Big East - NBC 6 Year Deal Almost Done

[UConnDan97]

I trust Aresco's resignation will come within 72 hours.

Thank goodness we got a TV guy!

Well, when he started, we still had Rutgers, Louisville, Boise State, Georgetown, San Diego State, etc., etc., etc. It's like trying to sell a car to a person and as you are talking, a different part falls off of it every minute. The haggling goes like this:

Seller: I'll sell it for $2,000!
Buyer: Um, the bumper just fell off.
Seller: That makes it lighter! I'll sell it for $1,900 though, just to put your mind at rest!
Buyer: Um, I think you just blew your water pump.
Seller: Yet again, it's lighter! Think of the gas mileage! How about $1,500?
Buyer: Is black smoke supposed to be coming out of the tailpipe?
Seller: You drive a hard bargain, my friend! $500, my final offer!!!

 

[noeynox]

I trust Aresco's resignation will come within 72 hours.

Thank goodness we got a TV guy!

I agree. He must be exhausted, trying to sign any deal he can so he can get the out of dodge.

 

[jrazz12]

That should absolutely be our motto right now

 

[zls44]

http://fangsbites.com/2013/02/report-big-east-close-to-a-deal-with-nbc-sports-network/

Not sure if the part about selling rights to conference games to other networks means RSN's (SNY, YES, etc) or ESPN.

I would be shocked if its ESPN though. Probably RSNs.

Next step will be trying to keep SNY on board or use YES. I doubt either will want to.

 

[TheRogers]

This is more how it went down....Aresco and Co. made a final push for $4MM per team.....

 

[zls44]

By the way, if anyone in "the know" could slap down when the contracts of the bigger conferences expire, that would help me put this 6-year contract into perspective (I know that the ACC doesn't re-up for quite some time).[/I]

ACC, SEC and Big 12 are through the early 2020s. I believe the Pac12 is through 2018. Big Ten is up next and will be a landmark deal.

 

[CL82]

As I understand it, ESPN has the right to match the offer - there's no bidding war out there.

Having nothing to go on, I'm guessing that ESPN passes on the deal and completes what they set out to do.

Disagree. They use us for their 'station car' you know the piece of crap that you leave in the station lot not carring if it gets beat on while you keep the Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG in the garage at home.

We'll be their to plug wholes and fill undesirable time slots, while their on air commentators crap all over us...and as absolutely crappy that is, it is still better than being on NBCsports.

 

[huskymedic]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/spor...in-on-television-deal-20130212,0,2171915.post

"For UCF, it’s an especially disappointing revelation. The program was hoping to take a major step in its growth, especially financially, from moving to the Big East. Now, they will be making only a small amount more than what they earned in Conference USA. According to most reports, the C-USA deal paid an average of $1.17 million to member schools."

 

[coachcap]

Read Mark Blaudschun's article in the other thread. In his version, there are look-in intervals to adjust the contract upwards FWIW. Yikes!

 

[zls44]

Read Mark Blaudschun's article in the other thread. In his version, there are look-in intervals to adjust the contract upwards FWIW. Yikes!

It'd be much better if they had an opt-out clause instead.

I know they can't get one, but it'd be nice.

 

[Adios]

Ridiculously low price. My guess is at least SMU, Tulane, ECU, Memphis and Temple dragged down the value, in the eyes of TV execs. This should put a fire under our administration's rear end.

 

[Fishy]

ACC, SEC and Big 12 are through the early 2020s. I believe the Pac12 is through 2018. Big Ten is up next and will be a landmark deal.

The PAC-12 deal runs through '23-24.
The Big-12 deal runs through '24-25.
The ACC's deal expires in '26-27. (Despite claims to the contrary, the deal pays out less than $17M a year per school.)

The intrigue -

The SEC's first tier deal with CBS and second tier deal with ESPN both expire in '23-24. However, those deals are due for renegotiating. The Tier I deal with CBS will likely improve, but the Tier 2 deal with ESPN will be shredded and rewritten for the new SEC Network that will launch in '14. Given their ratings, the SEC will likely jump to near Big Ten-ish revenue.

The Big Ten's Tier I deal with ESPN expires in '16-17. They have a hoop contract with CBS expires in '16 - that contract alone is nearly worth more than we're getting from NBC. The deal with Fox for their football championship game, ($145m), expires in '16 as well. Cash will replace field turf as the surface of choice at Big Ten fields.

Their Tier 2 rights are own by the Big Ten Network until 2032.

 

[Srqhusky]

Is there a clause all games will be televised on tues and wed?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Approving this deal would be the stupidest possible move that Herbst could make in what has been an avalanche of stupid moves.

 

[zls44]

Approving this deal would be the stupidest possible move that Herbst could make in what has been an avalanche of stupid moves.

17-3 vote (deal will technically include ND, UL and the C7), with the no votes being UConn, USF and Cincy.

Then...?

 

[VAHuskyFan]

It's time to recognize that the NBE isn't a temporary life raft for UConn athletics -- it's an anchor tied to our necks. As the biggest remaining athletic department, our "share" of the TV deal was always going to undervalue us. But what $2M per team says that we aren't even contributing to the overall pot because folks are discounting our membership in the NBE (on the perceived likelihood we leave). It's not so much a problem of dilution of the value UConn brings to the table by us having to share it with Tulane and UCF -- it's a problem of that value just evaporating.

Say NBC thinks UConn alone (as part of the NBE) is worth $8M a year for 6 years. But they think there's a 75% chance we're gone in two years. They're only willing to add $24M over 6 years to their bid for us (8+8+2+2+2+2), rather than the $48M we're worth to them because they don't want to pay and then get caught holding the bag. So $24M in our value just evaporates into the ether. It's an enormous deadweight loss. We don't get it, UCF doesn't get it -- it's just gone.

UConn needs to think outside the box about how to position ourselves to recapture some of this value. We can't do that in the NBE. One way to do that is to talk to the C7 about defecting with them. They don't want us because they think we'll leave as well -- but we could offer to pony up a sizable enough departure fee to make it worth their while. That keeps basketball relevant. We'd also make more per year under that contract and would be free to sell football as a stand-alone entity for whatever incremental money we can get. Yes, we'd have to go independent, but the NBE schedule would be such trash that we could come up with something just as good by offering attractive contracts to top BCS teams (e.g. 2 away, 1 Rentschler, 1 MetLife/Foxboro). We stand a better chance of capturing our TV value this way because whoever buys the rights would only pay for the time they have them -- if we go elsewhere, they're not stuck paying. And before anyone posts about how this is suicide and our best play is to "make the best of it" in the NBE, keep in mind that the NBE TV contract value we'd be throwing away values our football at precisely $0 (if not worse).

 

[nelsonmuntz]

17-3 vote (deal will technically include ND, UL and the C7), with the no votes being UConn, USF and Cincy.

Then...?

Walk.

 

[zls44]

Yes, we'd have to go independent, but the NBE schedule would be such trash that we could come up with something just as good by offering attractive contracts to top BCS teams (e.g. 2 away, 1 Rentschler, 1 MetLife/Foxboro).

There.
Aren't.
Enough.
Teams.
To.
Play.

 

[auggie22]

As I understand it, ESPN has the right to match the offer - there's no bidding war out there

Having nothing to go on, I'm guessing that ESPN passes on the deal and completes what they set out to do.

Wouldn't they get more by opting in for only 20 small, then burying us behind 2am motocross?

 

[UCFBfan]

I'm absolutely speechless right now. We are seeing the end of our programs as we know it. No way around it. Even if we dominate this dumpster fire we arent going anywhere. With the big boys looking to plsy more conference games there's no more opportunities for schools like us. I'm just in total disbelief.

Like everyone said....just when you thought it couldn't get worse....just wait a few days.

On a side note. ...anyone think some of the new schools back out besides Navy? They can stay in C-USA and hope for a MWC invite (thinking UH and SMU).

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Vuce]

\\
The ACC's deal expires in '26-27. (Despite claims to the contrary, the deal pays out less than $17M a year per school.)

Or to put it another way.....about 8 times what we will be getting.

 

[Srqhusky]

If the women's basketball team gets about half this amount per year themselves either sny grossly overpaid,not! Or I believe us and cincinatti are already gone to another conference. There is no way football n basketball are worth less than 10-15 mil a year in this economy. Also there is no 2014 schedule yet. My only hope is behind the scenes we are already in a new conference.

 

[upstater]

The AP isn't what it was. It's a shoestring org. And other than the quote about "two deepthroat sources inside the BE" it was a regurgitation of what we've already read. I don't doubt NBC's lowball offer nor the lack of value in the BE. What is still in question is whether Aresco is hot for this.

 

[upstater]

17-3 vote (deal will technically include ND, UL and the C7), with the no votes being UConn, USF and Cincy.

Then...?

They won't be voting on the deal. Voting rights are eliminated once you announce intention to leave.

But why would UConn vote against the only TV deal offered?

 

[VAHuskyFan]

There.
Aren't.
Enough.
Teams.
To.
Play.

There are plenty of teams to play. For this coming season -- which would be the toughest hurdle logistically -- there are still teams that need a game: Duke, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Marshall, and Missouri. There are also 4 Mountain West teams with remaining space to schedule a 13th game under the Hawaii Exemption. Army also plays at Hawaii and has room for a 13th game. And keep in mind too that schools break contracts all the time. If we can offer attractive terms to teams with relatively small buy-out games on their schedule, we can add even from the list of teams that are currently "locked up." We won't get there by offering home-and-homes, but 2-for-1s or 2-1-1s would gain us some purchase.

Finally, if we wind up needing a few extra games to complete the picture, call up 2 teams at a time with games scheduled against each other and ask if they'd be amenable to each replacing that game with the start of a UConn series. For a bunch of mid major teams, the answer would be yes.

"Not enough teams" is an excuse, not a reason.