If in fact this deal encompasses a substantial streaming component the delay could be due to the uniqueness of the deal. The PAC and whatever other partner involved would be breaking new contractual ground here. Could be contributing to this delay.
Feb 13, 2023·edited Feb 14, 2023Liked by John Canzano
There is no spinning a pause in a deal negotiation because your product isn't clearing market at an acceptable rate, and you need to retool your lineup/team. If everyone wants it to happen, it will still happen, but GK oughta be leery of getting cute with unproven media partners just to try and make the outcome look less bad. He has created a credibility wound that no feasible outcome will fix, so he'd be wise to get it done and try to restore his stature another way.
It would be a travesty to lose the Conference of Champions. As a UW alum it's enticing to wish for Oregon and UW to make the leap to the Big 10, but challenging on so many levels.
Also (in my limited capacity of a brain) why wouldn't UNLV be on the list? It's a large market and only getting exponentially larger. There is a vast sea of money in that town. Fans travel to LV. Although the school is not to the level of a Pac 10 school - I would argue neither was Utah. And Utah has become a prominent player in the conference today.
I think this is a well-timed message. I've been digesting all the news I can get on the topic of Pac-12 expansion and survival for the past several days. Since the Big 12 announced the early exits of Texas and Oklahoma, the Big 12 commissioner has been jumping up and down about how they are about to expand to 16 teams and the Pac-12 is where they are going shopping. His media allies have been parroting that narrative non-stop. YouTubers, podcasters at twits are pushing the Pac-12 destruction narrative, too. In the past several days I have read the following in no particular order:
1. The Big 12 is in serious talks with the four corners schools (ASU, Arizona, Utah, Colorado)
2. Arizona State is very unhappy and will probably be the first to bolt.
3. The Pac-12 media negotiations are a disaster and each school will get $7 million less than the Big 12 schools got with their media deal.
4. Oregon and Washington are on the table to move to the Big 12 as well.
5. The Big 12 outflanked the Pac-12.
6. Brett Yormark outsmarted George Kliavkoff.
7. George Kliavkoff "overpromised" the Pac-12 presidents what he could get for each school.
8. The recent meeting of the Pac-12 presidents was a total disaster. Two schools wanted bigger pieces of the pie.
John, I have relied on your reporting to comfort my nerves. I don't believe these poorly-sourced rumors from the Big 12 media types. But they are difficult to read, nontheless.
I for one appreciate the announcement from the Pac-12.
The entire media world missed the USC/UCLA departure story until about a day before the announcement. I expect we'll learn of the new TV contract on a similar timetable (even though that is far more positive news to leak).
The league has now gone on record saying something is close. That's a positive. I'd love to see the Pac-12 sign a rights deal that's superior to the Big 12, and tell that league to back the h*** off.
And I still think SDSU and UNLV are the best candidates for expansion, in about 2025. Keep the league's footprint completely in the West (or Mountain West). Not friggin' Texas.
John ~ what seems to be overlooked here is the big change in Disney and how “”new” CEO Iger views ESPN. He clearly doesn’t see it as necessary for the growth of Disney. He has not only changed the ESPN management structure but has spun it off to a step child status. I wonder if it is possible for anyone to successfully negotiate with the new ESPN today. Many new people now in charge with a boss saying make it more profitable or I will sell it.
Get a deal done. Amen! Until a deal is finalized talking, positive and negative is cheap.
Leaving Fresno and UNLV 'unguarded is IMO a mistake, Adding only 1 school in the central time zone is a mistake. UTSA resides in a terrific and untapped market. Tulane brings a decent-sized market with New Orleans and also has respectable academics.
But I think it today's day and age of CFB/CBB money trumps academics.
"Invest your energy elsewhere" is insulting. I would say keep investing your energy exactly here, JC. These topics matter to us fans and alumni a helluva lot and 4 Corners dude should understand that. And keep his or her advice on how media should conduct their business to themselves.
Losing the LA schools is akin to the movie and TV industry losing Hollywood. Our prestige as Power 5 conference has taken a huge hit. So like any other industry, you rebuild based on potential markets and try not to make the same idiotic mistakes that got you here. There is not another LA TV marketplace in America. Take the growing markets of San Diego, Las Vegas, Dallas-Ft. worth and the Fresno-Sacramento valley.
If in fact this deal encompasses a substantial streaming component the delay could be due to the uniqueness of the deal. The PAC and whatever other partner involved would be breaking new contractual ground here. Could be contributing to this delay.
John, I do love your commitment to being the finger on the pulse here. Sourced and accurate. Thank you.
I fall in the SHOW ME category. Nothing to report until there is something to report.
Everything I hear coming out of the BIG12 media types is mostly opinion and hearsay. Unfortunately most can't differentiate between that and news.
John, your energy and rock turning on this very important topic is certainly appreciated by this subscriber, thank you
“The Waiting is the Hardest Part,” -Tom Petty
How do you ask a question in the hopes it ends up in the Saturday mailbag
There is no spinning a pause in a deal negotiation because your product isn't clearing market at an acceptable rate, and you need to retool your lineup/team. If everyone wants it to happen, it will still happen, but GK oughta be leery of getting cute with unproven media partners just to try and make the outcome look less bad. He has created a credibility wound that no feasible outcome will fix, so he'd be wise to get it done and try to restore his stature another way.
As usual John you are the level head in the room! Hope this pans out well for all of us!
Well... I’m reassured. Glad the Conference’s generic language could keep me from panicking about its future.
It would be a travesty to lose the Conference of Champions. As a UW alum it's enticing to wish for Oregon and UW to make the leap to the Big 10, but challenging on so many levels.
Also (in my limited capacity of a brain) why wouldn't UNLV be on the list? It's a large market and only getting exponentially larger. There is a vast sea of money in that town. Fans travel to LV. Although the school is not to the level of a Pac 10 school - I would argue neither was Utah. And Utah has become a prominent player in the conference today.
I think this is a well-timed message. I've been digesting all the news I can get on the topic of Pac-12 expansion and survival for the past several days. Since the Big 12 announced the early exits of Texas and Oklahoma, the Big 12 commissioner has been jumping up and down about how they are about to expand to 16 teams and the Pac-12 is where they are going shopping. His media allies have been parroting that narrative non-stop. YouTubers, podcasters at twits are pushing the Pac-12 destruction narrative, too. In the past several days I have read the following in no particular order:
1. The Big 12 is in serious talks with the four corners schools (ASU, Arizona, Utah, Colorado)
2. Arizona State is very unhappy and will probably be the first to bolt.
3. The Pac-12 media negotiations are a disaster and each school will get $7 million less than the Big 12 schools got with their media deal.
4. Oregon and Washington are on the table to move to the Big 12 as well.
5. The Big 12 outflanked the Pac-12.
6. Brett Yormark outsmarted George Kliavkoff.
7. George Kliavkoff "overpromised" the Pac-12 presidents what he could get for each school.
8. The recent meeting of the Pac-12 presidents was a total disaster. Two schools wanted bigger pieces of the pie.
John, I have relied on your reporting to comfort my nerves. I don't believe these poorly-sourced rumors from the Big 12 media types. But they are difficult to read, nontheless.
I for one appreciate the announcement from the Pac-12.
The entire media world missed the USC/UCLA departure story until about a day before the announcement. I expect we'll learn of the new TV contract on a similar timetable (even though that is far more positive news to leak).
The league has now gone on record saying something is close. That's a positive. I'd love to see the Pac-12 sign a rights deal that's superior to the Big 12, and tell that league to back the h*** off.
And I still think SDSU and UNLV are the best candidates for expansion, in about 2025. Keep the league's footprint completely in the West (or Mountain West). Not friggin' Texas.
Youtube has 14 sports channels, maybe they want to add a college football conference...
Also I wonder if the media is trying to negotiate remote broadcasting for most games.
John ~ what seems to be overlooked here is the big change in Disney and how “”new” CEO Iger views ESPN. He clearly doesn’t see it as necessary for the growth of Disney. He has not only changed the ESPN management structure but has spun it off to a step child status. I wonder if it is possible for anyone to successfully negotiate with the new ESPN today. Many new people now in charge with a boss saying make it more profitable or I will sell it.
Get a deal done. Amen! Until a deal is finalized talking, positive and negative is cheap.
Leaving Fresno and UNLV 'unguarded is IMO a mistake, Adding only 1 school in the central time zone is a mistake. UTSA resides in a terrific and untapped market. Tulane brings a decent-sized market with New Orleans and also has respectable academics.
But I think it today's day and age of CFB/CBB money trumps academics.
"Invest your energy elsewhere" is insulting. I would say keep investing your energy exactly here, JC. These topics matter to us fans and alumni a helluva lot and 4 Corners dude should understand that. And keep his or her advice on how media should conduct their business to themselves.
Losing the LA schools is akin to the movie and TV industry losing Hollywood. Our prestige as Power 5 conference has taken a huge hit. So like any other industry, you rebuild based on potential markets and try not to make the same idiotic mistakes that got you here. There is not another LA TV marketplace in America. Take the growing markets of San Diego, Las Vegas, Dallas-Ft. worth and the Fresno-Sacramento valley.