Mistaken assumptions about AAC and ESPN3

[upstater]

Really, about 3 big things:

1) he could have left rights for schools to sell so the UConn's, Memphis's, Cinci's could have maximized their value (e.g. Tier 3 rights, and especially women's basketball where we are getting hosed on this contract).

Women's bball rights are UConn's, not the AACs. Tier3 is also practically useless when it comes to both football and bball for UConn now. Why? Because the football games will not be shown on SNY and although only 60% of the bball games will be shown on ESPN/CBS, you can bet that a huge number of the games that will be shown will be UConn games (i.e. 90% of UConn games).

2) I want a hard commitment to channels for games, not wishy washy "national TV"

3) When he went and added schools I want to see a justification that the school added to the TV contract in a real, not conceptual, way (see Tulane).

That is all. Doesn't seem like too much to ask from a guy making a mill.

I'm sure Aresco knows what the commitment is. We don't. He's also not going to sit there and say, 24 basketball games will be on ESPN, 12 on CBS, 32 on ESPN2, 41 on ESPN U, 16 subbed to Fox, etc.

 

[WestHartHusk]

I think the two important things that hasn't been revealed yet is the # of games that will be on ESPNU vs ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 (ESPN U is usually a different cable tier) and the # of weekday games that ESPN will require in order to guarantee the national slot.

Depending on how those numbers go Aresco can end up either a genius or a buffoon.

Thank you. You summed up what I have been trying to say much better than I did.

 

[WestHartHusk]

I'm sure Aresco knows what the commitment is. We don't. He's also not going to sit there and say, 24 basketball games will be on ESPN, 12 on CBS, 32 on ESPN2, 41 on ESPN U, 16 subbed to Fox, etc.

Are you sure about the women's contract? I thought I remembered that being included. If not, that is good. I am curious what we can get for all Tiers since Tier 3 was worth about $1m last time around.

Regarding the commitment - we will just agree to disagree for now. Like I said earlier, I am going to try to get my hands on the documents to see exactly what they say.

 

[whaler11]

I'm sure Aresco knows what the commitment is. We don't. He's also not going to sit there and say, 24 basketball games will be on ESPN, 12 on CBS, 32 on ESPN2, 41 on ESPN U, 16 subbed to Fox, etc.

I imagine Aresco doesn't know the split as the network will depend on the quality of the teams. That is why there is a 13 day window all football season.

 

[upstater]

Are you sure about the women's contract? I thought I remembered that being included. If not, that is good. I am curious what we can get for all Tiers since Tier 3 was worth about $1m last time around.

Regarding the commitment - we will just agree to disagree for now. Like I said earlier, I am going to try to get my hands on the documents to see exactly what they say.

Aresco in an interview said a special arrangement is being worked out for UConn women's bball, and the conference won't hold the rights. The BE didn't. UConn made $1.4m last time out, but I'm sure IMG was also profiting off of that. One thing to look at going forward is whether IMG will offer that big a contract again in the future. UConn is somewhat lucky that the contract was signed only 2 or 3 years ago.

 

[upstater]

I imagine Aresco doesn't know the split as the network will depend on the quality of the teams. That is why there is a 13 day window all football season.

Well, CBS laid it out for him. ESPN has only committed to a high threshold for football (90%). We don't know which channels. There may be more specificity however.

The unfortunate thing is that NBC live sports only average 200,000 viewers, so it's pretty hard to complain about being stuck on ESPN when the alternative doesn't give you much exposure. This is why ESPN was able to "match" NBC's offer, because matching NBC wasn't very hard to do.

 

[whaler11]

Well, CBS laid it out for him. ESPN has only committed to a high threshold for football (90%). We don't know which channels. There may be more specificity however.

The unfortunate thing is that NBC live sports only average 200,000 viewers, so it's pretty hard to complain about being stuck on ESPN when the alternative doesn't give you much exposure. This is why ESPN was able to "match" NBC's offer, because matching NBC wasn't very hard to do.

CBS has a dozen basketball games. But everyone has the same issue on the 13 day football window. They will get the specifics like everyone else does when the time comes.

NBC Sports averages 200k in their dreams. They get ratings for the Olympics and a handful of NHL games. Other than that well below 6 figures in viewers.

Matching NBC was easy because they offered no money. Their offer was so financially pathetic you have to wonder why they bothered.

 

[UC990411]

So

I'm sure Aresco knows what the commitment is. We don't. He's also not going to sit there and say, 24 basketball games will be on ESPN, 12 on CBS, 32 on ESPN2, 41 on ESPN U, 16 subbed to Fox, etc.

wait, the SNY thing for men's hoops is going away? If our cupcake games aren't on SNY, what will they be on?

 

[upstater]

CBS has a dozen basketball games. But everyone has the same issue on the 13 day football window. They will get the specifics like everyone else does when the time comes.

NBC Sports averages 200k in their dreams. They get ratings for the Olympics and a handful of NHL games. Other than that well below 6 figures in viewers.

Matching NBC was easy because they offered no money. Their offer was so financially pathetic you have to wonder why they bothered.

I just read that 200k figure in an article by Doyle of the Courant. And that 200k average was portrayed as miniscule.

 

[whaler11]

I just read that 200k figure in an article by Doyle of the Courant. And that 200k average was portrayed as miniscule.

I'd love to see the selective endpoints they used to come up with 200k. Would have to be during NHL playoffs. They have a good amount of shows that get 15,000 viewers.

200k is pathetic. NBCS doesn't get anywhere near that in reality.

 

[upstater]

So
wait, the SNY thing for men's hoops is going away? If our cupcake games aren't on SNY, what will they be on?

Cupcake games will be on SNY. Only 60-65% of all AAC games will be on ESPN. Another 12 games will be on CBS. The rest will be on regional networks like SNY. I'm simply assuming that with that much inventory for ESPN to fill, and with that many crappy teams in the conference, that UConn's AAC games will be on ESPN, as will some of the national games against good OOC teams. The cupcakes will be on SNY again, I assume.

 

[upstater]

I'd love to see the selective endpoints they used to come up with 200k. Would have to be during NHL playoffs. They have a good amount of shows that get 15,000 viewers.

200k is pathetic. NBCS doesn't get anywhere near that in reality.

It was the average for live sports. Who knows, maybe they are averaging NHL viewership.

 

[whaler11]

It was the average for live sports. Who knows, maybe they are averaging NHL viewership.

http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2013/january/nbc-sports-network-ratings-are-a-disaster.html

NHL probably average 200k w finals. Their college sports ratings are laughably bad. The MWC basketball games got like 20k.

 

[Rumrunner]

How do we know that ESPN's definition of "national cable" does not include Watch ESPN? Watch ESPN after all has agreements with national cable companies, and specifically incorporates ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and of course ESPN3. Have technical changes overcome traditional nomenclature and that is the fig leaf that Aresco hides behind when he says 90% of AAC games will be on national cable? I guess we'll find out some day.

Also, regional networks and local syndication go away. The AAC gave that to ESPN. Of course with the crack connecticut press corps, including the courant's fb beat writer, all of this has been reported on with nauseating detail.

 

[upstater]

How do we know that ESPN's definition of "national cable" does not include Watch ESPN? Watch ESPN after all has agreements with national cable companies, and specifically incorporates ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and of course ESPN3. Have technical changes overcome traditional nomenclature and that is the fig leaf that Aresco hides behind when he says 90% of AAC games will be on national cable? I guess we'll find out some day.

Also, regional networks and local syndication go away. The AAC gave that to ESPN. Of course with the crack connecticut press corps, including the courant's fb beat writer, all of this has been reported on with nauseating detail.

1. ESPN3 and WatchESPN are not television
2. The reports of the contract listed ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU + subbed licenses to NBCSPorts and Fox.
3. Aresco differentiated between the ESPNs and ESPN3

 

[Rumrunner]

True, but watch espn is different than ESPN3. They can define the terms of the k any way they want, including language that says something like if available to x percentage of cable subs (via watch espn) that achieves "national cable".



When the deal was first announced there were reports of fb games on digital network, cf,
http://sportsmediajournal.com/2013/03/19/current-big-east-and-espn-reach-rights-deal/

FOOTBALL

Complete coverage: Every conference-controlled football game will be available via a television or digital platform.

Now I'm not saying watch espn definitely counts as national cable, but there has been no lock down proof that it doesn't. I don't believe there exists a quote out there from aresco, or a release from espn or the aac/big east that says "90% of conference controlled games will appear only on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, or ABC" without the qualifier "national cable".

Now aresco is a tv guy. As you stated, either he is being honest or is deceiving us, but in my opinion the deception could be more subtle than outright lying. More like snookered.

1. ESPN3 and WatchESPN are not television
2. The reports of the contract listed ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU + subbed licenses to NBCSPorts and Fox.
3. Aresco differentiated between the ESPNs and ESPN3

 

[whaler11]

True, but watch espn is different than ESPN3. They can define the terms of the k any way they want, including language that says something like if available to x percentage of cable subs (via watch espn) that achieves "national cable".



When the deal was first announced there were reports of fb games on digital network, cf,
http://sportsmediajournal.com/2013/03/19/current-big-east-and-espn-reach-rights-deal/

FOOTBALL

Complete coverage: Every conference-controlled football game will be available via a television or digital platform.

Now I'm not saying watch espn definitely counts as national cable, but there has been no lock down proof that it doesn't. I don't believe there exists a quote out there from aresco, or a release from espn or the aac/big east that says "90% of conference controlled games will appear only on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, or ABC" without the qualifier "national cable".

Now aresco is a tv guy. As you stated, either he is being honest or is deceiving us, but in my opinion the deception could be more subtle than outright lying. More like snookered.

If it turns out he is playing a semantic game and you are right he'll end up in trouble in the long run. Personally I think everyone needs to put ESPNU in their favorites, as that is where you'll find the vast majority of games.

If he had hard counts for ABC, ESPN and ESPN too I imagine he would share unless they are brutal. The Big East had at least a minimum on ABC for football.

 

[upstater]

True, but watch espn is different than ESPN3. They can define the terms of the k any way they want, including language that says something like if available to x percentage of cable subs (via watch espn) that achieves "national cable".

When the deal was first announced there were reports of fb games on digital network, cf,
http://sportsmediajournal.com/2013/03/19/current-big-east-and-espn-reach-rights-deal/

FOOTBALL

Complete coverage: Every conference-controlled football game will be available via a television or digital platform.

Now I'm not saying watch espn definitely counts as national cable, but there has been no lock down proof that it doesn't. I don't believe there exists a quote out there from aresco, or a release from espn or the aac/big east that says "90% of conference controlled games will appear only on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, or ABC" without the qualifier "national cable".

Now aresco is a tv guy. As you stated, either he is being honest or is deceiving us, but in my opinion the deception could be more subtle than outright lying. More like snookered.

When he says television, I'm assuming he means television, especially when he's distinguishing it from espn3. I can't see how watchESPN is television.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

As Whaler has said repeatedly, the majority of our conference games will be on ESPNU. Not that hard to follow.

I imagine UConn hoops will be featured prominently on the CBS deal for hoops and will probably still have our fair share of hoop vs. Cinci, Memphis, Temple and maybe the Florida schools on ESPN/2, but it sure seems like it's going to be SNY/ESPNU for football.

It sucks compared to what were used to but at least it's not NBC Sports or ESPN3.

 

[upstater]

As Whaler has said repeatedly, the majority of our conference games will be on ESPNU. Not that hard to follow.

So, you guys know this?

Let me ask you this: if the AAC is good enough for 12 Saturdays on CBS nationally, why isn't it good enough to be on ESPN2 say 66% of the time?

The ratings for ESPN (never mind 2) are similar to CBS ratings.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

So, you guys know this?

Let me ask you this: if the AAC is good enough for 12 Saturdays on CBS nationally, why isn't it good enough to be on ESPN2 say 66% of the time?

The ratings for ESPN (never mind 2) are similar to CBS ratings.

Because there's really only 12 basketball games worth watching to a national audience in this conference in a given year?

I think well be fine, but there's no way the CUSA filler games ever make it on the Big networks.

 

[upstater]

Because there's really only 12 basketball games worth watching to a national audience in this conference in a given year?

I think well be fine, but there's no way the CUSA filler games ever make it on the Big networks.

So, ESPN is giving CBS all of its good games?

Let's cut to the nitty gritty: UConn versus USF... what channel? UConn versus Cincy? UConn versus Temple? UConn versus Houston?

 

[ConnHuskBask]

So, ESPN is giving CBS all of its good games?

Let's cut to the nitty gritty: UConn versus USF... what channel? UConn versus Cincy? UConn versus Temple? UConn versus Houston?

Well, we played USF twice last season and it was on SNY and ESPNU.
UConn vs. Temple could be CBS/ESPN.
UConn vs. Houston is ESPNU/SNY.

I could be wrong, but I was under the impression the CBS games included out of conference games, like UConn vs. Florida type game this season.

UConn, Temple, Memphis and Cinci basketball will still be featured nationally, but Houston, SMU, ECU are not. Very simple.

 

[upstater]

Well, we played USF twice last season and it was on SNY and ESPNU.
UConn vs. Temple could be CBS/ESPN.
UConn vs. Houston is ESPNU/SNY.

I could be wrong, but I was under the impression the CBS games included out of conference games, like UConn vs. Florida type game this season.

UConn, Temple, Memphis and Cinci basketball will still be featured nationally, but Houston, SMU, ECU are not. Very simple.

CBS is 6 conference, 6 OOC.

Since the basketball contract starts this year, we'll get to see what it's going to be like right away.

UConn-USF was on ESPNU and SNY also because UConn had been on for so many other conference games during the year. Can't show UConn each week. This year, the UConn-USF game will be one of the more competitive games and may get onto 2.

 

[Husky25]

Just got a new laptop for work and it has a HDMI port. Bring on ESPN3. No more PlayOn for this sports fan!!!