News Corp Buys 49% of YES Network
I was wrong.
I thought Maryland (and DC/Baltimore Market) was the main target and Rutgers was the add in. It was the other way around.
http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/8654665/sources-news-corp-wo…
With Rutgers as the token local team, News Corp can offer YES Network as a bundle deal (with BTN, which News Corp also owns 49%) only. This pretty much guarantees that BTN will be part of the expanded basic cable in NY/NJ area. The added revenue from this deal will more than pay for Rutgers joining the conference.
The deal finalized today, and no, the timing is not by coincidence.
The thought of Delany working hand in hand with Murdoch does creep me out a bit...
November 20th, 2012 at 9:23 PM ^
BEAT OHIO
November 20th, 2012 at 9:23 PM ^
And Jim Delany wins again.
November 20th, 2012 at 9:38 PM ^
The Jedi Master of Pimp Hands.
November 20th, 2012 at 11:29 PM ^
Gary Bettman won when he announced new franchises in Phoenix, Atlanta, Miami, Tampa Nashville and Charlotte.
Short sighted money grabs do not always turn into long term "wins"
November 21st, 2012 at 12:31 AM ^
Bettman did not put new NHL franchises in Miami and Tampa, nor did he engineer the moves (not "new franchises") to Raleigh (not Charlotte) and Phoenix.
November 20th, 2012 at 9:31 PM ^
November 20th, 2012 at 9:32 PM ^
Yeah but to be fair messageboard posters are better at complaining and sportswriters are better at relating everything to Tim Tebow so everyone is equal.
November 20th, 2012 at 10:29 PM ^
In the short-term, yes. But, just as Brian said, the way people consume TV is changing and will continue to change. The parallels to newspapers are obvious. I didn't have a TV the last 2 years I lived in America, nor for the last 2 years abroad because I don't need to. I only care about .5% of the programming on TV and I can watch that easily enough via the internet. Some of it I pay for, some of it I simply can't so I download it (the idiots in charge prefer to stay in their old ways instead of getting some money that I actually tried to find a way to give them out of fairness), and some of it I simply don't. One that I pay for is the Big Ten international package. And if they were to raise those rates because of more content like Maryland lacrosse, they can kiss my subscription goodbye.
November 20th, 2012 at 9:30 PM ^
November 20th, 2012 at 9:34 PM ^
The Big Ten... sounds like a good name for a venture capitalist firm.
November 20th, 2012 at 9:38 PM ^
This was a Venture Capitalist like activity. We basically bought two programs that have been haven't had much past success but have a lot of potential in them and are now injecting cash into them and hoping they grow with increased resources and association with the B1G.
November 20th, 2012 at 9:42 PM ^
When will we spin them back off?
November 20th, 2012 at 9:47 PM ^
Sell them to Google? Could be an option considering I think one of the founders was a UMD alum(and a Michigan grad school alum?).
November 21st, 2012 at 12:49 PM ^
Sergey Brin is a UMD alum, and co-founder Larry Page is a UM alum. They met while in grad school at Stanford.
November 21st, 2012 at 1:24 PM ^
November 20th, 2012 at 10:06 PM ^
...that they will be retained to concentrate losses.
November 20th, 2012 at 9:35 PM ^
Still not worth it
November 21st, 2012 at 9:20 AM ^
Would you prefer the BigTen be reactive and be left in shambles like the ACC and the BigEast? Delaney has done a heck of a job keeping the BigTen ahead of the curve even among it's worst time of on the field performance. He is positioning the league to remain relevant as others fail. I understand tradition but that would go away as well if the league didnt make moves to protect itself and help secure it's future.
November 20th, 2012 at 9:39 PM ^
November 20th, 2012 at 9:48 PM ^
This is why I argued against Brian's "credible anonymous source" this morning and alluded to this partnership: link.
November 20th, 2012 at 9:53 PM ^
Does this mean we get the YES network in Michigan? Not that i care, i'm just curious.
November 20th, 2012 at 9:56 PM ^
November 20th, 2012 at 10:01 PM ^
is there an estimate for how much additional rev the B10 can bring in?
also, what are the odds this is a coincidence?
November 20th, 2012 at 10:06 PM ^
What are the odds of OSU going to a bowl game this year?
November 20th, 2012 at 10:12 PM ^
November 20th, 2012 at 10:27 PM ^
YES generated $224 million last year. I would think BTN would bring 1/3 to 1/4 of that easy just from the same market.
November 20th, 2012 at 11:41 PM ^
I think you underestimate how much more eyeballs 140 something Yankees games get in the NY/NJ/CT area versus say, 2 Rutgers games and a bunch of other games that casual NY/NJ/CT college football fans are likely not interested in. I am a New Jersey local (grew up here as well) and believe me, the two aren't comparable. Also, BTN is already on the basic cable packages in NJ at least of all but one of the providers. I'm just not sure that the increase in revenue will be as enormous in this area as predicted.
November 20th, 2012 at 10:28 PM ^
I know we are supposed to keep religion and politics out of this blog, but dude... I'm beginning to suspect that Jim Delaney is the anti-Christ, and his new world order proves it.
November 20th, 2012 at 11:00 PM ^
November 20th, 2012 at 11:22 PM ^
I'm starting to think that the end game is 18 or 20-
UConn, Cuse, UVa, VaTech, Duke, UNC are the 6 to go for. Maybe NC St.
UNC, Duke Get the Cakalackies and of course have national (and VERY strong Eastern appeal)
UVa & VT get Verginny
Cuse & Uconn lock up the Eastern market, brings in the Conn population, solidifies the NYC market.
Even if we get 4 of those 6, that's your market footprint. Then you have the East and West divisions that are something like
M, MSU, OSU, Minn, NW, NU, W, PU, IU, Iowa
PSU, Mary, RU, UConn, Cuse, UVa, VaTech, Duke, UNC
Play 8-9 in your division +1-3 in the other, expand to 13 reg season games + Conf title + playoff.
the ACC could be viable with ND and Uconn, but I could see FSU & Clemson bailing for the SEC, even VaTech and NC St. I know UNC and Duke and to a lesser extent UVa may be stubborn about hoops and controlling their tradition, but the ACC could be in big trouble without FSU, VT, NCSt. I think ACC stability will determine the outcome, much like the B12 did 2 years ago. Will the ACC keep enough schools and be willing to pick up some smaller ones? or will they crumble completely?
November 21st, 2012 at 9:02 AM ^
November 21st, 2012 at 12:56 PM ^
I would vote for UVa and UNC. They are the flagship schools in the next two states south from Maryland, as well as two of the fastest growing states in the country. All in all, their sports are good to great, depending on the sport.
However, Duke-UNC would be a good second choice.
November 20th, 2012 at 11:07 PM ^
The Feds should anti-trust the fuck out of any attempt to hold Yankees fans hostage until cable companies pick up BTN. I doubt it gets past regulators to begin with.
November 21st, 2012 at 12:22 AM ^
So now we are bankrolled by Rupert Murdoch to get BTN bundled with the Yankees Network on the East Coast. I need a shower.
November 21st, 2012 at 1:26 AM ^
all four of those fit together nicely.
November 21st, 2012 at 12:57 PM ^
That's certainly one of my goals.
November 21st, 2012 at 8:39 AM ^
Same key, different notes of the "bundling strategy." The natural value of the BTN/YES bundle is the value of BTN plus the value of YES. Whatever extra price you can extract from the two bundled is temporary and destined to disappear.
Coaches, observers, fans, administrators, ADs -- all of them -- have seen "unfulfilled potential" in Maryland and Rutgers for years, primarily because of their proximity to major metropolitan areas filled with talent and potential fans. This is nothing new, and that "unfulfilled potential" is not going to be recognized in this deal, either. Those programs are what they are, which isn't much.
November 21st, 2012 at 9:26 AM ^
The danger of the Big Ten being left in shambles is and always has been ... zero. The ACC and Big East are in shambles because interest in college football in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic is far below interest in college football in the Midwest.