This is not really true. The reality of media in 2019 is that the cable companies are losing subscribers to streaming services like Hulu, YouTube, etc. In 10 years I don’t think the cable tv market will look anything like what it is today. If Aresco was smart he went to streaming services like Hulu and YouTube or even someone like Amazon and kicked the tires only if to drive the price up. If you don’t think this scares the hell out of ESPN, think again. Amazon and some of these other companies can throw way more money at content than ESPN can. And yes I realize the argument that ESPN still provides the best exposure to the conference and they have their own streaming service. I don’t think ESPN wants to open the floodgates or even let these other streaming services taste the product, so here’s hoping Aresco negotiated well and bumped up the price. If you’re ESPN you also have to realize that there are 3-4 schools in the AAC that are worth $30 M/year if the conference breaks up and they get pulled into P5 conferences. I would imagine they have to realize they’re saving $$ by locking the conference in to a mediocre media deal (like I said I think it’ll be between $10-14M/ year per school) vs. paying more for just a fraction of the schools. My point is, it’s in ESPN’s best interest to keep the AAC together vs. having it picked apart. The only way that happens is with a good enough media deal that teams will sign a GOR.