Notre Dame targeting $75 million annual media rights payout in quest to remain independent (Dodd)

[huskymedic]

The squueeeezzzze….

->Notre Dame would remain independent if it can earn at least $75 million annually in media rights revenue from current broadcast partner NBC, sources told CBS Sports. The Fighting Irish's deal with the network is set to expire in 2025.

For NBC to feel comfortable raising Notre Dame's valuation to such a level, it is seeking "shoulder programming" from a Power Five conference to enhance its college football coverage.

When that had previously been speculated, the Big Ten was the conference mentioned most often as a target. However, the Big 12 has emerged as a strong option to fill NBC's shoulder programming needs. <-

 

[ScottVib]

Dodd must have a Big 12 source feeding him a lot of wishful thinking...

He has already blown the whole Big 12 expansion imminent story two weeks ago (and his Phil Knight article was still pushing a pro-Big 12 agenda). Now he's publishing speculation on a rights deal that the outgoing commissioner of the Big 12 hasn't heard of (and what is he supposed to say other than "yeah, it would make sense for NBC to bid on our rights").

 

[huskymedic]

^^^

 

[Chin Diesel]

Call me crazy, but I don't see Notre Dame wanting to be associated with Big12 conference games via NBC promotions.

 

[Urcea]

I believe UConn's schedule is open and available for NBC's consideration

 

[Ldandy]

Call me crazy, but I don't see Notre Dame wanting to be associated with Big12 conference games via NBC promotions.

Its amazing the ends that ND will appear to go to in order to preserve the absurd notion of being independent. Its 2022. Nobody cares anymore. You're contractually obligated to play 5 games against the ACC. You're now going to have to add a few more games from a less than desirable mix of Big 12 Teams to your schedule as well. How is that being independent? If this is an attempt to stay out of the clutches of the evil B1G who are you actually hurting? Geography, academics, rivalries, and money are all wildly tilted towards joining The B1G with Stanford no less. That said these geniuses would rather play Texas Tech and Oklahoma State for 30 million less per year. Wow.

 

[shizzle787]

Its amazing the ends that ND will appear to go to in order to preserve the absurd notion of being independent. Its 2022. Nobody cares anymore. You're contractually obligated to play 5 games against the ACC. You're now going to have to add a few more games from a less than desirable mix of Big 12 Teams to your schedule as well. How is that being independent? If this is an attempt to stay out of the clutches of the evil B1G who are you actually hurting? Geography, academics, rivalries, and money are all wildly tilted towards joining The B1G with Stanford no less. That said these geniuses would rather play Texas Tech and Oklahoma State for 30 million less per year. Wow.

Lol. Nobody said anything about them playing Big 12 teams. The Big 12 would have games after the ND game.

 

[CL82]

Its amazing the ends that ND will appear to go to in order to preserve the absurd notion of being independent. Its 2022. Nobody cares anymore. You're contractually obligated to play 5 games against the ACC. You're now going to have to add a few more games from a less than desirable mix of Big 12 Teams to your schedule as well. How is that being independent? If this is an attempt to stay out of the clutches of the evil B1G who are you actually hurting? Geography, academics, rivalries, and money are all wildly tilted towards joining The B1G with Stanford no less. That said these geniuses would rather play Texas Tech and Oklahoma State for 30 million less per year. Wow.

If they can take in 75 million as an independent, why wouldn’t they?

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Chin Diesel]

Except ESPN knows those Saturday 9pm east coast start times are ratings killers.

If ESPN goes big on the Pac12 for programming you can bet there will be plenty of 12:00 pacific start times. Or, the remaining schools in mountain time will have 11:00am starts and pacific times will be 2:00pm starts.

 

[Kolumbo]

If they can take in 75 million as an independent, why wouldn’t they?

Because A. ND could supposedly bank a lot more by joining the B1G and 2. ND really isn't independent anyway. That said, I don't know how much stock to put in all these figures being floated.

 

[goldendomer]

Personally I am excited for the destabilizing force that a new 75 million dollar contract will bring to the ACC.

I am not an ACC fan...

 

[CL82]

Because A. ND could supposedly bank a lot more by joining the B1G and 2. ND really isn't independent anyway. That said, I don't know how much stock to put in all these figures being floated.

Oh, the numbers are all horseshit, but if they are getting 75 million from their NBC deal they could make up most of the $25 million differential from other sources

 

[TheDrifter75]

I'm not saying it will go one way or another, however, the way I read it the 75m is simply the number they are looking at to stay independent. If they wanted what one of the power conferences were paying then they would have joined already.

 

[Billy Jack]

If they can take in 75 million as an independent, why wouldn’t they?

Because the money is only half the equation. The other half is relevance. We are headed for a college football world in which the B1G and the SEC control access to national championship competition. They are offering ND a ticket to the party. If ND declines, then they are dooming themselves to irrelevance. If you’re irrelevant, then the money eventually dries up too.

I agree with @ScottVib that Dodds is carrying the Big XII’s water. ND would be very foolish to turn this down. Money is always temporary. You have to adapt with changing times.

 

[ScottVib]

To be clear... I don't doubt that NBC may well pay Notre Dame an absurd amount. I doubt highly the notion the Big XII is the coveted follow-on content to make the numbers work. Well damn, we have to pay Notre Dame $75M... to make that work, we've also got to come up with the money to show that UCF @ TCU matchup at 4pm.

Add to the fact that the current Big XII commissioner hasn't heard of interest from NBC but says it would "make sense" and you've got all the hallmarks of a report provided by a Big XII contact immediately published without any other corroborating evidence (or confirmation). From the Big XII it's the best case scenario.. use Dodd to seed information that the conference is operating from a stronger position than it truly is with respect to the Pac-10 fall-out.... now seed information that new bidders may be interested in the Big XII deal (with a dual benefit of trying to bluff their way into a better offer on the next deal), as you again attempt to project conference strength, for a conference whose greatest asset is "stability" (in that no team remaining within it is desirable to the top two conferences).

 

[huskymedic]

 

[CL82]

Because the money is only half the equation. The other half is relevance. We are headed for a college football world in which the B1G and the SEC control access to national championship competition. They are offering ND a ticket to the party. If ND declines, then they are dooming themselves to irrelevance. If you’re irrelevant, then the money eventually dries up too.

I agree with @ScottVib that Dodds is carrying the Big XII’s water. ND would be very foolish to turn this down. Money is always temporary. You have to adapt with changing times.

Fair point. Yet no one had managed CR better than ND, they may feel comfortable that they won’t be voted off the island.

 

[TerryD]

Its amazing the ends that ND will appear to go to in order to preserve the absurd notion of being independent. Its 2022. Nobody cares anymore. You're contractually obligated to play 5 games against the ACC. You're now going to have to add a few more games from a less than desirable mix of Big 12 Teams to your schedule as well. How is that being independent? If this is an attempt to stay out of the clutches of the evil B1G who are you actually hurting? Geography, academics, rivalries, and money are all wildly tilted towards joining The B1G with Stanford no less. That said these geniuses would rather play Texas Tech and Oklahoma State for 30 million less per year. Wow.

If ND can get that kind of money with an independent deal with NBC, then it doesn't have to pay a dime to the ACC to get that.

Everything else stays the same. ND would get around $90-95 million a year (with ACC partial payment and ACC Network full share) and no legal fees, exit fees, GOR buyout, etc..

Then, the clock continues to tick/wind down on the ACC GOR and other contracts and ND is still sitting there, with options (unless the Big Ten or SEC won't want them then, a risk ND is willing to take).

 

[SubbaBub]

Independence is what keeps ND from becoming Nebraska or Miami.

They will need enough NIL money and access to the CFB with 1 loss. Take away either and they join up, but it will always be kicking and screaming to the last.

 

[Kolumbo]

nd and nbc can both wither on the vine, with luck. it turns out the sport I tune into every year without fail is le tour. don't judge me. so I have it set to auto record and watch late night and I usually only get part of the race and miss the beginning. No biggie because I don't watch 5 hours a day, I fast forward through much of it. The deal is, nbc sports starts the broadcast on peacock which I don't think I get and switches over to USA. I'm not interested in following the media machinations but it has to be one of the worst run brands out there. good riddance.

 

[Jimdish255]

If the B1G were to grab Oregon, Washington, anyone else (Stanford, Miami, GT, UConn?) and all in on UNC watch how fast ND comes to the table. A weakened ACC is the B1G leverage and they can pull it off at any time.

 

[TerryD]

If the B1G were to grab Oregon, Washington, anyone else (Stanford, Miami, GT, UConn?) and all in on UNC watch how fast ND comes to the table. A weakened ACC is the B1G leverage and they can pull it off at any time.

Nobody is going to test the ACC GOR any time soon, not even ND (whose football program is not bound by it).

 

[CL82]

Nobody is going to test the ACC GOR any time soon, not even ND (whose football program is not bound by it).

Terry, If I recall correctly Notre Dame also made a promise that it would only join the ACC, if it joined a football conference prior to 2036. Did I get that right? What’s the remedy for that if they breach?

I totally get that they don’t anticipate joining another conference, or any conference for that matter, but I wondered what the contract said and I am too lazy to Google it.

 

[Stinger92860]

Could Fox offer ND 75-80M a year in the B1G and pay out the rest of the B1G at 60-65M? I don’t know. Would the B1G allow this. This could be the start of a tiered payment system. Would be interesting. If the math works based on advertising and I’m NBC I‘d pay ND what they are asking. There’s a lot of eyeballs on ND games and it also allows NBC to promote other NBC content.