Pac-12: Big changes coming to TV package
Ed Stein
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An industry insider believes the next Pac-12 television contract will go to an online streaming service.
We live in a much different world than we did when this century started. From politics to music to culture, things have changed. Likely, so will the way we will watch Pac-12 sports.
It’s no secret that SEC and Big Ten Conferences have moved ahead of the rest of collegiate athletics. The money these conferences promise their membership far and away exceeds that of any other entity. It’s also why USC and UCLA bolted for the Big Ten.
After the Big 12 signed their new media rights extension with FOX and ESPN (2025-31 for $2.2B), it left the Pac-12 as the only Power 5 conference without a new media deal. Their 12-year, $3B deal with ESPN and FOX expires in 2024, leaving the west’s premier conference sports without a major network.
New Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff has been very deliberate in finding solutions to secure the best financial outcome for member schools. That’s why he’s been open to doing something different. And not conference network, different.
According to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, it looks like the Pac-12’s next media deal will be mainly on streaming giant Amazon, with a handful of prime time games going to CBS.
ESPN wants the Pac-12 but doesn’t want to pay a premium to do so. That appears to be a deal breaker for Kliavkoff.
It’s obvious that to compete in this new landscape; the Pac-12 can’t continue to operate traditionally. An outside-the-box is needed.
“ESPN will be prepared to split the Pac-12’s media rights with Amazon but will not offer the conference significantly more than it pays for the Big 12. That will lead the Pac-12 to sell almost its entire media package to Amazon for a price that is slightly higher than what the Big 12 gets from ESPN and Fox. The Pac-12 will carve out a handful of prime-time football games that it then will sell to CBS.”
John Ourand, Sports Business Journal
On the upside, over 200M people watch Amazon Prime, which blows away subscriber numbers of the Pac-12 Network. For football, it won’t be a problem, and a partnership with Amazon might even help the conference gain a stronger following abroad.
Also, the Pac-12 receiving a slightly bigger deal than the Big 12 isn’t so bad because there will be 10 teams splitting the pie (depending on expansion) as opposed to 14. Each school could receive up to $10M per year more than their Big 12 counterparts. That will keep the four corners schools, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah, from defecting.
There are some drawbacks among them:
Being away from ESPN will hurt the conference’s cache. Both casual sports viewers and potential recruits may find it hard to find games. And that’s just for football. Basketball could take a much bigger hit in popularity.
Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin’
And you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’
– Bob Dylan
What do you think about the Pac-12 selling their broadcast rights to Amazon?