ESPN to be flushed down the toilet by Big10??? Certainly looks that way!

[huskymedic]

-> ESPN has pulled out of Big Ten media rights negotiations entirely, ending one of the longest sports media relationships in the business. That move clears the way for CBS and NBC to join Fox Sports as Big Ten broadcasters starting with the 2023-24 school year. A formal announcement could come as early as this week. It could push into next week. As part of the deal terms, CBS is expected to carry a football game in the 3:30pm ET window on Saturdays, and NBC would carry one in primetime. NBC’s Peacock streaming service will carry an undetermined number of games per year exclusively. Peacock also will simulcast the games that air on NBC. ESPN said no to the conference’s final offer of a seven-year deal, sources said. That package was for linear-only games and did not have any direct-to-consumer rights. ESPN execs believed that they would have had to pay upwards of $380M per year to keep the package, which was much higher than they were willing to go. ESPN has carried Big Ten football games since 1982. ABC started carrying Big Ten games in 1966. Fox Sports will carry the ‘A’ package of games in the noon Saturday window. FS1 and BTN also will carry an undetermined number of games. Sources confirmed a N.Y. Post report that CBS will pay around $350M for its package. NBC also will pay $350M per year for its package, sources said. <-

 

[huskymedic]

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Assuming the NY Post story is accurate (NBC contracting for B10 prime time games), what effect does this have on NBC future negotiations with ND football?

It places all of the leverage in NBC's hands. They can say to ND "if you want to get paid what you believe is market value for your football program join the BIG. We would be bidding against ourselves if we offered you $75million per to stay out of the BIG".

 

[nickp91]

The Big Ten ain’t putting basketball games on CBS Sports Net

 

[bristol rises]

It places all of the leverage in NBC's hands. They can say to ND "if you want to get paid what you believe is market value for your football program join the BIG. We would be bidding against ourselves if we offered you $75million per to stay out of the BIG".

I can't help but think that the B10 is backing ND into a corner with these moves (starting with USC & UCLA, now NBC contract).

Your move ND....

 

[Huskyforlife]

Uh, bro... they have been there with the knives in our back every step of the way. We can sit here and blame Hathaway, Herbst, Manuel, whomever you want... BC (they and their AD get some of the blame), Syracuse, Pitt, Miami, FSU, Clemson...

But it always came back to the ultimate puppet master, ESPN. If they wanted us in the ACC, we would have been in the ACC. Period, End of story.

I have hated them for screwing us going back to the original expansion. If you don't, that's fine. But anyone who understand what really happened knows that it was ESPN who continually screwed us over the most.

And they became even easier to hate when they decided to become political. I haven't watched Sportscenter in years... they have no one to blame but themselves.

Imagine being this upset at a television network. We suck at football and not enough people watch us play to move the needle in TV contract negotiations. That’s why we got left out.

 

[bendm]

Lines up perfectly for double headers on weeks ND has home games. Or, possible ND road games at B1G opponents.

my first thought after reading the article was that NBC paying for "shoulder programming" means they are giving ND a sweet new deal so they can stay independent.

 

[Ha Who]

I laugh when I see this rust belt stuff. We were supposed to die 30 years ago. How much of the B1G is in the rust belt?

Rust Belt vs climate desert belt?

 

[Chin Diesel]

The Big Ten ain’t putting basketball games on CBS Sports Net

Well, Rutgers vs. Nebraska seems to fit nicely on that network.

 

[bobbyinaz]

How do you believe these football broadcast contracts will affect Big East media negotiations?

Will Big East basketball have no place to go when the music stops?

This has to be a concern, not only in terms of what the dollars will be, but also what broadcast windows will be available.

ESPN is all in with the SEC & ACC plus the other G5 conferences it owns will fill most of their on air broadcast spots.

With ESPN out of the B1G picture, a significant chunk of their hoops games will fill the FOX & FS1 spots that were occupied by the Big East.

I hope it doesn't happen but, the Big East might be faced with a decision that in order to generate more revenues from a provider the games may end behind somebody's pay wall.

 

[Dove]

Anyone here watch that riveting Table Hockey World Championship on ESPN2 last night? With play by play.

 

[upstater]

What does this mean for the big east? Does fox have enough money now to pay the big east what it’s worth? Is there other options for the big east?

Or will it stick the BE on FS2 and leave Fox and FS1 for the B1G?

 

[billybud]

The basketball Big Ten-ACC challenge...what happens in future?

The 2022 ACC-B1G Challenge features 14 games....on the ESPN family of channels..."The annual matchup of Alliance rivals features 14 games which will air on ESPN’s networks and be available to stream via the ESPN app. Game times and broadcast networks will be announced at a later date."

 

[Stinger92860]

I'm on record as suggesting the Fox properties will start inbreeding and ESPN properties will do the same. Expect more UConn and B1G basketball match ups. At least that's my prediction.

i suggested this a few months ago and was beat up. I like your definition, inbreeding.

 

[uconnfan68]

I think the Mouse is putting a squeeze on ESPN. To be more profitable . Limits ESPNs ability to buy everything

They've always been watching, but left ESPN alone during the double-digit growth years, when ESPN was 2% of the overhead and responsible for 30+% of the profit for the entire company. The whole idea was always to own content.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

Here is the next Bombshell: If true, and it certainly looks like it is, this is a MONSTER SHOT across ESPN's bow:

Big Ten on verge of $1 billion in TV deals that will exclude ESPN

The Big Ten is on the cusp of television deals that are expected to pay it in excess of $1 billion and create a college football triple-header featuring Fox, CBS and NBC, The Post has confirmed.

nypost.com

On the one hand, it is another step down the inevitable path that is obliterating the college sports landscape as we have known it, and that is mostly sad.

That having been said. I can not help but LOVE, LOVE, LOVE when ESPN takes these much-deserved kicks to the groin. Screw those self-righteous bastards, particularly since they started college sports down this path with their underhanded, back room deals to ruin the Big East and continually leave us out the cold, even after the millions upon millions in subsidies they have received from the state of Connecticut and its taxpayers (of which I used to be one of you).

What you sew so shall you reap boys. How's it feel to taste some of your own medicine ESPN???? Couldn't have happened to a more insufferable group of elitist D-bags (upper management and some of the on-air talent, not the rank-and-file, by and large). They have earned every single gut punch, curb stomp and kick to the groin that they ever receive.

If nothing else, this ensures that ESPN will be unable to monopolize both of the 2 major conferences going forward (which would have been even more disastrous for college sports in general). It will be really interesting to see how the pieces fall after this, as the battle lines are becoming clearly drawn.

ESPN dictated the terms of their what was suppose to be the Big 8 - Southwest Conference merger . Elimating Houston, SMU, TCU and Rice .
They were playing kingmaker before the first ACC raid .

 

[cohenzone]

Here is the next Bombshell: If true, and it certainly looks like it is, this is a MONSTER SHOT across ESPN's bow:

Big Ten on verge of $1 billion in TV deals that will exclude ESPN

The Big Ten is on the cusp of television deals that are expected to pay it in excess of $1 billion and create a college football triple-header featuring Fox, CBS and NBC, The Post has confirmed.

nypost.com

On the one hand, it is another step down the inevitable path that is obliterating the college sports landscape as we have known it, and that is mostly sad.

That having been said. I can not help but LOVE, LOVE, LOVE when ESPN takes these much-deserved kicks to the groin. Screw those self-righteous bastards, particularly since they started college sports down this path with their underhanded, back room deals to ruin the Big East and continually leave us out the cold, even after the millions upon millions in subsidies they have received from the state of Connecticut and its taxpayers (of which I used to be one of you).

What you sew so shall you reap boys. How's it feel to taste some of your own medicine ESPN???? Couldn't have happened to a more insufferable group of elitist D-bags (upper management and some of the on-air talent, not the rank-and-file, by and large). They have earned every single gut punch, curb stomp and kick to the groin that they ever receive.

If nothing else, this ensures that ESPN will be unable to monopolize both of the 2 major conferences going forward (which would have been even more disastrous for college sports in general). It will be really interesting to see how the pieces fall after this, as the battle lines are becoming clearly drawn.

Kinda screws up some CT jobs.

 

[UConnJim]

This has to be a concern, not only in terms of what the dollars will be, but also what broadcast windows will be available.

ESPN is all in with the SEC & ACC plus the other G5 conferences it owns will fill most of their on air broadcast spots.

With ESPN out of the B1G picture, a significant chunk of their hoops games will fill the FOX & FS1 spots that were occupied by the Big East.

I hope it doesn't happen but, the Big East might be faced with a decision that in order to generate more revenues from a provider the games may end behind somebody's pay wall.

Not really. I think many of us are underestimating the impact of conference networks these days and how much content is being shifted. I looked up the Big 10 basketball TV schedule for 2021/2022 and this is what I found:

Bg Ten Network: 121 games
BIG+ (streaming): 37 games
FS1: 29 games
ESPN/ESPN2: 24 games
FOX: 10 games
CBS: 10 games
ESPNU: 6 games

And, the Big 10 basketball tournament was broadcast on the BTN with the championship and semis on CBS.

Look at Syracuse basketball last year and how their games were broadcast:

ACC Network (includes regional): 16 games
ESPN2: 8 games
ESPN: 3 games
ESPNU: 2 games
FOX: 1 game
ESPNNews: 1 game

BTW, how many of BC's regular season basketball games were on an ESPN network last year? Three! Two on ESPNU and one on ESPN2. Virtually every other game was on the ACCN or regional.

Bottom line, there will be plenty of opportunity for the Big East to maintain their relationship with FOX.

 

[Jimdish255]

ESPN wanting Pac12 over Big12 games, would be based on no matter how good or compelling Big12 games are they will be competing against B1G and SEC games and will have smaller viewership.
Pac12 has no P5 competition for the night time games. Still TBD is how many people in eastern and central time zones want to watch the late night games from the West coast.

You can always watch USC or UCLA if they choose to alternate slots for that audience as B1G members. And eventually they probably add 2 more.

 

[BigTenFan]

Not really. I think many of us are underestimating the impact of conference networks these days and how much content is being shifted. I looked up the Big 10 basketball TV schedule for 2021/2022 and this is what I found:

Bg Ten Network: 121 games
BIG+ (streaming): 37 games
FS1: 29 games
ESPN/ESPN2: 24 games
FOX: 10 games
CBS: 10 games
ESPNU: 6 games

And, the Big 10 basketball tournament was broadcast on the BTN with the championship and semis on CBS.

Look at Syracuse basketball last year and how their games were broadcast:

ACC Network (includes regional): 16 games
ESPN2: 8 games
ESPN: 3 games
ESPNU: 2 games
FOX: 1 game
ESPNNews: 1 game

BTW, how many of BC's regular season basketball games were on an ESPN network last year? Three! Two on ESPNU and one on ESPN2. Virtually every other game was on the ACCN or regional.

Bottom line, there will be plenty of opportunity for the Big East to maintain their relationship with FOX.

BIG Ten Network really does a great job of coverage and analysis of all conference sports- not just football and basketball.
I prefer to watch BIG Ten Network over ESPN

 

[Storrs South]

BIG Ten Network really does a great job of coverage and analysis of all conference sports- not just football and basketball.
I prefer to watch BIG Ten Network over ESPN

It's sad seeing how bad ESPN's coverage of college hoops has gotten.

Their in game broadcasts are usually insufferable as their bench of announcers after the A-team is comically bad (like significantly worse than FOX) and then they try to shoehorn in teams, storylines, and ads that have nothing to do with the game.

Couple this with the halftime shows and bridge shows between games that focus on just Duke and Kentucky and what's left is ESPN just putting out a very low effort product.

 

[Chin Diesel]

You can always watch USC or UCLA if they choose to alternate slots for that audience as B1G members. And eventually they probably add 2 more.

On the realignment boards I've consistently said I think Stanford is a great strategic fit for B1G. Not convinced of UW, Cal or Oregon.

 

[Dutch Boyd]

Bro talking about ESPN like a supervillain.

Oh brother!

 

[Drew]

 

[bendm]

Bg Ten Network: 121 games
BIG+ (streaming): 37 games
FS1: 29 games
ESPN/ESPN2: 24 games
FOX: 10 games
CBS: 10 games
ESPNU: 6 games

but this could mean those 30 B1G games currently on espn/espn2/espnu would move to FOX/FS1/FS2...that can't be good for us especially since we share the same 2 time zones as most of the B1G. we will be directly competing with them for the best time slots on the fox networks.

i just looked up the BE tv schedule and only 13 conference games will be broadcast on FOX with 5 more flexed between fox and fs1. you can bet the B1G will be after all of those time slots.

someone please talk me down from the ledge here