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Interesting article here...this will definitely have an impact in the next round of realignment. Not having DirecTV is a big problem for the P12 network, not sure how they havent worked that out already.


"The money is quite a bit less, too. Published reports peg the payouts to each member school at $1.5 million a year for the Pac-12 Networks, versus $7.5 million per school for those involved with the SEC Network. The Big Ten Network pays out even more, according to industry sources."

http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article ... 910339.php

Not surprised. Multiple PAC 12 schools report losing money, especially WSU. Proof that P5 membership is NOT a guarantee of making money.

The entertainment product (college football) as a whole would be better off if the P5 collectively bargained as an all inclusive unit. Instead each conference fights each other for every dollar.

Supreme Court precedent held that that would likely constitute an anti-trust violation and that TV rights are owned by the schools. See Oklahoma/Georgia v NCAA

I'm no expert on sports media. . . but it seems to me that the combination of massive saturation plus massive cord cutting is going to be devastating for all of college sports. Its an untenable situation long term.

exactly - there is quite a bit of whistling past the graveyard going on in college sports right now.

look at all of Disney's latest public releases. ESPN is killing them. They are not going to go from that, to bidding up for college sports content

Thanks for pointing that at Stallion. Guess my point doesn't really matter.

ESPN subscribers definitely took a hit over the past several years. I wouldn't write them off just yet. All the cord cutter (and I'm included) have more options available to them than ever before. But almost all those options have ESPN as a major part of their packages. I'm talking about Sling, PS Vue, DirecTV's version, HULU's upcoming version, Googles upcoming version, etc. They are also working on the production side, or so I've read, so they will be less reliant on distribution for profitability.

1983 Cotton Bowl wrote:I'm no expert on sports media. . . but it seems to me that the combination of massive saturation plus massive cord cutting is going to be devastating for all of college sports. Its an untenable situation long term.

I agree 100%.

But what this also shows is that a one-size fits all model doesn't apply to college athletics. People in Birmingham, AL, Oxford, MS, Clemson, SC, College Station, TX and Columbus, OH simply care a HELL of lot more about college sports -especially football - than places like Pullman, WA, Bloomington, IN or Portland, OR. It's like any other product - it's regional and depends on the culture.

When SMU-TCU outdraws USC on a given Saturday like last year, yeah - I would say the PAC is in trouble.

It is just shocking the networks haven't been able to crack DirecTV now that ATT owns DirecTV. Idiotic actually.

DanFreibergerForHeisman wrote:It is just shocking the networks haven't been able to crack DirecTV now that ATT owns DirecTV. Idiotic actually.

Especially since AT&T is a major sponsor of the Pac-12. However, positions on both sides are entrenched so there would have to be a major change for a breakthrough to occur.

I would imagine playing games on the Pacific time zone really hurts. Many of these games are on when the East Coast is going to bed. Always hoped SMU and Houston additions would help the problem, but just wishful thinking.

Easy button:

PAC 12 adds two Central Time Zone teams, one in Dallas and another in Houston. BTW, Rice is more appealing academically that UH, IMHO.

Easier button:

Sit tight until B12 implodes. Poach Texas and either BYU or TCU/Texas Tech.

Easiest Button: Get in first, then allow Houston to 'ball' Texas from membership!