CUSA TV deal could get interesting (Charleston Gazette)

[huskymedic]

Background threads:
Conference USA will see vastly reduced TV revenue next season
Twitter Starting 24 Hour Sports Network


New: Doug Smock: C-USA TV deal could get interesting

C-USA’s TV landscape is becoming more convoluted — so much so, you’ll be able to find games this fall on Twitter! What the heck. Isn’t that where a presidency was born?

Let’s go back to the future of the soon-to-be-former American Sports Network, which carried six Thundering Herd games last year.

ASN remains on cable (Suddenlink 125) and over-the-air digital (channel 11.2), and will do so under a new Stadium name. Sinclair Broadcast Group still owns the venture, but has brought in a new managing partner in Silver Chalice, which operates internet-based Campus Insiders and 120 Sports.

I am already getting bored by this, so I’ll skip to what it means for you: You should be able to see C-USA games on TV, including about the same number on the former ASN. More content is coming to your streaming devices, laptop, phone, etc. (Alas, the 120 Sports app may not work on your phone. I read multiple reviews saying it won’t run on Android 7.0, which I personally confirmed.) And you’ll be able to access the Stadium’s digital component through Twitter, free of charge.

C-USA is undergoing a new round of negotiations for 2018, trying to recover from the collapse of rights fees in 2016. I’m hearing Sinclair wants out, which puts the whole ASN/Stadium thing in doubt, and beIN Sports wants out.

The league could land a game or two more from the ESPN empire, and all the ESPN3 games it can stand (with most of it university-produced, by the way). Expect CBS Sports to stick around; will another partner pop up?

Exposure should pick up in C-USA’s next contract, but will the money perk up? Don’t hold your breath.<<

 

[upstater]

They are going to starve the G5 of air.

The asphyxiation is happening now as we speak.

 

[Vowelguy]

They are going to starve the G5 of air.

who is 'they' ?

 

[upstater]

who is 'they' ?

The P5 and the networks who own them.

Everything would be so much neater and more lucrative for them if the G5 died. As it is now, the G5 are bought off by getting a share of the pie, which is why they don't make a major stink over what is going on. But if they have slow attrition because of the networks, they can die off without much blame being pointed at the P5.

There are two really big bundles of money at stake here. #1. The $1 billion a year CBS pays to the NCAA for the bball tournament. #2. The bowl playoff payout to the G5.

 

[Vowelguy]

the networks who own them.

The networks have a problem with skyrocketing rights fees (see ESPN's problems). Why would they want to further constrain supply ?

 

[upstater]

The networks have a problem with skyrocketing rights fees (see ESPN's problems). Why would they want to further constrain supply ?

That's what the article I linked to is all about. They are paying up despite lower revenues because they have to be the singular destination for live sports. The last thing they need is FS1 making arguments to the cable guys that ESPN is overvalued.

 

[bobbyinaz]

The P5 and the networks who own them.

Everything would be so much neater and more lucrative for them if the G5 died. As it is now, the G5 are bought off by getting a share of the pie, which is why they don't make a major stink over what is going on. But if they have slow attrition because of the networks, they can die off without much blame being pointed at the P5.

There are two really big bundles of money at stake here. #1. The $1 billion a year CBS pays to the NCAA for the bball tournament. #2. The bowl playoff payout to the G5.

In reality, the only chunk of money left is the hoops money. While it's ludicrous for me to write it, the $100MM the G5 schools get to split is chump change to the P5. It's essentially nothing more than hush money being used by the P5 to keep the G5 schools down. I think I remember reading somewhere that the G5 conferences other than the AAC all get more money now than they did under the BCS format so it's easy to keep the masses under control.

As has been said by many here, it is imperative that UConn have a P5 home before the hoops money becomes a target. Once that happens it will truly be game over

 

[Rufus]

There really isn't any team in CUSA of any value for a bigger payout. Today's CUSA is a mix of former Sun Belt Conference members and schools that just recently made the jump to D1 sports. I bet Marshall wishes it was back in the MAC where it could be earning a lot more money than it is earning today in CUSA.

The Group of 5 by revenue:

1. American
2. Mountain West
3. Mid American
4. Conference USA
5. Sun Belt

 

[CTBballfan243]

IMO, the end game is a P4. We will have 4 major conferences for the football playoff. Eventually (10 years +/-) the P4 will totally breakaway from the NCAA and hold their own "major college" sporting tournaments. The P4 will become a sort of semi-pro league for basketball and football and the student athletes will get paid.

The schools left behind will continue to function under the NCAA umbrella and continue to hold NCAA tournaments in all the current sports like they currently do. I suspect that some schools currently in the P5 will be jettisoned and others will elect to leave the P5 on their own and remain in the NCAA. Either way, the P5 will be pared down over the next 10 years or so to become the P4.

 

[junglehusky]

As has been said by many here, it is imperative that UConn have a P5 home before the hoops money becomes a target. Once that happens it will truly be game over

 

[huskymedic]

TV will be on the agenda as Conference USA meetings convene in Florida

 

[Fishy]

They are going to starve the G5 of air.

The asphyxiation is happening now as we speak.

Absolutely true.

I've thought this was the intent from the start. They do not want to pay 120 teams in football and soon enough, they will not want to pay 320 in basketball. There's room for four or five conferences and then perhaps 20 programs making minimum wage to play the Washington Generals' role.

 

[huskyrob1]

Absolutely true.

I've thought this was the intent from the start. They do not want to pay 120 teams in football and soon enough, they will not want to pay 320 in basketball. There's room for four or five conferences and then perhaps 20 programs making minimum wage to play the Washington Generals' role.

I think there's room for a 5th, disagree with the P4 theory.

 

[atom58]

For the G5 schools, there could be more $$ coming within a few years and not just from a re-launch of American Sports Network (ASN). At one time Raycom Sports had broadcast rights to the SEC and ACC. The SEC left in 2009 and now has an extremely profitable ESPN channel and in two years the ACC follows due to their own channel. Raycom currently broadcasts ACC FB and BB games to 84% of the country through local TV stations - cable not required but to be sure plenty of those OTA stations appear on cable TV too. Raycom did this nationwide expansion in 2014. They could begin to broadcast G5 FB and BB games to fill the void in 2019. Some fees and a cut of advertising would result. We will see what happens in the next two years.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Absolutely true.

I've thought this was the intent from the start. They do not want to pay 120 teams in football and soon enough, they will not want to pay 320 in basketball. There's room for four or five conferences and then perhaps 20 programs making minimum wage to play the Washington Generals' role.

Does this give ESPN more or less leverage compared to the P5?

 

[Ldandy]

I do think that The P5 end game is 4-5 super conferences with either an all sports break away from The NCAA, or a new strictly defined classification within The NCAA that allows these schools to operate differently and control more of the money. I could see these schools upping scholarship levels in football, paying players or allowing players to accept outside endorsements, and staging P5 Football and basketball tournaments. I have no idea if this is the right move, but like most things in life those who have the money typically make the rules.

 

[Vowelguy]

Absolutely true.

I've thought this was the intent from the start. They do not want to pay 120 teams in football and soon enough, they will not want to pay 320 in basketball. There's room for four or five conferences and then perhaps 20 programs making minimum wage to play the Washington Generals' role.

Why would any buyer want Fewer suppliers?

Do you think Coca-cola would prefer a sugar market with 1 producer or 10 ?

 

[billybud]

Why do some retailers shut down locations that are not as profitable as others?

 

[Vowelguy]

Why do some retailers shut down locations that are not as profitable as others?

Those locations are not suppliers to the retailer, they are part of the retailer.
The conferences are *suppliers* to ESPN and Fox. I can absolutely understand why the suppliers want there to be fewer competitors.
But it eludes me why the buyers - ESPN, Fox, CBS - would benefit from less supply.

 

[UConnJim]

They are going to starve the G5 of air.

The asphyxiation is happening now as we speak.

Maybe, but I think conferences compete against conferences and schools compete against schools for cash. They look for ways to maximize their own revenues. And, the current P5 totally ignores what is going on academically in the US. Sun belt schools are growing like weeds. Schools like UCF, USF, FIU, FAU, Florida Gulf Coast in Florida. In Texas, you have large schools like UTSA, Texas St., North Texas, UT Arlington, and Houston. In California, you have schools like UC Davis, Long Beach, SD St. Sure, they might not be name brand athletic powers right now, but how could you exclude all of these schools from competing in the future?

The P5 needs the NCAA to sponsor all of the championships which are funded by the men's NCAA basketball tournament. If the P5 broke away from the NCAA, funding for Div. 1, 2, and 3 collegiate championships as well as other NCAA funding at most Div 1, all Div. 2, and all Div. 3 schools would be gone. The impact is not just on the G5 schools. That is a large number of schools to crap on and I think it would not fly politically. Plus, do you think politicians would allow a break from the NCAA to happen? In virtually every state, there are vastly more students in non-P5 colleges than in P5 colleges, so I don't think it would happen. And, over the years, they have steadily expanded the number of participants and the number of eligible schools in the NCAA basketball tournament which has lead to a financial bonanza. Why would anybody mess with one of the greatest and most profitable sporting events in the US? Nothing could happen until 2024 at the earliest due to the sold media rights.

What you are seeing is college football is driving the bus and ratings are driving the cash for conferences. It's called economics. Typically, name brand teams get the highest ratings and most of the name brand teams happen to be in the P5. There are some name brand schools outside of the P5 like UConn, BYU, Army, Navy... but not that many. The way for a conference to get more money is to have games that people want to watch. For the AAC, it's improving basketball and football and scheduling some attractive out of conference opponents in which the AAC holds the TV rights.

Finally, let's look at UConn athletics. Sure, being in the P5 would help, but UConn has not helped themselves recently. Given we are spending more than any G5 school, why has the football team not performed? Why has the men's basketball team been so up and down? Why hasn't UConn raised more outside money to fund athletics? Let's compete annually and then we can complain we are not in the P5.

 

[atom58]

Maybe, but I think conferences compete against conferences and schools compete against schools for cash. They look for ways to maximize their own revenues. And, the current P5 totally ignores what is going on academically in the US. Sun belt schools are growing like weeds. Schools like UCF, USF, FIU, FAU, Florida Gulf Coast in Florida. In Texas, you have large schools like UTSA, Texas St., North Texas, UT Arlington, and Houston. In California, you have schools like UC Davis, Long Beach, SD St. Sure, they might not be name brand athletic powers right now, but how could you exclude all of these schools from competing in the future?

The P5 needs the NCAA to sponsor all of the championships which are funded by the men's NCAA basketball tournament. If the P5 broke away from the NCAA, funding for Div. 1, 2, and 3 collegiate championships as well as other NCAA funding at most Div 1, all Div. 2, and all Div. 3 schools would be gone. The impact is not just on the G5 schools. That is a large number of schools to crap on and I think it would not fly politically. Plus, do you think politicians would allow a break from the NCAA to happen? In virtually every state, there are vastly more students in non-P5 colleges than in P5 colleges, so I don't think it would happen. And, over the years, they have steadily expanded the number of participants and the number of eligible schools in the NCAA basketball tournament which has lead to a financial bonanza. Why would anybody mess with one of the greatest and most profitable sporting events in the US? Nothing could happen until 2024 at the earliest due to the sold media rights.

What you are seeing is college football is driving the bus and ratings are driving the cash for conferences. It's called economics. Typically, name brand teams get the highest ratings and most of the name brand teams happen to be in the P5. There are some name brand schools outside of the P5 like UConn, BYU, Army, Navy... but not that many. The way for a conference to get more money is to have games that people want to watch. For the AAC, it's improving basketball and football and scheduling some attractive out of conference opponents in which the AAC holds the TV rights.

Finally, let's look at UConn athletics. Sure, being in the P5 would help, but UConn has not helped themselves recently. Given we are spending more than any G5 school, why has the football team not performed? Why has the men's basketball team been so up and down? Why hasn't UConn raised more outside money to fund athletics? Let's compete annually and then we can complain we are not in the P5.

These are outstanding comments IMO. In Florida alone, USF already has more students than FSU and UCF has more students than UF. UCF will soon have more students than Ohio State and graduates 15,000 per year - they (and other G5 schools) will have grads all over their states and in the state legislatures as well and in Congress in DC. The NCAA may not be properly run but it is a necessary evil going all the way back to Teddy Roosevelt who threatened to shut down college FB unless the flying V and the multiple player deaths came to a halt. If there is any attempt to damage the NCAA by the "big-name" schools, you will have a political uproar - and controlling legislation, not just some lawsuits although they would occur too.

 

[upstater]

These are outstanding comments IMO. In Florida alone, USF already has more students than FSU and UCF has more students than UF. UCF will soon have more students than Ohio State and graduates 15,000 per year - they (and other G5 schools) will have grads all over their states and in the state legislatures as well and in Congress in DC. The NCAA may not be properly run but it is a necessary evil going all the way back to Teddy Roosevelt who threatened to shut down college FB unless the flying V and the multiple player deaths came to a halt. If there is any attempt to damage the NCAA by the "big-name" schools, you will have a political uproar - and controlling legislation, not just some lawsuits although they would occur too.

The people in those state legislatures are hell-bent on slashing as much funding as they possibly can. They have zero interest in big new expenditures.

 

[atom58]

The people in those state legislatures are hell-bent on slashing as much funding as they possibly can. They have zero interest in big new expenditures.

Yes and people are voters too. If politicians slash funds only to G5 schools in a state, they will not be re-elected.

 

[upstater]

Yes and people are voters too. If politicians slash funds only to G5 schools in a state, they will not be re-elected.

But, it's already happening, and no one seems to care.

 

[UConnJim]

But, it's already happening, and no one seems to care.

That's not true. People do care. Imagine how much people would care if the P5 blew up the NCAA basketball tournaments? Or, the NCAA stopped funding Division 1, 2, and 3 championships?

Right now, most of the P5 deserves the money they make as they provide valuable media content. Sure, some schools are getting a free ride, but that will correct itself as the sports media model changes. And, some schools are just outside the P5, such as UConn and BYU. For those on the outside, they must continue to invest and grow.

Any school that invests in athletics, builds its brand, wins, and builds its fan base will be fine in the future as they will be an attractive sports media property.