Future of Pac-12 Network in doubt?

[bloor]

Pac-12 Network Subscriber Numbers Keep Tanking, Big Changes Could Be Coming

Remember the Pac-12 Conference? The old days when sports fans enjoyed West Coast football? Ahh, those were the days, grandpa. “People can’t watch us on

www.outkick.com

Much more detail in The Mercury News article linked in the article.

Hotline investigation: Future of Pac-12 Networks in doubt as sports media world threatens to leave conference behind

The Pac-12 Networks are suffering significant subscriber losses, based on data provided by S&P. Add a changing media landscape, and the conference is running out of options.

www.mercurynews.com

Thanks Larry

 

[Baylor1994]

I feel like most people don’t have access to it

 

[Lorcan]

I feel like most people don’t have access to it

I, an avid PAC-12 fan had to go through hell to get it. I’d much rather they all joined ESPN or Fox to make access easier for all.

 

[Baylor1994]

I, an avid PAC-12 fan had to go through hell to get it. I’d much rather they all joined ESPN or Fox to make access easier for all.

I wish I can watch pac 12 games but it’s so hard to get access! I’m so glad the big 12 went to espn because when they were at fox it was rare for me to able to watch unless i lived in Texas or in the big 12 areas.

 

[Vowelguy]

I, an avid PAC-12 fan had to go through hell to get it. I’d much rather they all joined ESPN or Fox to make access easier for all.

Not sure being affiliated with ESPN or fox would’ve helped. Networks charge cable companies money to carry their networks. No one east of the Rockies wants to pay for a sports channel from the other side of the country with marginal football and weak MCBB.

 

[Vowelguy]

The PAC 12 flirted with some Big 12 schools last time but failed to add them. Huge mistake. Would’ve given them a larger footprint.

 

[Lorcan]

The PAC 12 flirted with some Big 12 schools last time but failed to add them. Huge mistake. Would’ve given them a larger footprint.

I think the problem was at the time Texas wasn’t willing to give up the Longhorn Network, and the PAC couldn’t find the right fit or convince another team to jump ship with Oklahoma.

 

[Hayven]

I cut the cord last year, which provided me the PAC-12 network. I’m using YouTube TV now because it provides the channels I use, but it does not provide the PAC-12 network. I would love it, if they did

 

[azfan]

Pac-12 Network Subscriber Numbers Keep Tanking, Big Changes Could Be Coming

Remember the Pac-12 Conference? The old days when sports fans enjoyed West Coast football? Ahh, those were the days, grandpa. “People can’t watch us on

www.outkick.com

Much more detail in The Mercury News article linked in the article.

Hotline investigation: Future of Pac-12 Networks in doubt as sports media world threatens to leave conference behind

The Pac-12 Networks are suffering significant subscriber losses, based on data provided by S&P. Add a changing media landscape, and the conference is running out of options.

www.mercurynews.com

Thanks Larry

The Mercury article your right was outstanding and really terrifying. Larry Scott's incompetence really is going to have a devastating impact on the future of the pac.

The nugget below captures it all.

"The Pac-12 Network (the national network) now has just 14.8 million subscribers, according to Dec. ’20 estimates provided to the Hotline by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

That figure represents a drop of 17 percent over the past two years, based on S&P data: In Feb. ’19, the national network had 17.9 million subscribers. (At its peak five years ago, it had more than 19 million.)

In comparison, the Big Ten and SEC networks are believed to have more than 50 million subscribers."

 

[nwhoopfan]

Yet it again, it begs the question of how Larry Scott kept his job for so long. Has anyone ever been paid so well for such incompetence before?

 

[Vowelguy]

Yet it again, it begs the question of how Larry Scott kept his job for so long. Has anyone ever been paid so well for such incompetence before?

Are you familiar with Holly Warlick?

 

[southie]

I think the problem was at the time Texas wasn’t willing to give up the Longhorn Network, and the PAC couldn’t find the right fit or convince another team to jump ship with Oklahoma.

The Longhorn Network didn't even exist at that time. ESPN offered Texas its own sports network if it remained in the Big 12 conference as it didn't want to lose them to the PAC and FOX. So, since the PAC wasn't going to allow Texas to control its own third-tier TV rights, it was an easy decision to stay put.

 

[southie]

The PAC 12 flirted with some Big 12 schools last time but failed to add them. Huge mistake. Would’ve given them a larger footprint.

Things have turned full circle after the PAC 12 was unable to poach any Big 12 schools other than Colorado.

If the Big 12 is going to try and keep up with the revenue the SEC and B1G are generating, the only answer is conference expansion. Most Texas fans believe the next round of conference realignment will involve the Big 12 trying to poach a few of the PAC 12 teams in order to increase conference membership from 10 schools to 14 or 16 schools. USC is at the top of the wishlist; after that, opinions vary greatly on who else could/should be extended invitations.

 

[SCGamecock]

Can't see USC "leaving the West Coast" to align itself with a bunch of Great Plains schools. Seems like a tall task. The Pac 12 is such a strong academic brand in the same way that the SEC is a strong athletic brand. It just makes no sense.

If the Pac 12 Network does fail, it won't be because the academics/athletics aren't strong.. it's because of the nature of the East Coast bias in TV programming scheduling. Almost 60% of the US population lives east of the Mississippi, and TV programming is formatted that way. Pac 12 Network was doomed to fail when it went with a self determined distribution model.. the best thing they could've done was aligned themselves with a national distributor like ESPN. If you're the Pac 12 TV Network, you already have time zones/TV programming working against you.. make your life easier by becoming a part of the ESPN brand and securing that late night/Big Monday timeslot for WCBB, numbers show that viewers on the East Coast will tune in for Pac 12 basketball if they have easy access to it.

But right now, the majority of the country (the 60% east of the Mississippi) does not have "easy" access to the Pac 12 Network, so this is bed you must lay in.

 

[cockhrnleghrn]

It wouldn't be much of a loss since so many people don't get it.

 

[southie]

Can't see USC "leaving the West Coast" to align itself with a bunch of Great Plains schools. Seems like a tall task. The Pac 12 is such a strong academic brand in the same way that the SEC is a strong athletic brand. It just makes no sense.

Do you realize how much revenue each PAC 12 school is making compared to those "Great Plains schools"? Desperate times call for desperate measures, IMO.

No offense, but the amount of revenue South Carolina generates simply for being a member of the SEC dwarfs what Southern Cal earns; and, that gap is only going to widen if the PAC doesn't add schools; but, with the job Larry Scott has done to drive that conference into the ground financially, which schools want to join the PAC 12? All that revenue each school thought they'd be getting from the PAC 12 network has basically been nonexistent.

There was an article a year or so ago where the Southern Cal A.D. stated that USC would do what is best for USC financially and that they were keeping all their options open. So, I'm sure they have their own agenda.

 

[Vowelguy]

Can't see USC "leaving the West Coast" to align itself with a bunch of Great Plains schools. Seems like a tall task. The Pac 12 is such a strong academic brand in the same way that the SEC is a strong athletic brand. It just makes no sense.
I

If you’re earning $5 M and the Great Plains schools are offering $40M, allegiances die pretty fast.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I wonder if the Big 12 will have trouble attracting top tier schools? They have everybody from the AAC begging them to be let in, but that's not the same thing. Nebraska, Texas A&M and Missouri all got sick of dealing w/ Texas so chose to go elsewhere. That could be a cautionary tale for other schools considering making that move.

 

[SCGamecock]

Do you realize how much revenue each PAC 12 school is making compared to those "Great Plains schools"? Desperate times call for desperate measures, IMO.

No offense, but the amount of revenue South Carolina generates simply for being a member of the SEC dwarfs what Southern Cal earns; and, that gap is only going to widen if the PAC doesn't add schools; but, with the job Larry Scott has done to drive that conference into the ground financially, which schools want to join the PAC 12? All that revenue each school thought they'd be getting from the PAC 12 network has basically been nonexistent.

There was an article a year or so ago where the Southern Cal A.D. stated that USC would do what is best for USC financially and that they were keeping all their options open. So, I'm sure they have their own agenda.

..Because the SEC did a FAR superior job at negotiating TV right's deals with national distributors like ESPN and CBS (game of the week). That is where the profit gap is. The ACC is closing the financial gap with the SEC because they were effective at negotiating their own media rights deals with ESPN and others.

The Pac 12 is behind the curve when it comes to this. They figured that they would set up their own network without a national distributor so that there'd be no profit sharing.. which everybody seemed to know was a terrible idea from the onset except them, so now they're in a situation where they have a floundering network and their conference rivals are renegotiating deals for billions with national media outlets and leaving them in the dust.

The Pac 12 doesn't NEED to add schools. They need to stop with this ridiculous idea that they can build a network on their own. Leave it to the people like Fox and ESPN that have been doing this for decades. Adding schools can be an attractive option in the establishment/negotiating phase of a network (what the ACC did with the ACC Network) but it's not necessary.

If USC bolts for the Big 12, color me surprised.. but even then, if you're USC, you're now in a conference without a conference TV network that's dominated by a power broker that has it's OWN TV Network that's actually affiliated with a national distributor. I don't see USC's financial prospects changing much in that scenario. If USC joins, they need to negotiate that Texas reconfigure LHN into the Big "13" Network because Texas having its own network is never going to work for the Trojans.. not only from a financial standpoint, but also from a point of pride.

IMO, and this is coming from somebody that works in the TV business, the best thing for USC would be to scrap the Pac 12 Network, start over with a national distributor and make the Pac 12 stronger, not weaker. The brand is there. The execution and vision are not there. That starts up top (Like you said, Larry Scott).

 

[southie]

IMO, and this is coming from somebody that works in the TV business, the best thing for USC would be to scrap the Pac 12 Network, start over with a national distributor and make the Pac 12 stronger, not weaker.

And, fall light years behind the other P5 conference schools. While schools in other conferences are upgrading and building new athletic facilities to attract elite recruits, USC and other PAC 12 schools are pinching pennies tighter and tighter. If you're USC, how do you accept that schools like Rutgers, Illinois, Wake Forest, Louisville, Kansas State, Iowa State, Miss. State, and Ole Miss (to name just a handful) are generating millions more in revenue than you are simply based on their conference affiliation? They aren't generating that revenue because they are better athletic or academic institutions than USC, that's for sure.

 

[SCGamecock]

And, fall light years behind the other P5 conference schools. While schools in other conferences are upgrading and building new athletic facilities to attract elite recruits, USC and other PAC 12 schools are pinching pennies tighter and tighter. If you're USC, how do you accept that schools like Rutgers, Illinois, Wake Forest, Louisville, Kansas State, Iowa State, Miss. State, and Ole Miss (to name just a handful) are generating millions more in revenue than you are simply based on their conference affiliation? They aren't generating that revenue because they are better athletic or academic institutions than USC, that's for sure.

That's one way to look at it.

Another way to look at it... you can start today, or you can "start" never.. either way, you are where you are in 5 years.

 

[SCGamecock]

ESPN already has a significant footprint in the Los Angeles.. and Fox Sports does as well.

The infrastructure is already there to easily absorb the Pac 12 Network into either media outlet.

When it became time to build out the ACC Network, ESPN didn't build a single new studio/soundstage.. the infrastructure was already there, they just reconfigured existing studios. Only thing ESPN needed was for the individual schools to upgrade their studios and broadcasting capabilities.

With your studios in place, then because of ESPN's existing relationship and reputation as a moneymaker with distributors (Cable/Satellite companies), it was relatively easy to convince them to add ACCN to their packages. Viola, the ACC is making money with ACCN on day one.. literally.

 

[Vowelguy]

With your studios in place, then because of ESPN's existing relationship and reputation as a moneymaker with distributors (Cable/Satellite companies), it was relatively easy to convince them to add ACCN to their packages. Viola, the ACC is making money with ACCN on day one.. literally.

Was it?
I believe there were reports of cable systems in north carolina that didn’t pick it up at first.
I live in northern Virginia — the two major universities in the state are ACC — and Comcast does not provide the ACCN in a regular sub. (I do get BTN SECN CBSSN FS2.)

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

Was it?
I believe there were reports of cable systems in north carolina that didn’t pick it up at first.
I live in northern Virginia — the two major universities in the state are ACC — and Comcast does not provide the ACCN in a regular sub. (I do get BTN SECN CBSSN FS2.)

The ACC Network rollout was a bit weird from what I could see, for example our local paper lists games on all sorts of networks (including BTN & SECN) but never the ACCN. I do get it on DirectTV.

What is weird is that ACC still has connections with Fox. Local regional networks on Fox carried a portion of the tournament, and 2 or 3 conference wide games a week during the regular season.

As to the PAC networks, one issue you have to remember is that it isn't carried by DirecTV - which lets out some audience to begin with. And because DirecTV doesn't carry it, I cannot get it - well, unless I subscribe to a streaming service, I did for about a year do FUBO TV, but really that, as well as the fact that someone in AZ can't watch an Arizona game on the Oregon network (i.e. at Oregon) are dreadful miscalculations on the road to success.

 

[SCGamecock]

Was it?
I believe there were reports of cable systems in north carolina that didn’t pick it up at first.
I live in northern Virginia — the two major universities in the state are ACC — and Comcast does not provide the ACCN in a regular sub. (I do get BTN SECN CBSSN FS2.)

When it came to the ACCN, ESPN first negotiated with the big guys, the AT&T UVerse/DirecTVs/Dish Satellite's of the world, getting ACCN on their base sports packages.. but when you're dealing with smaller/regional cable distributors things get tricky. Although they have no national presence, they have negotiating power because they dominate their area and ESPN has to negotiate with each individually and agree on a price point. Somebody has to absorb the cost of adding a new network and it's usually either the cable distributor or the customer.. when it's the distributor, you'll may see them adding the network with no significant change in your bill. That only happens when the media outlet like ESPN has a low ask price (say an additional $1 or $.50 to add the ACCN). If the customer absorbs the cost, either the base package price increases slightly or they add the network to a higher package.

That kind of negotiating takes time, but it almost always works out in your favor when you're a media outlet with a good reputation like ESPN.

Another thing that complicated the ACCN rollout was the existence of smaller regional networks that already had distribution deals with local and state schools. The SEC Network had this issue at first as well. Smaller regional networks are a common occurrence on the East Coast because of the nature of how TV networks originally developed from former radio networks.