Mike Aresco addresses UConn's departure, the impact on his American Athletic Conference moving forward

[The Moose]

The complicated case of the Pac-12 Networks

www.sportsbusinessdaily.com

according to this article - it costs the pac 12 15-25k to put a live olympic sport event on their network.

Wazzu AD says... maybe we should cut back at the end.

I’m sure it’s less to put something on +... but if you do 100-200 events a year that is going to add up.

I’m thinking this is at least $500k a year but could be up to $1mm.

 

[UConnRock]

How much would a school expect to pay a year in “production” costs that they need to cover under the new deal?

I found a reference to the high school broadcasts of football games on ESPN that said it costs $65k-75k for production of the HS games. I would assume a FBS game would approach $100k

 

[The Moose]

I found a reference to the high school broadcasts of football games on ESPN that said it costs $65k-75k for true production if the HS games. I would assume a FBS game would approach $100k

Sounds like $7mm is less than $6mm in real money

 

[Dooooooomed]

Sounds like $7mm is less than $6mm in real money

Even less for UConn because we wouldn't skimp out on WBB production like the rest of the conference probably will.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

How much would a school expect to pay a year in “production” costs

’bout 2 fify

 

[whaler11]

I found a reference to the high school broadcasts of football games on ESPN that said it costs $65k-75k for production of the HS games. I would assume a FBS game would approach $100k

and the league is going to own outsourcing the production of football on the +

 

[Rewster]

Aresco is trying his best to get in front of this to control the narrative but in the end UConns departure is going to expose how bad a deal he made.

 

[The Moose]

Will be very interesting to see what Fox adds with us and ESPN removes without us in those contracts

 

[SU1968]

Honest question, guys: Several posts have said that your buy-out is $10 million and you have to stay for 27 months. If ESPN cuts the remaining AAC schools payment by $2 million each, would you be liable for $2 million to each school for each year if you were to leave immediately? Would it be in your best interest to stay the 27 months? What are thoughts here?

 

[Fishy]

Honest question, guys: Several posts have said that your buy-out is $10 million and you have to stay for 27 months. If ESPN cuts the remaining AAC schools payment by $2 million each, would you be liable for $2 million to each school for each year if you were to leave immediately? Would it be in your best interest to stay the 27 months? What are thoughts here?

They're not going to cut the contract by $2M per school, but the answer would be no even if they did.

We can leave with 27 months notice and $10,000,000. To leave earlier, we need to come to some sort of arrangement with the conference, but it certainly would not be $2M per school, per year.

The new television contract doesn't even start until 20-21, which is the earliest we'd be able to leave anyway.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

AAC? that was then, this is now. not big on the 'hate' stuff, even if there is some subtle antagonism for us in the college sports bitness world. so what? who cares? and, with some good planning and a bit of luck, the reasonable possibility of us becoming the college sports brand in the northeast is exciting. play the cards we have, expect the best, and fuhgettabout 'them.' U-C-O-N-N. UConn! Uconn! UConn!

 

[noeynox]

Mountain West future on line as TV talks take place | UNLV | Sports

The conference, which wants to balance control of start times for its athletic events and exposure, is in talks with several providers.

www.reviewjournal.com

 

[gwhuskyfan]

Can't wait to have nothing to do with this guy, and this crap conference

 

[Hogoff]

So “UConn wants to stay for football” but Aresco says hell no. In my mind, that’s an argument in court that will help UConn get out of paying the full $10 million in exit fees.

 

[CL82]

Maybe not since the parties have agreed to those. It does help the argument that we should have to pay more to leave early.

 

[whaler11]

Can't wait to have nothing to do with this guy, and this crap conference

uh hey mike we’d love to. you know what would have been a huge help? tv revenue...

 

[UConnNick]

Aresco is trying his best to get in front of this to control the narrative but in the end UConns departure is going to expose how bad a deal he made.

Where did anybody find Aresco? He has to be the worst conference commissioner in the history of conferences. He even has PAC12 commish Larry Scott beat, and that really takes some doing. I thought Marinatto was bad, and then we get this lame brain. He's so full of it I think he delusionally believes his own BS.

 

[noeynox]

Where did anybody find Aresco? He has to be the worst conference commissioner in the history of conferences. He even has PAC12 commish Larry Scott beat, and that really takes some doing. I thought Marinatto was bad, and then we get this lame brain. He's so full of it I think he delusionally believes his own BS.

He really didn't start with much. When you consider what he has done for the rest of the conference (save for us, USF and Cincinnati) he belongs on the Mt Rushmore of commissioners. USF and Cincy cannot understand our move back to Big East because its not an option available to them. No school in the conference has the pressure of producing high quality women's bball games like UConn does. They can get away with a high school level of production we can't. So that is just another expense out of the "7 million", they don't have.

He's been a good commissioner for 80 percent or more of the league when you consider what the rest of the G5 is making. We are just tired of taking one for the team.

 

[CL82]

He really didn't start with much. When you consider what he has done for the rest of the conference (save for us, USF and Cincinnati) he belongs on the Mt Rushmore of commissioners. USF and Cincy cannot understand our move back to Big East because its not an option available to them. No school in the conference has the pressure of producing high quality women's bball games like UConn does. They can get away with a high school level of production we can't. So that is just another expense out of the "7 million", they don't have.

He's been a good commissioner for 80 percent or more of the league when you consider what the rest of the G5 is making. We are just tired of taking one for the team.

Lol, "Mount Rushmore of commissioners?" Really?

As I've said often, the AAC is a bad fit for UConn. A northeastern land grant university with a strong brand and name recognition was always going to be a bad fit in southern/western conference of upstart and has been directional and city schools. So I agree, that Aresco's performance can be abysmal for UConn but good for the rest of the schools. But here's the thing, college sports has become a shooting war of every increasing expenditures. The way the successful conferences fund that is through media money. That was specifically why Aresco, a TV executive, was hired. That is the thing he has singularly failed to deliver.

Oh he has his reasons for failure, but every failed executive has excuses. The Mount Rushmore of executives are the ones that overcome those excuses and succeed regardless. His big success is the exposure he got us in lieu of a reasonable payoff. Of course that can also be viewed as ESPN getting content at next to nothing. Who really won on that exchange?

But wait he got us this great media deal which lasts to 2032, right? Yes he did. Of course he only is getting marginally more on an annual per school basis than a nine year old basketball only conference deal. Not particularly impressive. But wait there's more... the supposed $7M per school he got? That is number that is in effect in 2032, the current amount is less. Wow, that sucks pretty bad right, but it gets even worse. That number is a gross number. Since the ACC will have to bear their own production costs, estimated at $2M per year, that means that in 2032 the ACC will be making about $1M more than the NBE is making today. Oh and that doesn't count the fact that AAC schools will have to make capital investments so that they have production capability.

Aresco on the "Mount Rushmore of commissioners?" I think not. Perhaps he deserves a plaque near the men's room in the "Hall of Suckery" though.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

Lol, "Mount Rushmore of commissioners?" Really?

As I've said often, the AAC is a bad fit for UConn. A northeastern land grant university with a strong brand and name recognition was always going to be a bad fit in southern/western conference of upstart and has been directional and city schools. So I agree, that Aresco's performance can be abysmal for UConn but good for the rest of the schools. But here's the thing, college sports has become a shooting war of every increasing expenditures. The way the successful conferences fund that is through media money. That was specifically why Aresco, a TV executive, was hired. That is the thing he has singularly failed to deliver.

Oh he has his reasons for failure, but every failed executive has excuses. The Mount Rushmore of executives are the ones that overcome those excuses and succeed regardless. His big success is the exposure he got us in lieu of a reasonable payoff. Of course that can also be viewed as ESPN getting content at next to nothing. Who really won on that exchange?

But wait he got us this great media deal which lasts to 2032, right? Yes he did. Of course he only is getting marginally more on an annual per school basis than a nine year old basketball only conference deal. Not particularly impressive. But wait there's more... the supposed $7M per school he got? That is number that is in effect in 2032, the current amount is less. Wow, that sucks pretty bad right, but it gets even worse. That number is a gross number. Since the ACC will have to bear their own production costs, estimated at $2M per year, that means that in 2032 the ACC will be making about $1M more than the NBE is making today. Oh and that doesn't count the fact that AAC schools will have to make capital investments so that they have production capability.

Aresco on the "Mount Rushmore of commissioners?" I think not. Perhaps he desires a plaque near the men's room in the "Hall of Suckery" though.

seems like no post on the BY is complete without the phrase 'men's room' tossed in there somewhere. lol.

 

[Adios]

Somehow, JMU looks at the AAC as heaven on earth. So does Buffalo.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Somehow, JMU looks at the AAC as heaven on earth. So does Buffalo.

Easier to rationalize for the 2 schools than it does for UConn, no?

 

[CL82]

Somehow, JMU looks at the AAC as heaven on earth. So does Buffalo.

Because it is a step up for them. I'm sure a net couple of million a year, plus games that are actually broadcast somewhere seems like nirvana.

 

[Scrutineer]

By not meekly accepting a deal in which the commissioner negotiated away media rights UConn pretty much solely enjoyed, UConn has made a bold statement about how it sees itself going forward.

That statement, if coupled with improved football and men's basketball performance, could even tip the scales in UConn's favor should there be another round of conference expansion. If, for example, the B1G has maxed out its viewership in its existing footprint and the media deal that will be offered to them in several years includes major streaming components, the only way for them to increase (or perhaps even maintain) revenue per school would be to generate more viewership in a new region. New England, New York and New Jersey is a region that comes to mind.

 

[Scrutineer]

They're not going to cut the contract by $2M per school, but the answer would be no even if they did.

We can leave with 27 months notice and $10,000,000. To leave earlier, we need to come to some sort of arrangement with the conference, but it certainly would not be $2M per school, per year.

The new television contract doesn't even start until 20-21, which is the earliest we'd be able to leave anyway.

Football may struggle with a schedule for 2020, but that scheduling problem will also exist for the AAC teams who lose us from their schedules so it may make sense, for the league and UConn, for us to depart after the 2020 season for football and after the 2019 season for all other sports. Fall of 2021 is more than 27 months (for football) after June 2019 and maybe that's why this happened in June of 2019.