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From the Pac-12 Twitter account:

"The 10 Pac-12 universities look forward to consummating successful media rights deal(s) in the very near future. Based upon positive conversations with multiple potential media rights partners over the past weeks, we remain highly confident in our future growth and success as a conference and united in our commitment to one another."

Feb. 13, 2023

This statement feels like it means the following: “We just lost two of our biggest member schools. We appear to be behind on our negotiations of a new media deal. There is speculation that our member schools may be further poached. So, we know things don’t look good, but we’re ok with it and stand together. We’re pretty sure.”

If I were their PR firm I’d have said, “Let’s hold off on the public statements until we have something of substance to say.”

Yeah, you probably don’t say anything at this point. Not sure it gains you anything. But I do take the statement at face value. The media rights deal has been very understandably contingent on the content provider knowing the portfolio.

Don't you think it could mean just what it says and is meant as a rebuke to the BIG12 PR machine? I think the PAC Presidents had read enough BS and decided to speak out.

What seems clear to me is Kliavkoff made a strategic miscalculation and/or listened to the wrong consultants if he believed he could get a media deal done without clarity on the lineup/product he was selling. The leak of his trip to SMU validated rumors to that effect, and may force him to bring SMU/SDSU in at a larger revenue share since everyone now knows he needs them to get the media deal done.

If the P12 presidents are wise, they'll tell Kliavkoff to stop playing around with tech companies, and stop worrying about what Sports Business Journal will say about the numbers. Net, I read the statement as them reminding everyone they are in control, and have [hopefully] established an internal timeline that they intend to enforce.

What seems clear to me is Kliavkoff made a strategic miscalculation and/or listened to the wrong consultants if he believed he could get a media deal done without clarity on the lineup/product he was selling. The leak of his trip to SMU validated rumors to that effect, and may force him to bring SMU/SDSU in at a larger revenue share since everyone now knows he needs them to get the media deal done.

If the P12 presidents are wise, they'll tell Kliavkoff to stop playing around with tech companies, and stop worrying about what Sports Business Journal will say about the final numbers. Net, I read the statement as them reminding everyone they are in control, and have [hopefully] established an internal timeline that they intend to enforce.

He definitely did that. For months all I heard was "deal needs to be in place then will add new teams". Then a few weeks ago it's like "oh, it's self evident that we first need new teams before the media deal can be completed". Ridiculousness.

I don’t know that I’d criticize a guy working hard to get us to a dream destination, especially when we really don’t know much about what’s really happening behind the scenes. By the way, one of the pay sites released a highly optimistic story about an hour ago.

ponyboy wrote:I don’t know that I’d criticize a guy working hard to get us to a dream destination, especially when we really don’t know much about what’s really happening behind the scenes. By the way, one of the pay sites released a highly optimistic story about an hour ago.

'When not if...'

DC-Pony wrote:If I were their PR firm I’d have said, “Let’s hold off on the public statements until we have something of substance to say.”

I would not. Businesses make that mistake all the time, as does SMU, which is particularly infuriating. I have managed communications through four "major" crises for several large companies. And NOT communicating is THE #1 rookie mistake.

It is simple human nature... In a vacuum of information people will tend to fill the void with the worst possible speculation.

So, the Pac12 coming out and flippin' the bird to the BigXII is probably the right thing to do, and also shows potential media partners that the conference isn't going to cave and entertain lowball proposals.

I know zero about negotiating media rights deals but if we take this at face value it repudiates the Big 12 chatterers who are working hard to create the perception that the PAC 12 is good as dead. I see very few people challenging those nabobs so for me it is slightly re-assuring to see that the 4 corners, Washington and Oregon are willing to publicly support the conference.

Webmaster wrote:

DC-Pony wrote:If I were their PR firm I’d have said, “Let’s hold off on the public statements until we have something of substance to say.”

I would not. Businesses make that mistake all the time, as does SMU, which is particularly infuriating. I have managed communications through four "major" crises for several large companies. And NOT communicating is THE #1 rookie mistake.

It is simple human nature... In a vacuum of information people will tend to fill the void with the worst possible speculation.

So, the Pac12 coming out and flippin' the bird to the BigXII is probably the right thing to do, and also shows potential media partners that the conference isn't going to cave and entertain lowball proposals.

To each his/her own. But making a statement with no action to back it up, presents an image of weakness and uncertainty. Why make a statement with no action? That is unless there is no near term possible action. In which case, why draw attention to that?

But, reasonable minds can disagree.

CBS & Turner are currently no longer involved in Pac-12’s media rights negotiations.

https://www.heartlandcollegesports.com/ ... ose-dives/

I pawned this from Prince of Purpoole II @ Killer Frogs but:

-- The over-the-air broadcasters are out (i.e., Pac 12 will not be on ABC, Fox, CBS, NBC).
-- Amazon only wants one game per week, and would want first pick.
-- ESPN would also want first pick, and wants the 'After Dark' slot for the game of the week. The rest would be put on ESPN+.
-- Yormark jumping the shark on the Big XII's deal took most of the remaining linear TV money and time slots that were left in the market off the table: That was a zero-sum game and Yormark won.
-- AppleTV is a possibility for the PAC 12, but they would also want the game that the PAC 12 needs to sell to ESPN.
-- Neither Apple nor Amazon is going to pay significantly more for these rights than ESPN or Fox would (i.e., streaming services are not some untapped source of revenue in market-changing scale).

Basically you are at a point where no realistically possible outcome for the PAC 12 is especially good and several that are very bad remain possible.

OUCH !! Don't like the sound of this.

Do not feed frogs.