The Blue Board

http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/dollars/post/_/id/705/

Thursday, May 10, 2012
College TV rights deals undergo makeovers

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By Kristi Dosh

The Atlantic Coast Conference’s television contract extension with ESPN, announced Wednesday, is the first of three major conference deals expected to be finalized in the next few months.

The ACC contract was extended after the addition of new members Syracuse University and the University of Pittsburgh last September. The shifting of schools as part of conference realignment also led to changes in the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference that has those existing deals in play, too.

RIGHTS AND TIERS -- AN EXPLANATION
First-tier rights are for football and/or basketball games broadcast nationally.

Second-tier rights are for football and/or basketball games not selected by the first-tier rights holder.

Third-tier rights are any games not selected by the first- or second-tier rights holders and rights for all sports other than football and basketball. These rights are often sold on a per-school basis (not negotiated by the conference as a whole) and often go to regional networks (Comcast Sports Southeast, Raycom, or SportsNet New York, for example). They can also be reserved for networks like the Big Ten Network and the Texas Longhorn Network.

Deals are now being done for multiple tiers, though. For example, the Pac-12's new deal with ESPN and FOX covers first- and second-tier rights. And the ACC's deal covers football, men's and women's basketball, Olympic sports and all conference championship games. Basically, it's an all-inclusive package with a sublicensing arrangement in place with Raycom for games not broadcast by ESPN.

The ACC deal is worth $3.6 billion over the next 15 years, according to The Associated Press. That puts the ACC behind only the Big Ten and Pac-12 in terms of the average revenue per school, per year by one measure (viewing all current contracts divided between conferences’ 2012-13 membership.)

SportsBusiness Daily has reported the Big 12 has verbally agreed to a new contract with ESPN and FOX for its first-tier rights for $2.6 billion over 13 years. That would bring the per-year average for the Big 12 to $200 million and the per-school, per-year average to $20 million. The SEC is expected to reopen its contract talks with ESPN following the addition of Missouri and Texas A&M.

ESPN had no comment on any of the deals, which vary in what slate of rights are included, but a spokesman did say that the network is in regular contact with its business partners.

With all of the shuffling and extensions, it can be hard to keep up. Here’s a listing, according to information from The Associated Press, SportsBusiness Daily, SportsBusiness Journal and Adweek, of where things stand now. The Big 12 extension is not included because it has not been finalized. Also, per-year averages and per-school, per-year averages are straight averages and do not take into account actual variances by year as stipulated in individual contracts.

BIG12

First-tier rights: $480 million, ESPN, eight years through 2015-16
Second-tier rights: $1.17 billion, FOX, 13 years through 2024-25
Per-year average: $150 million
Per-school, per-year average: $15 million

PAC-12

First- and second-tier rights: $3 billion, ESPN/FOX, 12 years through 2023-24
Per-year average: $250 million
Per-school, per-year average: $20.8 million

SEC

First-tier rights: $825 million, CBS, 15 years through 2023-24
Second-tier rights: $2.25 billion, ESPN, 15 years through 2023-24
Per-year average: $205 million
Per-school, per-year average: $14.6 million

BIG TEN

First-tier rights: $1 billion, ESPN, 10 years through 2016-17
Second-tier rights: $2.8 billion, Big Ten Network, 25 years through 2031-32
Select basketball rights (minimum of 24 games, men’s tournament semifinal and championship games): $72 million, CBS, six years through 2016-17
Football championship game: $145 million, FOX, six years through 2016
Per-year average: $248.2 million
Per-school, per-year average: $20.7 million

ACC

First-, second- and third-tier rights: $3.6 billion, ESPN, 15 years through 2026-27
Per-year average: $240 million
Per-school, per-year average: $17.1 million

BIG EAST

First-tier rights: $200 million, ESPN , six years for basketball through 2012-13; seven years for football through 2013-14
Second-tier rights: Basketball, $54 million, CBS, six years through 2012-13

Some important notes:

• No per-year average or per-school, per-year average has been calculated for the Big East, because it does not make public its revenue-sharing method between basketball-only members, football-only members and full members.

• A number of these contracts have escalator clauses, including the Pac-12 contract. In the early years of that contract, it will be $180 million per year (or $15 million per school) and in the later years it escalates, according to statements made by Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott via conference call following the contract’s announcement.

• Deals for third-tier rights vary by conference. Some third-tier rights are bundled by conferences and sold to regional networks while others are retained by schools and sold individually to local or regional networks. For example, Pac-12 schools have pledged their third-tier rights to the upcoming Pac-12 Network, while the University of Texas has granted third-tier rights to The Longhorn Network, a partnership between ESPN, IMG and the university.

You seem to have strong opinions despite being woefully uninformed.

If the Big 12, Big 10, Pac 12, SEC and ACC conference champions all go undefeated, you believe the ACC conference champion won't be on the outside? Hell, the undefeated ACC champ wouldn't even be a lock to get in over 1 loss teams from the 4 big conferences.

Love how people are saying VT offers a "big time game" but WVU "might" be, depending on how they are that season. VT has always been WVU's little brother. Nothing will change that.

Texas
OU
WVU
FSU
KSU
Clemson

FSU
Clemson
VT
Miami(soon to be dead)
UNC? Who is the 5th best football program? Maybe GT?

Which group looks more attractive? Now that is if the initial reports of Clemson and FSU coming together. I still don't know where these Louisville rumors are coming from.

And I saw someone mention better markets. Uh..... How did that go for the ACC when they were negotiating the worst contract they could have possibly gotten? Markets only get you so far. If people don't watch.... well? Nobody watches Pitt. Nobody watches Syracuse. Nobody watches BC. Nobody watches Wake Forest. Nobody watches Virginia. Nobody watches Maryland. Good markets? Sure, but nobody in that market cares about college football.

The Big 12 is going the way of the SEC. I'm not comparing the two SEC fans, don't get your panties in a wad. They are going after good programs that make good match ups. How many big markets are the SEC in? Hardly any, yet they make the most money, they get the best ratings, and they get most of the press. Why? Because of good programs that make good match ups that people want to watch.

The numbers for each conference are listed above.

How many times since 2000 has an ACC team finished in the top 4?

Just like WVU had always been Pitt's little brother and nothing would change that?

Kansas State doesn't have a football program. They having an amazing coach who is likely too retire pretty soon and will probably drop off tremendously after he does so.

You will began to see Maryland recruit at a very high level, the NCAA most likely won't have the balls to do anything too serious to Miami, Pitt will always pull in touted local recruits

Are you serious with this question? The whole point in moving is to make more money. The Big 12 would probably offer more than twice the revenue of the ACC.

You are the one claiming they would be left out of the playoff if they stayed in the ACC. Your statement was assinine. Once again, would FSU have finished in the top 4 if they were in the B12 since 2000? If the ACC is an easier conference then they should have a better chance of going undefeated in the ACC.

Are you retarded? Go read my posts again.

Holy shit, are you this stupid?

Yes, listing the actual numbers is stupid. Better to go by what homers on a message board are claiming.