Interesting Interview with sports media reporter on BE TV deal

[WestCoastHusky]

http://media.espn929.com/a/61472900...esco-w-chris-vernon-8-15-12.htm?q=mike+aresco

At 13:00 mark, she starts to talk about the BE TV deal. Basically, she spoke to multiple consultants and all said BE TV deal will be bid up. It will easily surpass the $11.7M BE turned down from ESPiN. NBC is very very interested in the BE media deal.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The Big East will conquer the world!!!!!

I had originally projected $10-12MM per football school. I think it will be much, much larger if an ESPN analyst is saying $11.7MM/school is the floor.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

It's a valuable product. No question about it. ESPN can low ball and let them walk if they want to, but that will cede pretty significant ratings to NBC or another competitor. The fact is that Big East fans will watch a great deal less ESPN during college football and bball season if the BE is no longer on their network and a whole lot more of whatever network the BE lands on.

The real question is just how many fans does the reconfigured BE actually deliver. It's not really about beating or getting on par with ESPN in the short term for another network, it's about significantly chipping away at their dominance. Landing the entire rights package for the BE will allow a competitor to do just that.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

It's a valuable product. No question about it. ESPN can low ball and let them walk if they want to, but that will cede pretty significant ratings to NBC or another competitor. The fact is that Big East fans will watch a great deal less ESPN during college football and bball season if the BE is no longer on their network and a whole lot more of whatever network the BE lands on.

The real question is just how many fans does the reconfigured BE actually deliver. It's not really about beating or getting on par with ESPN in the short term for another network, it's about significantly chipping away at their dominance. Landing the entire rights package for the BE will allow a competitor to do just that.

Couple of things BE has really going for it:

1. National conference - Some people might think this is a joke but it is great for a TV network like the NBC. BE can deliver FB and BB games across 4 time zones on any given day.

2. BE media markets cover 32M homes, more than twice than the next conference. Now negative Nancys will say no one watches those teams. However, the point is people in those markets have much greater POTENTIAL to watch those teams vs. teams outside its home market.

3. BE football has a TON of POTENTIAL. That's the part people keep forgetting. Conferences like the ACC is pretty much at its peak. BE has nowhere to go but up.

Now I am waiting for Observer and other negative Nancys to pour cold water on my statements

 

[nelsonmuntz]

It is an unusual bidding situation, and more strategic then necessary related to the value of the Big East. NBC Sports needs the Big East to stay in business, and ESPN needs the Big East to put NBC Sports out of business. The Big East is in a great spot, and if TCU, WVU, Pitt and Syracuse hadn't bailed, I think $20MM per school was in the bag.

As a sidenote, I expect another expansion for the conference, probably to 16 football schools, if NBC wins. More content will be better, and BYU and Air Force are both attractive additions.

 

[Adios]

Navy is joining a conference for the first time ever in their history. There must be something going on here.

 

[coachcap]

It is an unusual bidding situation, and more strategic then necessary related to the value of the Big East. NBC Sports needs the Big East to stay in business, and ESPN needs the Big East to put NBC Sports out of business. The Big East is in a great spot, and if TCU, WVU, Pitt and Syracuse hadn't bailed, I think $20MM per school was in the bag.

As a sidenote, I expect another expansion for the conference, probably to 16 football schools, if NBC wins. More content will be better, and BYU and Air Force are both attractive additions.

Someone very influential agrees with you.http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2012/8/20/3256023/big-east-expansion-byu-air-force-football

 

[freescooter]

Couple of things BE has really going for it:

1. National conference - Some people might think this is a joke but it is great for a TV network like the NBC. BE can deliver FB and BB games across 4 time zones on any given day.

2. BE media markets cover 32M homes, more than twice than the next conference. Now negative Nancys will say no one watches those teams. However, the point is people in those markets have much greater POTENTIAL to watch those teams vs. teams outside its home market.

3. BE football has a TON of POTENTIAL. That's the part people keep forgetting. Conferences like the ACC is pretty much at its peak. BE has nowhere to go but up.

Now I am waiting for Observer and other negative Nancys to pour cold water on my statements

Your point #2 is an interesting one I think. I've seen some analyses like that on investments...even when the average income of an area is lower than standard, if there is a sizable population and you can capture a reasonable percentage, it still works. In this case, if say Philadelphia isn't a college football town, even if you only get 5% of the market, that is comparable in size to the 150th market in the country. If you can push that number up even a little, suddenly you have a market in the top 100 with minimal penetration. You don't have to control those markets to have a pretty substantial base, just get a reasonable market share.

 

[zls44]

It would be awesome from a comedy/schadefreude standpoint towards the departed if they actually got near/above ACC money from someone.

 

[UConnDan97]

Someone very influential agrees with you.http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2012/8/20/3256023/big-east-expansion-byu-air-force-football

NICE!!! Wow, this guy has hit the ground running, hasn't he? This is a much different leader than what we were accustomed to, no doubt about it. The future is starting to look a fair amount brighter...

 

[arnie3]

She's the first person that I've listened to that really makes sense to me. Before, everything seemed so pie in the sky. Maybe there really is a method to this madness. She believes that the addition of a corporate media person to the BE was a great choice, as was the addition of Larry Scott to the Pac-12. She interned for Scott and said that his negotiations with ESPN/Fox were brilliant because he had media experience. She believes that BE fans will be happy at the end of the day with the contract that is finalized. It may be for as long as 10-12 years, so the BE has got to get it right!

 

[freescooter]

NICE!!! Wow, this guy has hit the ground running, hasn't he? This is a much different leader than what we were accustomed to, no doubt about it. The future is starting to look a fair amount brighter...

Hey hey hey...Marinatto also hit the ground running...it was just that he had to stop all the time to take a bite of his sandwich...you ever try eating a meatball sandwich while running?

 

[Marty Jackson]

Couple of things BE has really going for it:

1. National conference - Some people might think this is a joke but it is great for a TV network like the NBC. BE can deliver FB and BB games across 4 time zones on any given day.

2. BE media markets cover 32M homes, more than twice than the next conference. Now negative Nancys will say no one watches those teams. However, the point is people in those markets have much greater POTENTIAL to watch those teams vs. teams outside its home market.

3. BE football has a TON of POTENTIAL. That's the part people keep forgetting. Conferences like the ACC is pretty much at its peak. BE has nowhere to go but up.

Now I am waiting for Observer and other negative Nancys to pour cold water on my statements

Agree. A fourth item is #14. If that's BYU we hit a home run.
If we do land a BYU I hope we relegate FB only for navy.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

Agree. A fourth item is #14. If that's BYU we hit a home run.
If we do land a BYU I hope we relegate FB only for navy.

I couldn't agree more. BYU and SDSU would establish BE basketball on the other side of the country. Only the service academies should be relegated in such a manner.