AAC reworking media deal

[Ts5034]

ESPN, however, considered UConn basketball — particularly the historically dominant women’s program — a blue-chip asset. In fact, a person with knowledge of the talks said ESPN had actually negotiated to increase the number of UConn women’s games it could air in 2020 prior to news of the school’s departure. The network has previously sublicensed some of the team’s games from Fox Sports.

ESPN, AAC Renegotiating Media Rights Deal As UConn Heads to Big East

If this was the case, how come ESPN couldn’t do something to get UConn into the ACC or another Power 5?

 

[scoscox]

If this was the case, how come ESPN couldn’t do something to get UConn into the ACC or another Power 5?

I'm more confused why they didn't try to get them more of a sweetheart media deal. the current deal actively punishes the womens team. makes no sense to do that

 

[freescooter]

That only started when we got in the Big East.

That had zero to do with the league and everything to do with one Jim Calhoun. But then we used to sell out the old field house for URI and UNass in old Yankcon days too. But why let facts get in the way of a nice story

 

[bendm]

URI and UNass

those teams were regional rivals at the time... just like the teams we left behind in the big east

 

[gampelcrazies]

That had zero to do with the league and everything to do with one Jim Calhoun. But then we used to sell out the old field house for URI and UNass in old Yankcon days too. But why let facts get in the way of a nice story

We only got Jim Calhoun because we were in the Big East so......

 

[HoopsHype34]

Well, I guess we will finally have a solid guesstimate of what value ESPN places on UConn.

500 Million. The new deal will be worth 500 Million dollars.

 

[HoopsHype34]

No.... def not. I'm actually indifferent -- just could not care less.....

The time in the AAC was kinda like that rando you hooked-up with in your mid-to-early 20's, drunk, and then woke up the next morning and all you wanted to do was forget it ever happened.

Very apt analogy. The only change I would make is you only hooked up with the rando because you just broke up with your GF because she wanted to focus on her career. Then the new relationship lasted 7 years because that first year was actually memorable. Then you and your ex had coffee together and you realized what a mistake it was so you got back together and everyone was happy again except for those 5 weird cousins from the south who like college football.

 

[Slasher]

aac fans were trying to say that the broadcast expenses would only be in the 50-60,000 range this summer, so that ecu article is an extra lol

The Boneyard said this was going to cost $1M a year so both were really far off.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

500 Million. The new deal will be worth 500 Million dollars.

Not if Aresco adds 20 more years to the contract.

 

[Husky25]

those teams were regional rivals....much like the teams we left behind in the big east

Jim Calhoun stated on Centerstage with Michael Kay that he used Big East opponents heavily to recruit in the early days and leading up to UConn's accession to elite status. It was not ALL him and to suggest otherwise is disingenuous at best.

 

[superjohn]

Why are people playing along with freescooter's trolling act?

There's no possible way he's as dumb as all these posts would suggest.

 

[Guapo]

Some of us remember when UCONN WAS THE DRAW and it didn’t really matter who the opponent was. But until we start actually winning games again I guess people will come to see the opposition. But MSG Baby!

Poop head

 

[Waquoit]

That had zero to do with the league and everything to do with one Jim Calhoun. But then we used to sell out the old field house for URI and UNass in old Yankcon days too. But why let facts get in the way of a nice story

We sold out the Civic Center for Big East games for years when Perno was there, after it was rebuilt. There were only a few thousand for the UMass game the night of the roof collapse. The fact is UConn built it's program on and off the court because of the Big East.

 

[Husky25]

Why are people playing along with freescooter's trolling act?

There's no possible way he's as dumb as all these posts would suggest.

Because there is to much misinformation and revisionist history out there as it is. Wouldn't letting it go unchallenged be tantamount to validation?

 

[August_West]

And there is this courtesy of @huskymedic on the football board:

New AAC TV deal provides more money to ECU, but also challenges

ECU must begin producing its own broadcasts for its home sporting events outside of football in late 2020.

247sports.com

As in past years, all football games will be handled by the AAC/ESPN and broadcasted on one of the main ESPN networks - ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3 (or CBS Sports Network, which is part of a smaller agreement) - and both the men’s and women’s basketball teams are each guaranteed two home games on a major ESPN network as well where ECU won’t have to handle production costs.

But, for every basketball game that’s not picked up by ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU, East Carolina will be responsible for hiring the talent and producing the game on its own on ESPN3 or ESPN+, whichever channel the league and ESPN decides to place it on. With ECU’s basketball program currently struggling, the likelihood of many games inside Minges Coliseum being picked up in the near future seem slim. The new subscription channel ESPN+ currently costs $4.99 per month for fans to watch. ESPN3 is a streaming channel that’s part of most people’s cable package.

Outside of football, ECU must broadcast around 45 games on its own during the first year of the new television deal, per the terms of the agreement.

East Carolina athletics director Jon Gilbert said each broadcast will cost the athletic department around $6,500-$7,500 to hire announcers and a production crew. Multiplied by 45, that’s more than $300,000 annually spent on broadcasting games that wasn’t on the books previously.

Pirate baseball and women’s basketball games, among other events, are currently streamed online on ECUPirates.com with the radio announcers dubbed over top of the in-house production, but that will no longer be allowed on ESPN+ and ESPN3, per ESPN’s broadcast standards. ECU must hire outside, neutral talent and deliver a TV-like broadcast.

ECU is also having to construct a new broadcast control room that will cost around $1 million in time for the 2020-21 academic year.<<

this is a good discussion for the real boneyard

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eastcarolina.sportswar.com

 

[LIUCHusky]

We sold out the Civic Center for Big East games for years when Perno was there, after it was rebuilt. There were only a few thousand for the UMass game the night of the roof collapse. The fact is UConn built it's program on and off the court because of the Big East.

There were 5000+ in attendance the night of the roof collapse. There would have been significantly more if the weather hadn't been so bad. And yes, I was there.

 

[Husky25]

this is a good discussion for the real boneyard

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View the BYB message boards

eastcarolina.sportswar.com

Uhh. That board is painful to navigate. It's stuck in 2004.

 

[bendm]

Why are people playing along with freescooter's trolling act?

There's no possible way he's as dumb as all these posts would suggest.

as the wise Peter Griffin once said, "freescooter's gonna free scoot."

 

[Storrs South]

The Boneyard said this was going to cost $1M a year so both were really far off.

That's because it is.

A UConn source estimated that the 25-or-so basketball games relegated to ESPN+ each year would cost the school between $250,000 and half a million dollars. That’s before you even consider the 50 olympic sports streamed per year under the deal. A conservative estimate could put the price tag on annual production costs at between $500,000 and $1,000,000.

They are only required to do 45 events year 1 for ESPN3/+. I imagine the contract requires an increase and that's where the UConn AD figured it would cost that much. Add in the upfront costs on top of per event talent and production costs $1 million annually seems fair.

StorrsCentral - Financial breakdown of UConn's move to the Big East

 

[businesslawyer]

That only started when we got in the Big East.

Actually, that's not the case. I first came to Hartford for college in fall of 77. For I think two seasons there was no Big East and no Calhoun. The Civic Center still got big crowds when UConn played there.

 

[Waquoit]

The Civic Center still got big crowds when UConn played there.

Good crowds, not 16,294.

 

[Slasher]

That's because it is.

A UConn source estimated that the 25-or-so basketball games relegated to ESPN+ each year would cost the school between $250,000 and half a million dollars. That’s before you even consider the 50 olympic sports streamed per year under the deal. A conservative estimate could put the price tag on annual production costs at between $500,000 and $1,000,000.

They are only required to do 45 events year 1 for ESPN3/+. I imagine the contract requires an increase and that's where the UConn AD figured it would cost that much. Add in the upfront costs on top of per event talent and production costs $1 million annually seems fair.

StorrsCentral - Financial breakdown of UConn's move to the Big East

That sounds like a lot of speculation with no real facts. I'm very curious to see what it actually costs those AAC schools per year.

 

[businesslawyer]

That sounds like a lot of speculation with no real facts. I'm very curious to see what it actually costs those AAC schools per year.

I'm confused. You think the phrase "a UConn source" means a student in the bar? As opposed to someone the writer thought was in a position to make an at least somewhat educated estimate?

 

[CallMeBruce]

That sounds like a lot of speculation with no real facts. I'm very curious to see what it actually costs those AAC schools per year.

This should help:

Most Olympic sporting events cost $15,000 to $25,000 to produce in HD for linear TV, Murphy-Stephans said.

That was in 2005, so $20k/game over the course of the deal seems like a pretty conservative estimate. If they're producing 60+ events per year, that's $1.2+ million in production costs annually. Or they can just hand that money back to ESPN to have them do it. In either case, that TV deal is going to involve a significant haircut for every team that isn't willing to put out low-cost trash.

The complicated case of the Pac-12 Networks

www.sportsbusinessdaily.com

 

[Slasher]

This should help:



That was in 2005, so $20k/game over the course of the deal seems like a pretty conservative estimate. If they're producing 60+ events per year, that's $1.2+ million in production costs annually. Or they can just hand that money back to ESPN to have them do it. In either case, that TV deal is going to involve a significant haircut for every team that isn't willing to put out low-cost trash.

The complicated case of the Pac-12 Networks

www.sportsbusinessdaily.com

Why is ECU's number so much lower then?