ESPN gets ACC sports coverage

[vtcwbuff]

Joe Zone is reporting that ESPN just inked a 3.5 billion deal with the ACC to cover all ACC sports. Kinda' makes the 4.5 mil deal with SNY look a little puny. Anyone know if ESPN was in on the idding for the UConn women's bball?

I wonder what sort of impact there would be if UConn opts to defect to the ACC?

 

[UcMiami]

I don't think ESPN ever bid on the WCBB - they would have had a hard time meeting the 'live' requirements with all their other programming, and I don't think they would be interested in broadcasting Uconn v. Seton Hall in primetime.

 

[grizz36]

I don't think ESPN ever bid on the WCBB - they would have had a hard time meeting the 'live' requirements with all their other programming, and I don't think they would be interested in broadcasting Uconn v. Seton Hall in primetime.

Do you think SNY is really thrilled at the idea? That is what bothers me about the new contract. SNY may act like a hot lover now, but a year or two down the road, fergettaboutit.

 

[CL82]

Then why would they have bought it? They must have thought it brought value. Whether that was further pentration into the Connecticut markets, or whether it was inexpensive programing to fill airtime or whatever I don't know but obviously they thought it was worth a million +.

 

[alexrgct]

The question is how much of that money gets allocated to any school's WBB program. $4.5 million clearly and indisputably earned by the the WBB program is a solid number.

 

[FairView]

I don't think ESPN ever bid on the WCBB - they would have had a hard time meeting the 'live' requirements with all their other programming, and I don't think they would be interested in broadcasting Uconn v. Seton Hall in primetime.

SNY doesn't care who is playing -- it's who is watching that matters. While physical attendance may be down against an unexciting opponent, home viewership may not suffer as much or at all. In fact, if less people are going, are more home watching? SNY knew the viewership numbers in Connecticut when they made their bid. Companies don't bid for business they think will lose money. UConn women's basketball drew pretty impressive numbers on CPTV. Perhaps more than SNY draws for other programming within its entire regional market. If that's the case, everything they add is gravy. BTW, I miss Phyllis Mangina!

 

[Scotter]

Does anyone actually know if the UConn women's ratings are worse than say an average St. John's men's game? UConn's TV audience hasn't necessarily grown, but it has still been quite formidable on CPTV. And for cable channel like SNY the UConn women's team certainly has more of a national fan base than the St. John's men's team.

Do you think SNY is really thrilled at the idea? That is what bothers me about the new contract. SNY may act like a hot lover now, but a year or two down the road, fergettaboutit.

 

[alexrgct]

To clarify, each ACC school only gets $17 million/year through 2027 with this new deal AND it includes ESPN having each school's tier 3 rights. UConn WBB basically sold its tier 3 rights to SNY, something an ACC school couldn't do.

The ACC has done little with this deal to stave off a raid from the Big XII. Look out because the XII is coming hard after Florida state an Clemson, and those schools could make $10-15 million a year more easily in that conference than what they're getting from tv in the ACC.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

To clarify, each ACC school only gets $17 million/year through 2027 with this new deal AND it includes ESPN having each school's tier 3 rights. UConn WBB basically sold its tier 3 rights to SNY, something an ACC school couldn't do.

The ACC has done little with this deal to stave off a raid from the Big XII. Look out because the XII is coming hard after Florida state an Clemson, and those schools could make $10-15 million a year more easily in that conference than what they're getting from tv in the ACC.

Not with the Longhorn network and when Texas will not engage in revenue sharing...

 

[alexrgct]

Not with the Longhorn network and when Texas will not engage in revenue sharing...

I don't think you have a very good handle on the situation.

The LHN is the very business model a school like Florida State wants to follow, not some silly socialist system where everyone gets to suckle the teat of the programs whose brands are worth something (who, BTW, are driving the lucrative Tier 1 and 2 deals that are shared equally, even if you're basically worth nothing from a brand perspective like Iowa State). As is, ESPN owns the entire ACC's Tier 3 rights for football, and that's included in the $17 million/year/school. In the Big XII, FSU would receive more than $17 million/year for Tier 1 and 2 rights alone AND easily strike an independent deal with ESPN or another network for its Tier 3 rights.

The big football schools of the ACC are not totally happy (and their fans really aren't), and if they a) don't have an in-state partner tying them down (see: Va Tech), and b) they are in an SEC state where the resident SEC school will block admission to the ACC until the end of time (see: Clemson and Florida State), they are going to consider the Big XII.

In order of likelihood, the Big XII is targeting the following schools:

1. Lousiville
2. Clemson
3. Florida State
4. Notre Dame

 

[Wonkster]

... BTW, I miss Phyllis Mangina!

Possibly the first time in history this utterance has been heard.