Aresco talks more about the new American deal with ESPN

[CL82]

As for the logistics, the conference will hire a company to produce the football games and Olympic sports championships featured on ESPN+. Men’s and women’s basketball games, as well as regular-season Olympic sporting events, will be left up to the individual schools to produce at their cost.

“The cost is nowhere near what’s being reported,” Aresco said of claims that annual revenue payouts will be less to each school to cover the production costs. “That’s ridiculous. It’s a fraction of that.”

The schools will have to build out infrastructure to accommodate the move, but Aresco said that each member institution is prepared to do it. He said part of the revenue from the new agreement allows them to upgrade facilities like control rooms and mobile TV units.

Interesting that the conference is maintaining quality control for football but not basketball. I wonder if that is being driven more by product value or just the relative numbers of games. In any event, this hidden cost reduces the net revenue from our deal even more.

@whaler11 is the first guy I saw speculating this , so props to him. I had hope that ESPN would continue to let SNY have games so that they could save the production costs. Now I see that they've passed those cost onto the schools. That makes an SNY deal less likely.

The article is a good read

AAC leader Mike Aresco touts new media rights deal, addresses ESPN+ criticism

 

[storrsroars]

As for the logistics, the conference will hire a company to produce the football games and Olympic sports championships featured on ESPN+. Men’s and women’s basketball games, as well as regular-season Olympic sporting events, will be left up to the individual schools to produce at their cost.

“The cost is nowhere near what’s being reported,” Aresco said of claims that annual revenue payouts will be less to each school to cover the production costs. “That’s ridiculous. It’s a fraction of that.”

The schools will have to build out infrastructure to accommodate the move, but Aresco said that each member institution is prepared to do it. He said part of the revenue from the new agreement allows them to upgrade facilities like control rooms and mobile TV units.

Interesting that the conference is maintaining quality control for football but not basketball. I wonder if that is being driven more by product value or just the relative numbers of games. In any event, this hidden cost reduces the net revenue from our deal even more.

@whaler11 is the first guy I saw speculating this , so props to him. I had hope that ESPN would continue to let SNY have games so that they could save the production costs. Now I see that they've passed those cost onto the schools. That makes an SNY deal less likely.

The article is a good read

AAC leader Mike Aresco touts new media rights deal, addresses ESPN+ criticism

"ESPN hasn't decided whether or not to allow SNY to continue..."

The way that topic was approached doesn't lead me to believe Aresco is actively lobbying for that.

 

[CL82]

"ESPN hasn't decided whether or not to allow SNY to continue..."

The way that topic was approached doesn't lead me to believe Aresco is actively lobbying for that.

Why would he? It doesn't make the conference a buck.

 

[storrsroars]

Why would he? It doesn't make the conference a buck.

Perhaps to keep what is ostensibly your most valuable customer happy?

 

[CL82]

Perhaps to keep what is ostensibly your most valuable customer happy?

Hmm customer or captive? We have no where else to go and if we did, we'd leave.

 

[BlueDogs]

Crappy deal day 1. But, Aresco has ihis 10 Million a year guaranteed for 10 years. So, he’ll be just fine.

 

[Pudge]

Natural reaction: why is UConn's lot always sucking exhaust fumes. OK ... whaler11 ... I am bending towards your thought.

 

[Nostical]

OK Whaler11, I am bending towards your thought.

Are you sure it's just his thought?

 

[whaler11]

Passing the production costs onto the schools isn’t a new trick. The ACC schools spent millions building out their capabilities for the ACC net - a few of them had pretty big overruns on cost. Virginia Tech sticks out in my mind.

The PAC12 net was supposed to have some huge amount of non-revenue sports broadcast by the schools. Schools started to feel that cost pinch pretty quickly and have scaled back.

Herbst did a terrible job on sports. She was the head of the conference’s President’s group when they added Tulane and Tulsa. She allowed the conference to be more Southern & Western and diluted UConn’s power. For nothing - they are two dead athletic departments who now drain value from UConn’s brand.

The most valuable property in the AAC is UConn women’s basketball. If you were ESPN and wanted to grow Plus it’s the only AAC property that generates national interest.

Think back to the early 90’s when they launched ESPN2. They put big events on the deuce to get people to call their cable provider. That one Duke/Carolina game launched that network.

ESPN is going to put quality programming on Plus so you sign up and forget they bill you $5 a month.

The interesting question is what is the long term value of the women’s program. As much as I love Geno, the transition plan needs to be in place ASAP - he seems a bit disinterested and the years seem to be catching up with him.

If the women’s program contracts.. the impact to XL and the hockey program from there... lot of moving pieces.

 

[CL82]

The most valuable property in the AAC is UConn women’s basketball. If you were ESPN and wanted to grow Plus it’s the only AAC property that generates national interest.

Really? More valuable than football? More valuable than MBB?

 

[UConnNick]

Passing the production costs onto the schools isn’t a new trick. The ACC schools spent millions building out their capabilities for the ACC net - a few of them had pretty big overruns on cost. Virginia Tech sticks out in my mind.

The PAC12 net was supposed to have some huge amount of non-revenue sports broadcast by the schools. Schools started to feel that cost pinch pretty quickly and have scaled back.

Herbst did a terrible job on sports. She was the head of the conference’s President’s group when they added Tulane and Tulsa. She allowed the conference to be more Southern & Western and diluted UConn’s power. For nothing - they are two dead athletic departments who now drain value from UConn’s brand.

The most valuable property in the AAC is UConn women’s basketball. If you were ESPN and wanted to grow Plus it’s the only AAC property that generates national interest.

Think back to the early 90’s when they launched ESPN2. They put big events on the deuce to get people to call their cable provider. That one Duke/Carolina game launched that network.

ESPN is going to put quality programming on Plus so you sign up and forget they bill you $5 a month.

The interesting question is what is the long term value of the women’s program. As much as I love Geno, the transition plan needs to be in place ASAP - he seems a bit disinterested and the years seem to be catching up with him.

If the women’s program contracts.. the impact to XL and the hockey program from there... lot of moving pieces.

They won't be getting $5 a month from me.

Fire Aresco.

 

[whaler11]

Really? More valuable than football? More valuable than MBB?

The single most valuable program in the AAC (today) is the UConn women’s basketball program. It’s unique. There are a dozen men’s programs.

The second most valuable program is UConn men’s basketball.

That’s the leadership problem in a nutshell.

Houston football, UCF football, ECU football are probably 3-5.

 

[CL82]

The single most valuable program in the AAC (today) is the UConn women’s basketball program. It’s unique. There are a dozen men’s programs.

The second most valuable program is UConn men’s basketball.

That’s the leadership problem in a nutshell.

Houston football, UCF football, ECU football are probably 3-5.

As a fan, I love this take but it has long been grilled into me that football >>>>>>>> men’s basketball >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> woman’s basketball.

The notion that a single woman’s basketball program has more value than the best of the conference in any other sport doesn’t make sense to me. I know big time UConn WBB games have drawn well nationally. Do you have any other data that supports your position?

 

[Exit 4]

The single most valuable program in the AAC (today) is the UConn women’s basketball program. It’s unique. There are a dozen men’s programs.

The second most valuable program is UConn men’s basketball.

That’s the leadership problem in a nutshell.

Houston football, UCF football, ECU football are probably 3-5.

Good list- but ECU football? Are you trying to be spicy with that one? I know they have good home attendance, but....

 

[whaler11]

Good list- but ECU football? Are you trying to be spicy with that one? I know they have good home attendance, but....

Temple basketball? Houston basketball?

I get your point but there aren’t many options.

 

[whaler11]

Good list- but ECU football? Are you trying to be spicy with that one? I know they have good home attendance, but....

Navy football would be one if they were a real member of the league and not another leech that UConn allows.

Imagine signing up to give Navy your money and letting them cut block your players into horrible injuries.

That is an incredible blunder.

 

[noeynox]

Navy football would be one if they were a real member of the league and not another leech that UConn allows.

Imagine signing up to give Navy your money and letting them cut block your players into horrible injuries.

That is an incredible blunder.

And their best asset, the Navy Army game isn't part of the what the league can sell.

 

[UConnNick]

As a fan, I love this take but it has long been grilled into me that football >>>>>>>> men’s basketball >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> woman’s basketball.

The notion that a single woman’s basketball program has more value than the best of the conference in any other sport doesn’t make sense to me. I know big time UConn WBB games have drawn well nationally. Do you have any other data that supports your position?

Giving our administration the benefit of the doubt as to their surprise regarding the deal, it appears Aresco felt no need to put his arm around anybody at UCONN while he flushed our SNY deal down the toilet, for two likely reasons:

1) we aren't leaving the conference anytime soon; and

2) football is all that matters.

If anything, getting rid of SNY forces the UCONN WBB fanbase to buy ESPN+ if they want to see the 40 point blowouts vs the dregs of the AAC, of which there are many. The rest of the conference was getting nothing from our deal with SNY, so it was an easy decision for Aresco to axe SNY for the benefit of all the other schools.

 

[whaler11]

And their best asset, the Navy Army game isn't part of the what the league can sell.

The Navy deal is an joke for AAC but they got a something in last deal. Like one Army game and one Notre Dame home game.

 

[BlueDogs]

The AAC is the Aresco self employment experiment. I give him credit because he managed to hook a stranded UConn at its peak and built a conference around it. As the conference gained decent footing, he watched UConn slowly bleed out as other schools leveraged themselves up and thrived. UConn is the constant in all these situations. We’ve never negotiate anything well...giving ESPN 100 million to stay without demanding return revenue from a media deal was sheer stupidity of the highest order, being asleep at the wheel with ACC expansion, being last of our Big East, etc...all malfeasance.

 

[huskymedic]

AAC commissioner Mike Aresco addresses perceived ‘misconceptions’ about new ESPN TV deal, discusses UConn-SNY deal

From the moment the American Athletic Conference announced its new TV deal with ESPN in late March, the agreement drew skepticism — from fans and media in many AAC markets but particularly fr…

www.courant.com

 

[B1GEast]

Does uconn still keep tier 3 rights or is that gone?

 

[UConnNick]

Does uconn still keep tier 3 rights or is that gone?

The Tier 3 rights regarding the SNY deal are gone, no matter what happens between them and ESPN. Even if ESPN makes a deal to keep SNY broadcasting games on the air, SNY will be paying ESPN the money they're paying UCONN now, so we get screwed.

 

[Chin Diesel]

The takeaway from all this is UConn doesn't have the stroke to drive conference-wide decisions. No one on this board should think UConn has some unofficial power that can pull other schools in UConn's favor. It's a vote of one.