Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott may be on the way out
Revenue Gap
The Pac-12 already lags behind the rest of the Power 5 conferences in revenue generated. In 2018, the Conference distributed $29.5M to each school, tied for last with the ACC. That was before the ACC network became a thing. Meanwhile, the Big Ten handed out $54M to the 12 long-standing members of their conference (Rutgers and Maryland received less because they joined in 2014). Distributions to each SEC school was $43.2M, and Big 12 members received $34.7M.
It’s hard for Pac-12 schools to compete when there is such a giant gap in revenue. A big reason for the conference’s lower payouts is the Pac-12 network. While the network only has approximately 18 million subscribers, the SEC Network has 70 million, and the Big Ten Network has 60 million.
But here is the real kick in the pants. The ACC Network launched in August 2019 with 20 million subscribers. The Pac-12 network has been in business for seven years and hasn’t reached that mark. Even the Longhorn Network, which is from the University of Texas, has an estimated 10-20 million subscribers, and that’s for one school. Fortunately for Scott, the rest of the Big 12 hasn’t formed a television network. Otherwise, it would be another entity the Pac-12 would be behind.
One way Scott has justified his high salary is that he runs two separate entities, the conference itself and the Pac-12 Network, which is wholly owned by the conference. It’s a justification that’s becoming less and less justifiable as the revenue cap continues to expand.