New AAC TV deal provides more money to ECU, but also challenges

[huskymedic]

Not really new but it does shed some light on the $$/contractual requirements.

New AAC TV deal provides more money to ECU, but also challenges

>>As in past years, all football games will be handled by the AAC/ESPN and broadcasted on one of the main ESPN networks - ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN3 (or CBS Sports Network, which is part of a smaller agreement) - and both the men’s and women’s basketball teams are each guaranteed two home games on a major ESPN network as well where ECU won’t have to handle production costs.

But, for every basketball game that’s not picked up by ESPN, ESPN2, or ESPNU, East Carolina will be responsible for hiring the talent and producing the game on its own on ESPN3 or ESPN+, whichever channel the league and ESPN decides to place it on. With ECU’s basketball program currently struggling, the likelihood of many games inside Minges Coliseum being picked up in the near future seem slim. The new subscription channel ESPN+ currently costs $4.99 per month for fans to watch. ESPN3 is a streaming channel that’s part of most people’s cable package.

Outside of football, ECU must broadcast around 45 games on its own during the first year of the new television deal, per the terms of the agreement.

East Carolina athletics director Jon Gilbert said each broadcast will cost the athletic department around $6,500-$7,500 to hire announcers and a production crew. Multiplied by 45, that’s more than $300,000 annually spent on broadcasting games that wasn’t on the books previously.

Pirate baseball and women’s basketball games, among other events, are currently streamed online on ECUPirates.com with the radio announcers dubbed over top of the in-house production, but that will no longer be allowed on ESPN+ and ESPN3, per ESPN’s broadcast standards. ECU must hire outside, neutral talent and deliver a TV-like broadcast.

ECU is also having to construct a new broadcast control room that will cost around $1 million in time for the 2020-21 academic year.<<

 

[CTMike]

Lol

 

[BFieldHusky]

"

 

[JMick]

"

lol

 

[noeynox]

They'll probably get more money.

 

[Exit 4]

Storrs South having some fun

 

[CL82]

They'll probably get more money.

It wouldn't surprise me.

Of course it also wouldn't surprise if the per school distribution remained the same but the number of games to be broadcast on the main ESPN networks dropped, perhaps coupled with an extension of term so that the "billion dollar deal" verbiage remained.

 

[Exit 4]

It wouldn't surprise me.

Of course it also wouldn't surprise if the per school distribution remained the same but the number of games to be broadcast on the main ESPN networks dropped, perhaps coupled with an extension of term so that the "billion dollar deal" verbiage remained.

Yeah, now its a 15 year $1B contract!!!

 

[CL82]

Yeah, now its a 15 year $1B contract!!!

20 year?

 

[LBird33]

That contract was not good for us lol

 

[ZooCougar]

Yeah right, ESPN will let them get more money for less content. They won’t let that happen unless the AAC bridges that gap and then some.

 

[huskymedic]

>>The renegotiation is likely to hinge on the perceived value of the UConn brand relative to the rest of the geographically disparate conference. Aresco downplayed UConn’s significance to the deal, pointing out its lack of success in football, the most-viewed college sport in the country.

“We’re still very powerful,” Aresco said at the forum. “UConn was a struggling football brand, so if anything our football might even be a bit stronger.”

He added, “We’re not worried at all about the value we’re providing to ESPN, even with 11 schools.”

ESPN, however, considered UConn basketball — particularly the historically dominant women’s program — a blue-chip asset. In fact, a person with knowledge of the talks said ESPN had actually negotiated to increase the number of UConn women’s games it could air in 2020 prior to news of the school’s departure. The network has previously sublicensed some of the team’s games from Fox Sports.<<

 

[noeynox]

"We don't have flagship state institutions, we call ourselves P6".

That makes no goshdarn sense.

 

[huskymedic]

"We don't have flagship state institutions, we call ourselves P6".

That makes no goshdarn sense.

 

[CL82]

“We’re still very powerful,” Aresco said at the forum. “UConn was a struggling football brand, so if anything our football might even be a bit stronger.”

He added, “We’re not worried at all about the value we’re providing to ESPN, even with 11 schools.”

Mike Aresco not mad not worried.

 

[UConnDan97]

The whole thing is LOL.

Anyone questioning our departure to join the Big East should join this thread immediately...

 

[Chin Diesel]

Wouldn't it be normal somewhere in the negotiation for AAC officials to have gotten a team by team, program by program breakdown of what ESPN was paying the AAC?

This is way outside my specialty but having had to bid a few proposals and viewed some contracts with multiple it would seem odd for the AAC office to just get a check from ESPN without knowing how the individuals teams added up to the final total.

 

[Hoophound]

While ESPN clearly found value in UConn, they likely won’t hit the AAC too hard. I’ve said all along, UConn or not, the AAC is providing compelling programming for pennies on the dollar. Yes, not having the UConn basketball programs hurts them, but ESPN needs the programming with or without us. I think ESPN will recognize that if they pay the AAC much less, the schools won’t field compelling programs for much longer. They seem to have hit a sweet spot with the Texas and Florida schools along with Cincy and Memphis where they will pay coaches just enough to stay a step ahead of everyone else. If they slash the pay, things will get interesting behind the scenes. Maybe some other schools look at their options as Indy football programs.

 

[gampelcrazies]

While ESPN clearly found value in UConn, they likely won’t hit the AAC too hard. I’ve said all along, UConn or not, the AAC is providing compelling programming for pennies on the dollar. Yes, not having the UConn basketball programs hurts them, but ESPN needs the programming with or without us. I think ESPN will recognize that if they pay the AAC much less, the schools won’t field compelling programs for much longer. They seem to have hit a sweet spot with the Texas and Florida schools along with Cincy and Memphis where they will pay coaches just enough to stay a step ahead of everyone else. If they slash the pay, things will get interesting behind the scenes. Maybe some other schools look at their options as Indy football programs.

It probably won't hurt them $$$ wise but it will change the contract terms. ESPN isn't going to put the same amount of Mens/Womens basketball games on flagship stations like ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNNEWS without UConn. You probably won't see any AAC women's games on those stations and will probably see less men's games.

 

[Hoophound]

It probably won't hurt them $$$ wise but it will change the contract terms. ESPN isn't going to put the same amount of Mens/Womens basketball games on flagship stations like ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNNEWS without UConn. You probably won't see any AAC women's games on those stations and will probably see less men's games.

Good point. At the same time, I don’t think any AAC schools care. It is all about football in the AAC. The good basketball schools will get on tv all the time as a result of us leaving. Memphis, Cincy maybe Temple and Houston, they should get some exposure.

Anyway, I am more and more feeling that 5 years from now, we will be in a much better place and most of the AAC schools will not. I think we are on to something here.

 

[gampelcrazies]

Good point. At the same time, I don’t think any AAC schools care. It is all about football in the AAC. The good basketball schools will get on tv all the time as a result of us leaving. Memphis, Cincy maybe Temple and Houston, they should get some exposure.

Anyway, I am more and more feeling that 5 years from now, we will be in a much better place and most of the AAC schools will not. I think we are on to something here.

True. But if what I'm saying happens it will cost the schools more because they will have to produce those games.

Also, I'm with you. As time goes on I have a feeling others are going to use our model.

 

[Husky25]

What it will indicate in this " Football, football, it's all about football," media landscape is that it real may not be.

Basketball has some pull, particularly in the NYC market. Subscribers in the 5 boroughs may get ESPN+, but it wasn't gonna be because of football.

Both parties overplayed their, respective hands (and they weren't king high straight flushes to begin with). We are about to see which one did it by more.

 

[CL82]

UConn’s name recognition supported the American through its early years. How much it still does we are about to find out.

 

[billybud]

Football seems to be a tougher sell outside the P5...

 

[Slasher]

I think the total contract value may fall, but if the schools are still taking home as much as before (remember they're splitting 11 ways now) then it's not that big a deal for the AAC teams. I think ESPN is definitely upset they won't have UConn women anymore, but they didn't want to pay for it either.