Too early to worry about this, but really hoping ESPN and the Pac-12 avoid FRIDAY night broadcasts. High school games on those nights typically get local radio coverage. Moving college games to Fridays creates a conflict. Such a conflict already exists this season with OSU-UW.... the first weekend of state playoffs in Oregon.
The PAC has now solidified its position as an also ran… it’s going to be the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night filler of space…and it will be the late night option on Saturday’s… it will get the Beth Mowen’s of the espn world calling their games… this isn’t even a 3rd place finish… does anyone really believe that there’s an audience for Oregon-Colorado??? … or WSU-Cal??…and saddest part of this saga is that they did this to themselves… there’s no spinning a win here…
The bigger the playoff field, the more interest nationwide. FCS has 24-team playoff. March Madness has 68 with play-ins. With all the chaos in college football and the growing mismatch in strength of various conferences, a large playoff field is the best way to bring order--to ensure the best team wins it all--and to restore national interest in what has become a boring playoff chase. The same six or eight teams every year.
Agree with Mark Gilman about the high school games but I bet it goes in the other direction. To maximize the payout the Pac 12 will have to have both Friday and Saturday after dark windows. Who knows, maybe Thursdays too.
John, there is no Tier 1 window availability on ABC for the PAC on Saturdays. The 3:30 ET window on ABC will be SEC. The 8 PM ET window will be SEC or ACC. And of course, the PAC can't do Noon ET games. As a result, the B10 deal is not a win for the PAC as it relates to ESPN & ABC for Tier 1. It is stunning to me that you and Wilner are not picking up on this issue. The PAC and B12 both will have to rely on Fox or CBS for weekly guaranteed Tier 1 exposure on Saturdays. NBC won't spend anymore beyond ND and the B10.
The silence from Phil Knight is deafening. Where and when does he influence the ultimate decision for the Ducks specifically and the rest of the Pac 12 in general?
In 2021, ESPN lost 8 million cable and satellite subscribers, finishing with around 75 million total subscribers. That 8 million subscriber loss represented 10% of ESPN’s overall subscriber base and accelerated a calamitous decline from over 100 million subscribers just over a decade ago. The loss of those eight million subscribers will cost the network roughly a billion a year in recurring revenue across all ESPN network properties…representing the largest yearly subscriber loss in ESPN history.
ESPN’s future as a standalone cable entity is even more dire. Why? Because streaming isn’t going to save ESPN’s business either, no matter how much bragging to the contrary company executives attempt about ESPN+.
The consensus view is that ESPN will lose around 5 million subscribers a year between now and 2030ish, eventually settling at a floor of 50 million subscribers. What’s important to note is that ESPN would be losing money hand over fist if this, the consensus view, occurs. Because as ESPN’s revenue declines the amount it can afford to pay for sports rights, at least if profitability is the goal, will decline substantially too
Just 22.3 million subscribers currently have ESPN+. Many of these “subscribers” aren’t real subscribers either, they are included in rolled up bundled streaming options that are providing ESPN+ at virtually no cost. And the streaming business in general is still producing a massive deficit
Let me explain the basic math here and show you the problems that are destined to arise for ESPN in future years.
I’m just waiting until all the the BIG GUYS get through tossing their money and mouths around. I’ll be comfortably sitting on the couch waiting for Game Day.
wait for the other combatants to commit, and then counter attack. It is sound strategy, If you have a sound plan. But all plans go out the window once you get hit square in the eye. We will see.
Wouldn’t it be funny if ESPN threw a crapton of money at the PAC to lure USC and UCLA back. Just to piss off fox.
Too early to worry about this, but really hoping ESPN and the Pac-12 avoid FRIDAY night broadcasts. High school games on those nights typically get local radio coverage. Moving college games to Fridays creates a conflict. Such a conflict already exists this season with OSU-UW.... the first weekend of state playoffs in Oregon.
The PAC has now solidified its position as an also ran… it’s going to be the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night filler of space…and it will be the late night option on Saturday’s… it will get the Beth Mowen’s of the espn world calling their games… this isn’t even a 3rd place finish… does anyone really believe that there’s an audience for Oregon-Colorado??? … or WSU-Cal??…and saddest part of this saga is that they did this to themselves… there’s no spinning a win here…
The bigger the playoff field, the more interest nationwide. FCS has 24-team playoff. March Madness has 68 with play-ins. With all the chaos in college football and the growing mismatch in strength of various conferences, a large playoff field is the best way to bring order--to ensure the best team wins it all--and to restore national interest in what has become a boring playoff chase. The same six or eight teams every year.
You would think that ESPN now might like to see the Pac12/Big12 merge which would
create at nation wide conference for them to televise.
Thanks John, for keeping us abreast of these critical times for the PAC and for college football.
Agree with Mark Gilman about the high school games but I bet it goes in the other direction. To maximize the payout the Pac 12 will have to have both Friday and Saturday after dark windows. Who knows, maybe Thursdays too.
John, there is no Tier 1 window availability on ABC for the PAC on Saturdays. The 3:30 ET window on ABC will be SEC. The 8 PM ET window will be SEC or ACC. And of course, the PAC can't do Noon ET games. As a result, the B10 deal is not a win for the PAC as it relates to ESPN & ABC for Tier 1. It is stunning to me that you and Wilner are not picking up on this issue. The PAC and B12 both will have to rely on Fox or CBS for weekly guaranteed Tier 1 exposure on Saturdays. NBC won't spend anymore beyond ND and the B10.
The silence from Phil Knight is deafening. Where and when does he influence the ultimate decision for the Ducks specifically and the rest of the Pac 12 in general?
Pray God ESPN stays out of the B1G deal. I am now grinning from ear to ear.
In 2021, ESPN lost 8 million cable and satellite subscribers, finishing with around 75 million total subscribers. That 8 million subscriber loss represented 10% of ESPN’s overall subscriber base and accelerated a calamitous decline from over 100 million subscribers just over a decade ago. The loss of those eight million subscribers will cost the network roughly a billion a year in recurring revenue across all ESPN network properties…representing the largest yearly subscriber loss in ESPN history.
ESPN’s future as a standalone cable entity is even more dire. Why? Because streaming isn’t going to save ESPN’s business either, no matter how much bragging to the contrary company executives attempt about ESPN+.
The consensus view is that ESPN will lose around 5 million subscribers a year between now and 2030ish, eventually settling at a floor of 50 million subscribers. What’s important to note is that ESPN would be losing money hand over fist if this, the consensus view, occurs. Because as ESPN’s revenue declines the amount it can afford to pay for sports rights, at least if profitability is the goal, will decline substantially too
Just 22.3 million subscribers currently have ESPN+. Many of these “subscribers” aren’t real subscribers either, they are included in rolled up bundled streaming options that are providing ESPN+ at virtually no cost. And the streaming business in general is still producing a massive deficit
Let me explain the basic math here and show you the problems that are destined to arise for ESPN in future years.
https://www.outkick.com/espn-lost-8-million-subscribers-in-2021-10-of-its-overall-subscriber-base/
I’m just waiting until all the the BIG GUYS get through tossing their money and mouths around. I’ll be comfortably sitting on the couch waiting for Game Day.
John,
1. Does this $1.23B include all league bball rights as well as football?
2. Will bowl games and football playoff games bring in additional revenues?
3. Will the ncaa basketball tournament also bring additional coin to the beloved coffers of our schools?
Is ABCs deal with the SEC exclusive? Can the Pac12 get in ABC? I'm not clear what the arrangement is.
wait for the other combatants to commit, and then counter attack. It is sound strategy, If you have a sound plan. But all plans go out the window once you get hit square in the eye. We will see.
who do you want to see possibly join the PAC-12?