insane, and guaranteed the demise of the conference. It was totally short sighted, clinging to the outdated notion that BB still meant anything.

It appears the AAC deal was pushed through because schools like ECU, Tulane, Tulsa, SMU and Wichita State don't have any Tier 3 rights that are worth a damn. With ESPN+, they got more exposure than they could have possibly dreamed of getting on their own. Again we appear to have allowed ourselves to be at the mercy of the bottom dwelling media rights schools in our league. When will UCONN wake up and learn from past mistakes?

 

[gwhuskyfan]

Just got this...

 

[UConnJim]

I don't think we know what exactly happened with the Women's basketball Tier 3 media rights. Did UConn ask for something and not get it? Did UConn assume that since the AAC ADs voted to allow UConn to keep the SNY money in 2017 that they could keep it forever? Did UConn find out after the fact what happened?

I do think UConn cares more about the exposure than the money, but I would think that the value of UConn women's hoop Tier 3 rights is very valuable to ESPN (and to SNY).

For those outside of the SNY market like me, it appears ESPN3 is going away and I will have to subscribe to ESPN+ to watch many UConn games. I'm sure it will be available on my TV just like the streaming services Netflix, YouTubeTV, and Amazon Prime Video are now.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Just got this...

View attachment 42131

Same. It basically asks you if you have cable and if you’re willing to play for Plus.