August 9th, 2022 at 11:03 AM ^
Timing is everything when pulling out.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:06 AM ^
Nailed it
August 9th, 2022 at 11:44 AM ^
ESPN pullout game is weak.
I don't get it...
Do it wrong enough times and you end up with The Ocho.
Ain’t that the truth. Never mastered the technique.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:12 AM ^
So, is this a win or a loss for the BIG and it's fans?
August 9th, 2022 at 11:14 AM ^
Yes.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:56 PM ^
Exactly.
- With CBS & NBC also pitching in big bucks, we can say 'see ya' to ESPN/ABC and get by just fine.
- However, ESPN is the media monster that will EVEN MORE go all in on the SEC and will honk "their" conference all the more. Plus ESPN is deeply intertwined with the CFP so I wonder if anti-B1G sentiment from a bad breakup will affect the future of the CFP, to our detriment.
ESPN loses exclusive rights to the CFP after 2025. I think this may have been another reason Kevin Warren was against expanding the CFP now and letting the CFP media rights go back to open market. The expanded CFP playoffs might be broken up between multiple networks like the NFL playoffs.
I don't think ESPN will be able to completely ignore the Big Ten for college football coverage. This is not an NHL situation. I think the more relevant comparison is the NFL. Can you cover NFL football by just covering one conference (i.e. AFC)? ESPN has around 1/4 of the NFL rights but still covers it. With the new expansion, conservatively, the Big Ten is at least 1/3 of power college football. I don't think you can ignore that.
Plus. With the millions of NFL viewers watching the NFL every Sunday. There will be promotions all day for the marquee matchups the following Saturday. ESPN only has MNF and I've never seen a college promotion on MNF. The pundits on the talk shows are going to shout louder that the SEC is the only conference, but I think the B1G will get more new college fans from this while ESPN will be shouting to fewer of the same people they've always been shouting to.
I read an article on MSN.com (can't find it now) that specifically stated this is why the Big Ten voted no on the CFB expansion. Fox wants a shot at bidding for the expanded playoffs starting in 2026 and now that they "own" most of the largest TV markets, they will be positioning themselves for a strong bid.
They only have rights to the CFP for a couple more years…The B1G will still be on the network then. The reason Warren was against CFP expansion is because he didn’t want ESPN monopolizing over all the playoff games. Now Fox and others can bid for games and it will probably be more kin to the NFL playoffs moving forward with games on each of the networks.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:23 AM ^
I think it’s a win. More games will be on network TV. I think a network like Fox will still carry more than one B1G game a week. If I understand correctly Fox will get the first pick each week, CBS then NBC. If there is another good conference game that week Fox can swoop back in again and put that game at 3:30/4pm. More games on free tv is a great step for viewers.
Fox will be showing multiple Big Ten games as I read they will be placing other games on FS1 and of course the BIG TEN network (which Fox owns a majority share).
So yes, we are looking at 6-7 games will be televised weekly.
1-2 on Fox
1 on CBS
1 on NBC
1 on FS1
rest on BIG TEN Network....
August 9th, 2022 at 11:27 AM ^
I think having a deal with multiple networks is going to end up being a loss for fans. With everything going to streaming, will end up needing Paramount+. Peacock, and eventually a Fox subscription vs just ESPN+.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:37 AM ^
For a few weeks out of conference…maybe? But once the conference season starts, no games will be on Peacock! 16 teams means 8 games. We already know 3 games will be on network tv. That leaves 5 games available. BTN/ FS1 will air the rest of those games and that’s if the big 3 networks don’t want to air a 2nd conference game that week. This is a huge win!
August 9th, 2022 at 11:39 AM ^
We're dealing with Comcast's utter greed here. They would put M/OSU on Peacock to force people to pay them if the Big Ten let them.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:50 AM ^
They would make more money selling ads for that game on NBC than Peacock…as I stated earlier, if you’re a Rutgers, NW or Indiana fan I would be more worried about Peacock than a fan from OSU/USC/Michigan.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:54 AM ^
You'd think the same would apply to ND or the Olympics, and yet...
IIRC there was a fairly significant ND game exclusively on Peacock.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:01 PM ^
Nah it was ND vs Toledo if I recall correctly.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:06 PM ^
ND played Toledo this past year on Peacock. Not a significant game but ND needed a score with about a minute to play to go ahead so it ended up getting a lot of attention.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:24 PM ^
Ah right, that's why I remember it.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:23 PM ^
IIRC there was a fairly significant ND game exclusively on Peacock.
No they played Toledo. It was only “fairly significant” because Toledo almost beat ND.
If I were a Rutgers fan I would worry about alot more than Peacock
I mean, worst case scenario is subscribe to peacock, still an option.
Putting any games behind a streaming paywall is a major loss IMHO.
Nobody casually turns on a streaming game. It's a huge loss of exposure. Those games are better off ALL being on BTN+.
There is no reason in today's media environment that in the B1G footprint I shouldn't be able to see all 6-8 B1G games every week. ESPECIALLY if the best 3 games are all on OTA TV.
This contract is going to put the 3 biggest B1G games every week on OTA (over-the-air antenna) networks. This is only going to expand access to the programming IMO. I am assuming the 4th (and possibly 5th) choice games end up on FS1 per week like they are currently. Several games are going to be on BTN every week like before.
There is going to be a streaming partner TBD (Apple or Amazon) in addition to these partners if I am reading the reports correctly. There is a chance one of your lower profile games ends up streaming only once per year (maybe more if you are Rutgers), but I think this deal is an improvement with OTA games. Anyone can get OTA networks for free with an antenna.
You may be correct, but if say Michigan is playing a top team at noon and Rutgers is playing a cupcake at noon, what does the NYC local station play? What about Chicago & LA?
They'll almost certainly play Michigan, and Rutgers will be on BTN or on streaming.
For exposure, it'd be great if every Big Ten game was on broadcast in the local area - so, like, let's say the Big Ten had it's national windows and then inked a deal with MyNetworkTV that would simulcast BTN and streamed games in the local area. But that would lower the worth of the BTN and the streaming services, and the thinking probably is that fans who'd be willing to tune into not big games are going to pay for them no matter where they are, and fans who aren't going to pay probably wouldn't tune no matter how easy they are to watch if the matchup isn't marquee.
Personally, I think one way the NFL has become so ubiquitous is that most of their games are on network, and even the games on cable or on streaming are available on network in the local area. It does make the local team feel more like a civic entitiy if little kids can watch them with rabbit ears every week, no matter what. The NFL is so big tho that they are still getting paid, I'm sure. But I think that NHL/NBA/MLB, which used to be on broadcast in the '90s - I think they've hurt their growth by moving to RSNs. I'm sure it gave a short term revenue boost. But they've certainly lost fans.
The MLS had for years put their teams onto broadcast in local markets in order to widen appeal. Their latest deal puts most of their games on streaming. It gives them a huge revenue boost, and I'm guessing they've calculated that their appeal is wide enough that it's worth it for them now. But it must hurt their exposure.
The FOX, CBS, and NBC games are exclusive windows. There will be only one Big Ten game OTA at a specific time. The #1 game every week will be on FOX at noon. The #2 and #3 games are on CBS at 3:30pm and NBC in primetime (the two networks will reportedly alternate in getting the #2 game). There will probably be carve outs for FS1 and BTN to carry most of the other games during the same windows. There is still potential for a streaming partner to bid on games.
But there will not be multiple games on the same OTA network at the same time. There won't even be multiple Big Ten games OTA at the same time. In the past you could have Big Ten games on FOX and ABC at the same time, and that will no longer be the case with the new deal.
So is Big Noon now going to be exclusively the Big Ten game of the week?
Yes. The Big Ten negotiated exclusive windows on these networks according to the reporting. It is being reported FOX will have the #1 game at noon.
They don’t do regional programming anymore if Fox is airing the game it will be on the Fox network throughout the country
August 9th, 2022 at 11:45 AM ^
ESPN will probably hype the SEC and act like the B1G doesn't exist now, which is bad for B1G fans. Also bad for B1G fans: possible end of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
But overall any time a network tells a conference its product is overpriced and refuses to pay, I consider that a plus.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:50 AM ^
Now?
August 9th, 2022 at 12:08 PM ^
The B1G is the second best conference in CFB, and the gap will narrow once USC joins. ESPN knows those fans will be shopping for highlights on GameDay and SC, so they will cater to that audience.
Also, we don't need the ACC challenge. Just schedule regular OOC games with them.
I don't watch ESPN now outside of games. I think ESPN and ABC are getting ready to find out just how many eyes the B1G brings each week and will be kicking themselves. Their talk shows are going to really take a hit.
Yea I think the media environment is really different than when the NHL left ESPN. People don't go to SportsCenter for their sports news anymore. There are more sources, there are team specific sources. ESPN doesn't dominate the conversation anymore.
I think they should replace those talk shows with like Japanese Baseball and random cricket or soccer or buzkashi. I'd be more willling to have ESPN on in the background if it was sports - even sports I don't know or care about - rather than talking heads. In 2004 I cared what the heads were saying, they had highlights and other things I could only find there. Now I don't care.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:22 PM ^
0:35 Rutgers done dirty ... er, Tony Soprano done dirty.
Can someone start a petition to bring back Verne Lundquist for 1 season of Big Ten football?
August 9th, 2022 at 12:26 PM ^
I think that B1G football will be just fine, by having three games on network tv - every week. I’m not so sure about B1G basketball though. I think that not being on ESPN will cost B1G Hoops exposure and potentially ncaa bids - especially if some games get moved to Peacock or Paramount+.
This is the part that is getting lost in this. I think basketball might suffer with this new deal, especially weekday games. Most of the weekday games will have to go on FS1, BTN, or streaming unless B1G works out some kind of basketball only package for ESPN.
I'm guessing basketball coverage will have a different contract.
I don't think so. The reporting has football and basketball rights being sold in these contracts. I would not expect to see Big Ten basketball on ESPN according the the reports.
Ppl remember that bball games can fall on any day throughout the week. There will be plenty of TV windows for the schools. Don’t forget about CBSSN or USA getting some B1G games. Right now those networks are airing A10, MW & MAC games throughout the week…they would love having a Michigan, MSU or IU game to air instead.
Depends on who you are.
For instance the framing is interesting:
Why did they phrase it as 7-year/$380-million per-year, instead of the total is is 7-year/2.6-Billion dollar contract, like they commonly do when reporting contracts?
August 9th, 2022 at 11:12 AM ^
So if ESPN was offered 7 years at $380million, what is the next best offer? Six at $320m, Seven at $370m? That works out to be $23.75m per school based on 16 schools.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:18 AM ^
Fox was probably offering $700M, CBS/NBC maybe offering $400M-$500M each.