Big 12 TV partners push back on expansion

[nd73]

The only question is, will the smaller B12 players push to extend the TV contract (and, by exension, the GOR addendum) beyond 2024?

TX and OK wouldn't want that, but would they be willing to add a couple of years for some additional $$ in the interim? On the other hand, announcing an expansion and having ESPN refuse to honor the proportional increase could possibly blow up the grant of rights altogether . . .

Texas Tech may go along with them if they are assured a spot with the Horn's.. If Texas says no it ain't happening.

 

[Hoophound]

The angle overlooked here is that ESPN wants to keep the American competitive. They pay nothing for what has turned out to be a pretty good league. By allowing expansion ESPN spends more for the B12 AND loses compelling programming from the American. They can only cut pay to American schools a little because they only make $2,000,000 each. This is a costly situation for ESPN. ESPN also wants to keep UConn available to the ACC in case we are needed. They are investing heavily in the ACC.

Again, the B12 needs to grab the most valuable programs and then talk to ESPN. ESPN is never going to support this plan in advance of expansion.

 

[ramses 2.0]

The only question is, will the smaller B12 players push to extend the TV contract (and, by exension, the GOR addendum) beyond 2024?

TX and OK wouldn't want that, but would they be willing to add a couple of years for some additional $$ in the interim? On the other hand, announcing an expansion and having ESPN refuse to honor the proportional increase could possibly blow up the grant of rights altogether . . .

Money is only a issue for all members of the B12 except UT&OU. So the question is do either feel the B12 is a viable alternative long term. OU seems firm in it's belief that some sort of conference network is essential to long term health of the conference but UT has a long deal left with ESPN & has been reluctant to any type of change in LHN stucture

 

[don356]

This is the same network that's paying Purdue, Rutgers, Northwestern, Iu, et. al 50mm a year for their fball rights. Good luck with the pushback. I hope the b12 and or prospective members end up owning espn.

 

[The Funster]

I want to make sure I understand this: So the Big 12 negotiates a contract with Fox and ESPN. They then lose two schools and both media partners tell them that even though they only have 10 members, they'll continue to pay them for 12. Am I to understand that when the Big 12 expands to 12 that Fox & ESPN will then pay the per school price the two teams and then do the same to expand to 14? Why would they do that? Perhaps the pushback from Fox and ESPN is that the Big12 has to float the first two to 12 and THEN get a per school price increase from 12 to 14.

It seems to me that for the longest time everyone said why would the Big 12 expand by two when they would have to reduce the per school payout to do so? The narrative now seems to say that expanding by two or four yields a a perschool payout unless I'm missing something.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

The angle overlooked here is that ESPN wants to keep the American competitive. They pay nothing for what has turned out to be a pretty good league. By allowing expansion ESPN spends more for the B12 AND loses compelling programming from the American. They can only cut pay to American schools a little because they only make $2,000,000 each. This is a costly situation for ESPN. ESPN also wants to keep UConn available to the ACC in case we are needed. They are investing heavily in the ACC.

Again, the B12 needs to grab the most valuable programs and then talk to ESPN. ESPN is never going to support this plan in advance of expansion.

Exactly. They need to nut up. Take UConn, BYU, and whoever else. Probably Cincy and one more. Get the money per the contract but be open to negotiate on GOR Extension in exchange for more money and/or B12 Network.

 

[lne001]

I love how the "P5" was created in a blink of an eye because of nothing more than greed and now if you're not in one of those magical conferences you literally do not matter anymore. College sports can go screw. Name one thing worse than the landscape of college athletics, you can't.

The American political election process.

 

[don356]

The reason for a pro rata contract is that by having more games(or less), the networks have added(or less) content from which to draw ad revenues. Thus, if the conference lost teams(as they did), the content and ad revenue would shrink. However, when you negotiated a contract at one level, it's pretty reasonable to expect that to be the norm. My guess is this is a negotiating ploy to keep the conference at 12 teams versus going to 14. They probably do not want to pay that incremental level of revenues given they're g5 teams.

 

[ASweet3781]

Dennis Dodd ‏@dennisdoddcbs 19m19 minutes ago
Filed to CBS Sports: Battle lines being drawn in @Big12Conference expansion. Quality teams vs. quality ratings.

 

[amory]

Big 12 should just call ESPN's bluff. They're full of $h|t anyway. If the conference performs well they'll be there on day 1 to bid on the rights when the current deal expires.

I say this whether or not UConn is a selection. F ESPN.

 

[Dooley]

Time to close the $26M/yr tax credit that we fund to ESPN. I don't want 1 penny of my tax dollars to go to Bristol as long as they continue to shut out UConn. If they threaten to move, see ya. Enjoy laying off half your workforce and incurring the costs in having to move operations.

 

[upstater]

This could also be a negotiating ploy on ESPN's part. The deal may need some redoing.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

This could also be a negotiating ploy on ESPN's part. The deal may need some redoing.

It is all a negotiation. Maybe ESPN will let the Big 12 add 4, but not at full quote.

 

[don356]

It is all a negotiation. Maybe ESPN will let the Big 12 add 4, but not at full quote.

I suspect they want them to stay at 12. I've heard this prior to today.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I suspect they want them to stay at 12. I've heard this prior to today.

Why is 12 a magic number? ESPN would like more content, but doesn't want to pay for it. Somewhere in that algorithm is a market clearing price and structure for the Big 12.

 

[Dooley]

Time to close the $26M/yr tax credit that we fund to ESPN. I don't want 1 penny of my tax dollars to go to Bristol as long as they continue to shut out UConn. If they threaten to move, see ya. Enjoy laying off half your workforce and incurring the costs in having to move operations.

 

[B1GOSU]

Big 12 is screwed no matter what. Best case scenario, the current 10 make decent money until 2025 and then when the contract is up, no one will pony up that kind of money with 4 members that in the early 2000's were essentially Conference USA teams.

 

[upstater]

Big 12 is screwed no matter what. Best case scenario, the current 10 make decent money until 2025 and then when the contract is up, no one will pony up that kind of money with 4 members that in the early 2000's were essentially Conference USA teams.

The P5 are comprised already of similar teams.

Iowa, Purdue, Indiana, Rutgers, BC, Syracuse, Pitt, Wake Forest, Duke, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Mississippi St, TCU, Baylor, Oklahoma St, Iowa St, Kansas, Kansas St, West Virginia, Washington St, Oregon State, etc.

The profile of these schools is not different than UConn's. Cincy and BYU could probably make the same argument.

 

[amory]

Big 12 is screwed no matter what. Best case scenario, the current 10 make decent money until 2025 and then when the contract is up, no one will pony up that kind of money with 4 members that in the early 2000's were essentially Conference USA teams.

Unless those additions explode in performance on the field and fan interest after the influx of cash and viable opponents, which could very well happen.

ESPN/Fox saying they won't bid on Big 12 content in 2024 is absurd. They have no idea what the added schools, or the conference in general, will look like in 8 years.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Big 12 is screwed no matter what. Best case scenario, the current 10 make decent money until 2025 and then when the contract is up, no one will pony up that kind of money with 4 members that in the early 2000's were essentially Conference USA teams.

depends... nobody has an issue with TCU do they?

 

[don356]

Why is 12 a magic number? ESPN would like more content, but doesn't want to pay for it. Somewhere in that algorithm is a market clearing price and structure for the Big 12.

I suspect it's the middle ground whereby they can get the b12 to bite and not have to pony up the added $'s for two aac teams at big 12 rates not to mention keeping the aac together which is a bargain for them.

 

[amory]

Activating the pro rata clause, which SBJ termed a "cash grab," rubs "ESPN and Fox the wrong way because any new schools would not carry the profile of most Power Five schools ..."

This quote makes me so mad.

A) UConn absolutely carries the profile of "most" Power Five schools. UConn carries a better profile than "most" P5 schools, because "most" P5 schools aren't actually very popular or good at any particular sport, they were just lucky enough to be in the right conference when all this crap went down

B) The "cash grab" was ESPN and other TV providers conspiring to destroy the regional nature of college athletic conferences in the first place.

C) You can't strand an athletic department on a desert island for a decade and then blame them for not being in prime shape. These schools didn't lose the desire to compete, they didn't close their facilities, the alumni and fan bases didn't up and decide "oh you know, I've just decided not to care about these teams anymore". These programs are sleeping giants. Let them into a viable conference and let them wake the hell up and start earning you money, you idiots.

 

[31GuardTrap]

Dennis Dodd ‏@dennisdoddcbs 19m19 minutes ago
Filed to CBS Sports: Battle lines being drawn in @Big12Conference expansion. Quality teams vs. quality ratings.

Screw him !!!

 

[nelsonmuntz]

If Aresco was smart, he would try to renegotiate the AAC contract right now.

 

[sub legacy]

time to head to Bristol with our pitchforks and torches.

ESPN are about as reliable and useful to UConn's best interests as a frenemy c•€kblocker.