Just like with OU and Texas, Sankey was too quick to pull the trigger, and let the anger over CBS's refusal to adjust compensation post-2012 expansion cloud his judgment. The Big 10 is going to get a clearly better deal for an inferior product.

I will be interested to see the details on the Big 10 deal. Just from what I've seen on Texags, I'm guessing that Fox will get first choice for the 11 a.m. timeslot, and that CBS and NBC will rotate getting second pick for their slots. That still leaves a lot of games for FS1, and maybe for the CBS Sports Channel/Paramount or USA/Peacock (NBC).

Interesting that NBC is taking a night time slot. I always thought that having ND as a lead in to a 2:30 or 3:00 p.m. SEC game would have been a good deal for everyone. Will NBC now push ND to that late afternoon window, or just fill the gap someone on weekends when they have a ND game? Perhaps NBC would be interested in Pac-12 or Big XII games to bridge the gap. If they are going to be a player in college football, might as well be all in.

Quote:

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Just like with OU and Texas, Sankey was too quick to pull the trigger, and let the anger over CBS's refusal to adjust compensation post-2012 expansion cloud his judgment. The Big 10 is going to get a clearly better deal for an inferior product.

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Incorrect.

The Big 10's deal just happens to be up first.

Just watch.

20ag07 said:

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Quote:

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Just like with OU and Texas, Sankey was too quick to pull the trigger, and let the anger over CBS's refusal to adjust compensation post-2012 expansion cloud his judgment. The Big 10 is going to get a clearly better deal for an inferior product.

---

Incorrect.

The Big 10's deal just happens to be up first.

Just watch.

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We signed a long-term deal in 2020 that covers 10 years starting in 2024. We won't be negotiating another TV contract for a decade.

Quote:

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That's not going to happen b/c schools want 7 home games and going to a 9 game SEC schedule actually reduces the amount of inventory ESPN would get from the SEC so they aren't going to want that either.

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Yes they will. Those FCS games are worthless inventory. Good inventory pays better than more inventory.

Quote:

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We signed a long-term deal in 2020 that covers 10 years starting in 2024. We won't be negotiating another TV contract for a decade.

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Were OU/TX in that package?

Nope, they sure weren't.

Ain't done yet.

20ag07 said:

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Quote:

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Just like with OU and Texas, Sankey was too quick to pull the trigger, and let the anger over CBS's refusal to adjust compensation post-2012 expansion cloud his judgment. The Big 10 is going to get a clearly better deal for an inferior product.

---

Incorrect.

The Big 10's deal just happens to be up first.

Just watch.

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Once again, the SEC is locked into it's ESPN deal until 2034. We aren't getting abetter deal for a LONG time.

20ag07 said:

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Quote:

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That's not going to happen b/c schools want 7 home games and going to a 9 game SEC schedule actually reduces the amount of inventory ESPN would get from the SEC so they aren't going to want that either.

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Yes they will. Those FCS games are worthless inventory. Good inventory pays better than more inventory.

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Nope. They aren't useless. They still get the ratings to justify their existence and w/ESPN losing the BTN they aren't to going to want to air even less games across their platforms. It's not going to work that way.

Dr RC said:

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rootube said:

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Anchorhold said:

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Since when is the SEC forced to do anything? Especially by the midwest?

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Is it forced if ESPN says we will give you a couple hundred mill extra if you drop the FCS BS?

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That's not going to happen b/c schools want 7 home games and going to a 9 game SEC schedule actually reduces the amount of inventory ESPN would get from the SEC so they aren't going to want that either.

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Schools want more money not more home games. Can you please explain how 9 conference games reduces inventory? There are the same number of games it's just that with a 9 game conference schedule we swap a glorified scrimmage with an exciting game. You also seem to think chicken wrap sales are greater than TV money which is false.

20ag07 said:

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Quote:

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We signed a long-term deal in 2020 that covers 10 years starting in 2024. We won't be negotiating another TV contract for a decade.

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Were OU/TX in that package?

Nope, they sure weren't.

Ain't done yet.

---

ESPN will increase the payout pro rata so that no one loses money -- that was apparently a clause in the contract. But, just like when A&M and Missouri came in 2012 and CBS refused to renegotiate, ESPN is not going to reopen the contract. It's not a bad deal money-wise, but we sacrificed visibility for Disney's offer of money (which wasn't quite as good as it seemed at the time).

90ags said:

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CBS, NBC & ABC are essentially free TV for the public (don't need cable, internet....a good HD antenna and those channels are available in every market practically....no matter the size of the town).

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While true what % of people are actually using an antenna to watch football. I'm betting it's very small.

rootube said:

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Dr RC said:

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rootube said:

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Anchorhold said:

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Since when is the SEC forced to do anything? Especially by the midwest?

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Is it forced if ESPN says we will give you a couple hundred mill extra if you drop the FCS BS?

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That's not going to happen b/c schools want 7 home games and going to a 9 game SEC schedule actually reduces the amount of inventory ESPN would get from the SEC so they aren't going to want that either.

---

Schools want more money not more home games. Can you please explain how 9 conference games reduces inventory? There are the same number of games it's just that with a 9 game conference schedule we swap a glorified scrimmage with an exciting game. You also seem to think chicken wrap sales are greater than TV money which is false.

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Nine conference games reduces inventory if you assume that the one non-conference game displaced was a "buy" game that did not involve a return road trip. If that was true across the board, ESPN would have 8 fewer games to televise in a given year, but the tradeoff is that the quality of what they do have (including 8 more conference games than would otherwise be the case) would be better and worth the loss of inventory.

SEC Champs said:

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Toptierag2018 said:

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Big Ten finalizing media rights deal w/Fox Sports, CBS & NBC, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. 1st reported by @Ourand_SBJ. Unless there’s a last minute change, this will be 1st time in 40 years Big Ten football & basketball games will not be on ESPN, @Ourand_SBJ reports

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 9, 2022

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Is anyone else shocked to see NBC on this list? NBC has only served one customer in college football for as long as I can remember.

You know what I'm implying…

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NBC just getting in the mix so they can put it on Peacock with everything else rather than have actual sports channel that isn't Golf.

twk said:

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rootube said:

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Dr RC said:

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rootube said:

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Anchorhold said:

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Since when is the SEC forced to do anything? Especially by the midwest?

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Is it forced if ESPN says we will give you a couple hundred mill extra if you drop the FCS BS?

---

That's not going to happen b/c schools want 7 home games and going to a 9 game SEC schedule actually reduces the amount of inventory ESPN would get from the SEC so they aren't going to want that either.

---

Schools want more money not more home games. Can you please explain how 9 conference games reduces inventory? There are the same number of games it's just that with a 9 game conference schedule we swap a glorified scrimmage with an exciting game. You also seem to think chicken wrap sales are greater than TV money which is false.

---

Nine conference games reduces inventory if you assume that the one non-conference game displaced was a "buy" game that did not involve a return road trip. If that was true across the board, ESPN would have 8 fewer games to televise in a given year, but the tradeoff is that the quality of what they do have (including 8 more conference games than would otherwise be the case) would be better and worth the loss of inventory.

---

I still don't understand your logic. If we replace an FCS game with a conference game there will be the same # of games televised and they will be FAR superior. ESPN will televise either a scrimmage or an actual game. What am I missing? Right now ESPN will bury the terrible FCS games on ESPN+. Now we don't have to pay for an extra home game and ESPN gets an infinitely better inventory.

rootube said:

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twk said:

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rootube said:

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Dr RC said:

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rootube said:

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Anchorhold said:

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Since when is the SEC forced to do anything? Especially by the midwest?

---

Is it forced if ESPN says we will give you a couple hundred mill extra if you drop the FCS BS?

---

That's not going to happen b/c schools want 7 home games and going to a 9 game SEC schedule actually reduces the amount of inventory ESPN would get from the SEC so they aren't going to want that either.

---

Schools want more money not more home games. Can you please explain how 9 conference games reduces inventory? There are the same number of games it's just that with a 9 game conference schedule we swap a glorified scrimmage with an exciting game. You also seem to think chicken wrap sales are greater than TV money which is false.

---

Nine conference games reduces inventory if you assume that the one non-conference game displaced was a "buy" game that did not involve a return road trip. If that was true across the board, ESPN would have 8 fewer games to televise in a given year, but the tradeoff is that the quality of what they do have (including 8 more conference games than would otherwise be the case) would be better and worth the loss of inventory.

---

I still don't understand your logic. If we replace an FCS game with a conference game there will be the same # of games televised and they will be FAR superior. ESPN will televise either a scrimmage or an actual game. What am I missing? Right now ESPN will bury the terrible FCS games on ESPN+. Now we don't have to pay for an extra home game and ESPN gets an infinitely better inventory.

---

If, for example, A&M and Georgia are playing one of those extra games as a result of going to 9, rather than "buy" games against, say, Sam Houston and Georgia State, then that will be 1 conference game taking the place of two non-conference games (both of which would be home games televised under the SEC contract). That means there is one less game of inventory for ESPN under the SEC contract. It's simple math.

twk said:

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rootube said:

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twk said:

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rootube said:

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Dr RC said:

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rootube said:

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Anchorhold said:

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Since when is the SEC forced to do anything? Especially by the midwest?

---

Is it forced if ESPN says we will give you a couple hundred mill extra if you drop the FCS BS?

---

That's not going to happen b/c schools want 7 home games and going to a 9 game SEC schedule actually reduces the amount of inventory ESPN would get from the SEC so they aren't going to want that either.

---

Schools want more money not more home games. Can you please explain how 9 conference games reduces inventory? There are the same number of games it's just that with a 9 game conference schedule we swap a glorified scrimmage with an exciting game. You also seem to think chicken wrap sales are greater than TV money which is false.

---

Nine conference games reduces inventory if you assume that the one non-conference game displaced was a "buy" game that did not involve a return road trip. If that was true across the board, ESPN would have 8 fewer games to televise in a given year, but the tradeoff is that the quality of what they do have (including 8 more conference games than would otherwise be the case) would be better and worth the loss of inventory.

---

I still don't understand your logic. If we replace an FCS game with a conference game there will be the same # of games televised and they will be FAR superior. ESPN will televise either a scrimmage or an actual game. What am I missing? Right now ESPN will bury the terrible FCS games on ESPN+. Now we don't have to pay for an extra home game and ESPN gets an infinitely better inventory.

---

If, for example, A&M and Georgia are playing one of those extra games as a result of going to 9, rather than "buy" games against, say, Sam Houston and Georgia State, then that will be 1 conference game taking the place of two non-conference games (both of which would be home games televised under the SEC contract). That means there is one less game of inventory for ESPN under the SEC contract. It's simple math.

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Got it. It would be pretty easy to do the math on the viewership of an FCS game vs. a conference game my guess is that slightly fewer but massively better conference games would be way higher. The fact that they often bury them on streaming tells you everything you need to know about that.

NyAggie said:

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I'll be honest, I loved having the sec on cbs

Felt like it was a more national broadcast

Just being exclusively on espn networks makes it feel kinda second rate now compared to a league that will be on fox, cbs and nbc

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IT looks like they are going to back up the Brinks truck for the B1G. I wonder if they wish they could have just sucked it up and kept the SEC? I sounds great to have Ohio State and Michigan, but when Ohio State is blowing out UCLA while Georgia and A&M are in a tight game on ABC, they might start having second thoughts. The B1G is still top heavy while the SEC will give you several good games a week.

McInnis80 said:

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NyAggie said:

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I'll be honest, I loved having the sec on cbs

Felt like it was a more national broadcast

Just being exclusively on espn networks makes it feel kinda second rate now compared to a league that will be on fox, cbs and nbc

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IT looks like they are going to back up the Brinks truck for the B1G. I wonder if they wish they could have just sucked it up and kept the SEC? I sounds great to have Ohio State and Michigan, but when Ohio State is blowing out UCLA while Georgia and A&M are in a tight game on ABC, they might start having second thoughts. The B1G is still top heavy while the SEC will give you several good games a week.

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B10 viewership is insanely high. They actually kind of dominated viewership last year helped by UM resurgence. You could also make the opposite case because most of the top SEC games involved Bama.

Quote:

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If, for example, A&M and Georgia are playing one of those extra games as a result of going to 9, rather than "buy" games against, say, Sam Houston and Georgia State, then that will be 1 conference game taking the place of two non-conference games (both of which would be home games televised under the SEC contract). That means there is one less game of inventory for ESPN under the SEC contract. It's simple math.

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One A&M/UGA game gets way more viewers (and sells more packages) than 3 A&M/Sam/App St/UMass games.

It's simple math.

20ag07 said:

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Quote:

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If, for example, A&M and Georgia are playing one of those extra games as a result of going to 9, rather than "buy" games against, say, Sam Houston and Georgia State, then that will be 1 conference game taking the place of two non-conference games (both of which would be home games televised under the SEC contract). That means there is one less game of inventory for ESPN under the SEC contract. It's simple math.

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One A&M/UGA game gets way more viewers (and sells more packages) than 3 A&M/Sam/App St/UMass games.

It's simple math.

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Yes. That's why they are fine with a slight reduction in inventory by going to 9 games. It's a trade worth making.

twk said:

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20ag07 said:

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Quote:

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If, for example, A&M and Georgia are playing one of those extra games as a result of going to 9, rather than "buy" games against, say, Sam Houston and Georgia State, then that will be 1 conference game taking the place of two non-conference games (both of which would be home games televised under the SEC contract). That means there is one less game of inventory for ESPN under the SEC contract. It's simple math.

---

One A&M/UGA game gets way more viewers (and sells more packages) than 3 A&M/Sam/App St/UMass games.

It's simple math.

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Yes. That's why they are fine with a slight reduction in inventory by going to 9 games. It's a trade worth making.

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No. It isn't. That's 8 games to sell ads and to put on multiple formats. It doesn't increase payout to the SEC and it reduces money ESPN can make. It's not going to happen.

20ag07 said:

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Quote:

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We signed a long-term deal in 2020 that covers 10 years starting in 2024. We won't be negotiating another TV contract for a decade.

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Were OU/TX in that package?

Nope, they sure weren't.

Ain't done yet.

---

Spot on.

Snakey had the foresight to add the Guymon and Broken Bow markets, to say nothing of the lucrative lhn menu, so just wait until we show those Midwest muckety-mucks with all of that ESPN cash and quality.

Dr RC said:

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twk said:

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20ag07 said:

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Quote:

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If, for example, A&M and Georgia are playing one of those extra games as a result of going to 9, rather than "buy" games against, say, Sam Houston and Georgia State, then that will be 1 conference game taking the place of two non-conference games (both of which would be home games televised under the SEC contract). That means there is one less game of inventory for ESPN under the SEC contract. It's simple math.

---

One A&M/UGA game gets way more viewers (and sells more packages) than 3 A&M/Sam/App St/UMass games.

It's simple math.

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Yes. That's why they are fine with a slight reduction in inventory by going to 9 games. It's a trade worth making.

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No. It isn't. That's 8 games to sell ads and to put on multiple formats. It doesn't increase payout to the SEC and it reduces money ESPN can make. It's not going to happen.

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No. You need to know how many people are watching on TV for both FCS and average SEC conference games I would almost guarantee a conference game is 100x an FCS game.

Maybe the SEC can run a commercial or two on FOX, NBC, CBS with something like:

(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Big_Ten_Conference_football_champions )

The Big-10/B1G champ has won one bowl game versus the SEC since 2006.

rootube said:

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Dr RC said:

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twk said:

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20ag07 said:

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Quote:

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If, for example, A&M and Georgia are playing one of those extra games as a result of going to 9, rather than "buy" games against, say, Sam Houston and Georgia State, then that will be 1 conference game taking the place of two non-conference games (both of which would be home games televised under the SEC contract). That means there is one less game of inventory for ESPN under the SEC contract. It's simple math.

---

One A&M/UGA game gets way more viewers (and sells more packages) than 3 A&M/Sam/App St/UMass games.

It's simple math.

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Yes. That's why they are fine with a slight reduction in inventory by going to 9 games. It's a trade worth making.

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No. It isn't. That's 8 games to sell ads and to put on multiple formats. It doesn't increase payout to the SEC and it reduces money ESPN can make. It's not going to happen.

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No. You need to know how many people are watching on TV for both FCS and average SEC conference games I would almost guarantee a conference game is 100x an FCS game.

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Exactly, the FCS games probably generate so little money that the cost of putting them on the air becomes a significant portion of the bottom line.

The other plus with fewer games is fewer chances of having Beth Mowins do the broadcast.

I just did the math for what games were available. The average viewership for an SEC team is ~2M. The lowest rated game recorded was Troy at 24k. Keep in mind this Troy team has more interest than PVAM for example and was carried by an actual network unlike PVAM which was ESPN+ only. So 24k is probably generous. It pretty easy to assume that ditching the FCS games will result in far more viewership even accounting for a few less games.

twk said:

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rootube said:

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Dr RC said:

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rootube said:

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Anchorhold said:

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Since when is the SEC forced to do anything? Especially by the midwest?

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Is it forced if ESPN says we will give you a couple hundred mill extra if you drop the FCS BS?

---

That's not going to happen b/c schools want 7 home games and going to a 9 game SEC schedule actually reduces the amount of inventory ESPN would get from the SEC so they aren't going to want that either.

---

Schools want more money not more home games. Can you please explain how 9 conference games reduces inventory? There are the same number of games it's just that with a 9 game conference schedule we swap a glorified scrimmage with an exciting game. You also seem to think chicken wrap sales are greater than TV money which is false.

---

Nine conference games reduces inventory if you assume that the one non-conference game displaced was a "buy" game that did not involve a return road trip. If that was true across the board, ESPN would have 8 fewer games to televise in a given year, but the tradeoff is that the quality of what they do have (including 8 more conference games than would otherwise be the case) would be better and worth the loss of inventory.

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Do you think the Big 10 will reduce to 8 conference games, from their current 9, so they can play an extra FCS game too?

As soon as the ACC is no more, whether that is sooner or later, the SEC will add Clemson, Florida State, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina (or another team if UNC doesn't accept.

Keep the biggest brands under the ESPN umbrella will be paramount once they lose the ACC, they can't afford to lose those brands to the Big 10 where they could be fully shut out of.

Read the rest of the thread.

twk said:

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Read the rest of the thread.

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The alternative is FOX is not done gobbling up property and they want to add some south eastern flair by adding Clemson, FSU, UNC, Miami under their umbrella.

You risk losing all the Clemson and FSU fans all together. I've seen people say "those schools will watch the SEC regardless" but from my experience that was not the case with Texas A&M. Being separated from Texas and the Big 12, I saw zero interest from Aggies toward that conference.

I can see the same happening if Clemson, FSU, and Miami are all of a sudden playing on NBC. Their viewership in the SEC is not guaranteed, as it is much easier to ignore another conference when your games will NEVER overlap on the same channel.

Not to mention are we willing to gamble to Clemson-South Carolina and Florida-FSU rivalries continue on competing networks? At that point I don't see ESPN satisfied only have the rights to 16 teams, while the 3 mega channels continue to grow.

The question is it valuable enough to Disney? If they aren't paying the ACC anymore they can push those funds toward the SEC with Clemson, FSU etc, to secure those brands going forward, and away from competition. Also shedding the dead weight funds to Boston College and Wake Forest.

The B1G deal with Fox, CBS, and NBC will significantly increase viewership because more viewers will have access to these games. Many fans, including myself, don't have cable. I hope some of our games will be aired on ABC because I won't have to stream them.

are we sure the Big 10 is as popular as CBS, Fox, etc.., think it is?

W said:

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are we sure the Big 10 is as popular as CBS, Fox, etc.., think it is?

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Most watched programs in 2021. Average number of viewers per week.

1 Ohio St 5.22M
2 Michigan 4.74M
3 Alabama 4.64M
4 Penn St 3.87M
5 Georgia 3.61M

Three of the top five teams would seem to indicate that they are pretty popular.

Ohio St and Mich were helped by an absolutely ridiculous 15.893M viewers when they played in w13. To put that game in perspective 4-6M viewers is an impressive number.

It's just a 1 year snapshot but comparing the newcomers is as follows and supports why we are adding horn and OU.

Texas 2.26M which is frankly amazing considering what a disaster of a season they had
OU 3.45 M

UCLA 1.18M
USC 1.11M

All info came from here
https://medium.com/run-it-back-with-zach/which-college-football-programs-were-the-most-watched-in-2021-49ef4f315858

Something to consider is that FCS games are counted as zero here because they aren't tracked by media watch. (If I read this correctly) I couldn't find any numbers for some of our games like PVAM for example which tells you a lot about their value In the market.

Does the Big Ten look further into the possibility of a western wing? If the league wanted to, it could look both to the Pacific Northwest & the Bay Area. That could give the conference inventory for the Saturday late-night TV time slot — a fourth window: https://t.co/4Af8cNszlC

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) August 9, 2022

I agree that OSU, Michigan, and Penn State are very popular. They should be in prime time every week.

but it seems the dropoff is steep when we get to the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th teams in the league.

the B1G is very top heavy.

whereas the SEC has depth...especially with the 2 new additions coming in 2025

W said:

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I agree that OSU, Michigan, and Penn State are very popular. They should be in prime time every week.

but it seems the dropoff is steep when we get to the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th teams in the league.

the B1G is very top heavy.

whereas the SEC has depth...especially with the 2 new additions coming in 2025

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Purely based on last year's 'ratings' numbers the B1G top 10 still outpace the SEC top 10.

That said, you can't only base it on ratings like that, as schools differ. A&M's viewership would have been higher had Calzada not had to come on in game 2 and lead, especially to the 2 early losses to Arky/Miss St. And to counter that, with a healthy King one could assume A&M beats Arky and an earlier Arky loss would have taken some wind out of their sails and their numbers would not have been as high as their games wouldn't have been as marquis.

Auburn's numbers last year were inflated due to getting 2 major games (Iron Bowl + Penn St) that crushed in rankings, but those are outliers to an 'everyday' game.

Or another way of looking at it....I dont' think anyone actually believes USC is a worse tv draw than Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa St etc (who they were ranked below last year).