Aghast to some, but the old PAC-12 was just not going away or swept out the door. Superb work by the new commissioner and team of ADs and school administrators.
No one cares about your well known opinion on this. The legal name of the conference entity is PAC12, any other adjectives people use in conjunction with it are solely creations of their own slant.
Steve said the “old Pac-12 wasn’t going away”. But the fact is, it did. That’s not a slight on the new Pac-12, which is doing a great job, it’s just called being honest.
100% - just need to pick up their pace of business is my only complaint - we still need to be 10-12 team conference and we could have one of the best baseball conferences out there with a little more hustle and direction. We really need UTSA and one other full-all-sports member (Memphis, Tulane, Rice, Cal, Stanford).
This sounds like a far larger deal than the one with CW, especially since it was released the same time as the CW and the CW announcement references PacE.
What interests me is how PacE is setting up to not just be the ONLY conference production studio designed around making revenue, but they can do it low latency and high quality competitive.
Add the note of "ability to do 100s of broadcasts at the same time" looks to show the scale PacE is looking at.. and also might be insight into the 3rd partner that will take on baseball Olympic sprots etc, as it will be a partner new in the space using PacE... so rule out (thnkfully) ESPN+....
"five of the Pac-12’s eight football programs were ranked in the CFP’s Top 25". Sounds like the PAC12 is not just the 5th best conference in college football but solidly in the middle of the "top 4". There are 67 teams in the "P4" and so for the PAC12 to have 5 of 8 in the Top 25 sounds at least somewhere in the middle on average.
"And during the last four seasons, five of the..." That means the school only needed to show up one week just one time during the past four seasons to fit the description. That's solid P5 territory.
and yet media outlets never present it this way - the common sense way - its always a low status narrative, they always dissed the conference and yet 3 of the four power conference wanted all of our inventory. Things that make you go hmmmm?
Congratulations to the Beavs & Wazzu. And congratulations to Theresa Gould for saving and reconstituting the PAC-12. It may not be the old Pac-12, but it’s not about that. It’s about being handed a softball and playing hardball. Chin music in its finest form.
I glad to see this part of the future PAC getting completed. While no numbers have been shown, north of 8, possibly double digit is promising and having CFP contenders will increase viewership. Now on to football, football, football. And not to forget soccer, and volleyball very exciting sports.
Curious question: as it relates to selection rights to Pac-12 games, does the CW have the second selection after CBS, or is the CW getting some lesser rights with more medium(?) rights being still the ones for sale?
Maybe the question should be inverted: what types of games are the Pac-12 still selling?
Media rights are usually grouped into three tiers.
First tier gets the first pick of game(s) for the week and the conference championship game. This is almost assuredly CBS for the Pac-12 starting in 2026. In the previous years before the big realignment, ESPN and Fox split the Pac-12 first-tier rights. They would take turns on the first pick of the week. Those games aired on main Fox or ABC/main ESPN.
Second tier gets the next pick of games. This is presumably (but not necessarily) the CW going forward. In the previous years, ESPN and Fox split these games as well. Those games typically aired on FS1 or ESPN, ESPN2 or another ESPN channel.
Third tier gets whatever games are not picked up in the first or second tier. This is presumably the partner(s) to be named later. In the previous years, these were Pac-12 Network games.
It hasn’t been made public but as anchor partner I’m assuming CBS will probably get the top 3 selections (to match their 3 guaranteed games) then it will go into a rotation of sorts after that. The third partner will be interesting because with 2 games per week already spoken for, we are getting into the “leftovers” territory now, especially on weeks with byes
I’m not an expert on the topic of picture quality. However from what I’ve learned on this forum, the quality of the broadcast is primarily a function of how the local distributor of the PAC12 broadcast issues for broadcast. In other words, if the PAC12 production quality is higher in resolution than what the local “rebroadcaster” distributes, the quality the consumer sees may be of lower quality than what is being produced by PAC12. Make sense? My primary concern has to do with the local broadcaster prioritizing programming that might interfere with game times that run over their scheduled time allotments. When ESPN has this occur, they shift to another platform like ESPNU or ESPN2 as an example.
My primary concern is picture quality. Last season, the CW games for me locally were very low image quality. At one point I felt they were below "standard def" let alone below "high def." A couple games, they were borderline horrible.
It would be interesting to know where the affiliate is that broadcast the games. If you can, ask them to explain the poorer quality of what you’re viewing. I have used the KOIN+ app and have not noticed the problem you refer to. Then again, it is streamed not an over air broadcast. Again, i’m out in front of my skis on this issue, but i’ve not had the issues you’ve shared.
I use YouTube TV and agree with BackDoor, picture quality was maybe = standard def. That’s not a local feed, I wonder if others are having similar experience with CW on YouTube TV?
I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night, so I’ll weigh in again from my somewhat sketchy understanding of “high tech” issues. Your ISP would have a modem installed in your home, which would feed a wireless router. Both the modem snd router can also be a source of diminished picture quality. If you have an Amazon Firestick or Apple TV you can download one of the streaming channels. Using the KOIN+
App, I’ve had no issues with picture quality on the Firestick i use in our summer home, and the Apple TV I use in our winter residence. Now, I’m moving on to tackle the electronics in my new car….,.
CBSN is a problem for me. Used to have it as part of the tier on my provider, then it got shifted to a higher tier which isn't part of my package. Does anyone know if there is another method besides cable/satellite to access CBSN?
So I have until fall 2026 to get on a cable or steaming cable that has CW. When my cable company (Sparklight) dropped Root Sports and thus Mariner baseball. I switched to Fubo streaming cable because they have Root Sports, but they do not have CW.
Be great if Apple would come back into the fray and offer up 10 million to each school, pushing the total with all media partners into the low 20 million per school range. Seems like that would be doable with with any streaming partner along with PAC 12 Production providing cost savings.
Aghast to some, but the old PAC-12 was just not going away or swept out the door. Superb work by the new commissioner and team of ADs and school administrators.
Well, sometimes the best man for the job is a woman.
Yes, ask Cracker Barrel
The old Pac-12 went away 12 months ago. This is the new Pac-12
No one cares about your well known opinion on this. The legal name of the conference entity is PAC12, any other adjectives people use in conjunction with it are solely creations of their own slant.
Steve said the “old Pac-12 wasn’t going away”. But the fact is, it did. That’s not a slight on the new Pac-12, which is doing a great job, it’s just called being honest.
Kind of like when your Beaver peers call the Big 10 the Big 18. We don’t care. 😂
100% - just need to pick up their pace of business is my only complaint - we still need to be 10-12 team conference and we could have one of the best baseball conferences out there with a little more hustle and direction. We really need UTSA and one other full-all-sports member (Memphis, Tulane, Rice, Cal, Stanford).
Have you seen this partnership between Pac12 Enterprises and Lumen?
https://x.com/BeavsOfSoCal/status/1960744100346651105
This sounds like a far larger deal than the one with CW, especially since it was released the same time as the CW and the CW announcement references PacE.
What interests me is how PacE is setting up to not just be the ONLY conference production studio designed around making revenue, but they can do it low latency and high quality competitive.
Add the note of "ability to do 100s of broadcasts at the same time" looks to show the scale PacE is looking at.. and also might be insight into the 3rd partner that will take on baseball Olympic sprots etc, as it will be a partner new in the space using PacE... so rule out (thnkfully) ESPN+....
"five of the Pac-12’s eight football programs were ranked in the CFP’s Top 25". Sounds like the PAC12 is not just the 5th best conference in college football but solidly in the middle of the "top 4". There are 67 teams in the "P4" and so for the PAC12 to have 5 of 8 in the Top 25 sounds at least somewhere in the middle on average.
"And during the last four seasons, five of the..." That means the school only needed to show up one week just one time during the past four seasons to fit the description. That's solid P5 territory.
That's solid G6 territory, until there are multiple teams in the 25 most weeks.
Oops. My bad. That's what I meant. Thanks for catching my error.
and yet media outlets never present it this way - the common sense way - its always a low status narrative, they always dissed the conference and yet 3 of the four power conference wanted all of our inventory. Things that make you go hmmmm?
The football title game needs to be on campus, at the highest seed. Best way to guarantee a good crowd and atmosphere.
Drawing 10-20k at the Raiders Stadium smells of failure.
100% and would love it if the Hoops and Baseball tournaments would rotate each year with every school in the conference hosting the tournament.
Congratulations to the Beavs & Wazzu. And congratulations to Theresa Gould for saving and reconstituting the PAC-12. It may not be the old Pac-12, but it’s not about that. It’s about being handed a softball and playing hardball. Chin music in its finest form.
I glad to see this part of the future PAC getting completed. While no numbers have been shown, north of 8, possibly double digit is promising and having CFP contenders will increase viewership. Now on to football, football, football. And not to forget soccer, and volleyball very exciting sports.
Curious question: as it relates to selection rights to Pac-12 games, does the CW have the second selection after CBS, or is the CW getting some lesser rights with more medium(?) rights being still the ones for sale?
Maybe the question should be inverted: what types of games are the Pac-12 still selling?
Media rights are usually grouped into three tiers.
First tier gets the first pick of game(s) for the week and the conference championship game. This is almost assuredly CBS for the Pac-12 starting in 2026. In the previous years before the big realignment, ESPN and Fox split the Pac-12 first-tier rights. They would take turns on the first pick of the week. Those games aired on main Fox or ABC/main ESPN.
Second tier gets the next pick of games. This is presumably (but not necessarily) the CW going forward. In the previous years, ESPN and Fox split these games as well. Those games typically aired on FS1 or ESPN, ESPN2 or another ESPN channel.
Third tier gets whatever games are not picked up in the first or second tier. This is presumably the partner(s) to be named later. In the previous years, these were Pac-12 Network games.
It hasn’t been made public but as anchor partner I’m assuming CBS will probably get the top 3 selections (to match their 3 guaranteed games) then it will go into a rotation of sorts after that. The third partner will be interesting because with 2 games per week already spoken for, we are getting into the “leftovers” territory now, especially on weeks with byes
I have the same question regarding how media right partners are choosing games.
Very pleased to see CW as part of the TV package. The more product on main stream TV and not streaming is a big win in my book.
A chart embedded in this link shows "free over the air" broadcasts by conference.
https://pac-12.com/news/2025/8/26/general-the-cw-and-pac-12-extend-partnership-through-the-2030-31-season.aspx
Maybe so, but you have no recording ability and I record most sports events, even if watching live. Just my preference.😊
I’m not an expert on the topic of picture quality. However from what I’ve learned on this forum, the quality of the broadcast is primarily a function of how the local distributor of the PAC12 broadcast issues for broadcast. In other words, if the PAC12 production quality is higher in resolution than what the local “rebroadcaster” distributes, the quality the consumer sees may be of lower quality than what is being produced by PAC12. Make sense? My primary concern has to do with the local broadcaster prioritizing programming that might interfere with game times that run over their scheduled time allotments. When ESPN has this occur, they shift to another platform like ESPNU or ESPN2 as an example.
My primary concern is picture quality. Last season, the CW games for me locally were very low image quality. At one point I felt they were below "standard def" let alone below "high def." A couple games, they were borderline horrible.
It would be interesting to know where the affiliate is that broadcast the games. If you can, ask them to explain the poorer quality of what you’re viewing. I have used the KOIN+ app and have not noticed the problem you refer to. Then again, it is streamed not an over air broadcast. Again, i’m out in front of my skis on this issue, but i’ve not had the issues you’ve shared.
.
I use YouTube TV and agree with BackDoor, picture quality was maybe = standard def. That’s not a local feed, I wonder if others are having similar experience with CW on YouTube TV?
I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night, so I’ll weigh in again from my somewhat sketchy understanding of “high tech” issues. Your ISP would have a modem installed in your home, which would feed a wireless router. Both the modem snd router can also be a source of diminished picture quality. If you have an Amazon Firestick or Apple TV you can download one of the streaming channels. Using the KOIN+
App, I’ve had no issues with picture quality on the Firestick i use in our summer home, and the Apple TV I use in our winter residence. Now, I’m moving on to tackle the electronics in my new car….,.
Good news for the new PAC-12! Looking forward to tons of college football, starting Thursday and continuing all the way through Labor Day!
Progress. Go Cougs!
Football wise:
- 1 game per week on CW
- 1 game per week on CBS (3+) or CBBSN (10-)
- conference title game on CBS
- leaves 1-2 more games per week in conference play
CBSN is a problem for me. Used to have it as part of the tier on my provider, then it got shifted to a higher tier which isn't part of my package. Does anyone know if there is another method besides cable/satellite to access CBSN?
I get it on the only tier available on YouTube TV.
So I have until fall 2026 to get on a cable or steaming cable that has CW. When my cable company (Sparklight) dropped Root Sports and thus Mariner baseball. I switched to Fubo streaming cable because they have Root Sports, but they do not have CW.
Who pays for the PAC12 Enterprises production of football games? Seems like a huge cost not discussed.
Be great if Apple would come back into the fray and offer up 10 million to each school, pushing the total with all media partners into the low 20 million per school range. Seems like that would be doable with with any streaming partner along with PAC 12 Production providing cost savings.
This is great news! Nice to have over the air access to many games!