Pac12 Media Deal Likely with Apple
link from ESPN. From the article, the presidents didn't make a decision yet and the deal sounds like it's worse initially but with the potential to eventually be competitive. Which, to me, sounds worse. If you're giving up the exposure, you better get more money, right?
They grow apples in Washington, so there's that. But otherwise . . . ?
Apple does employ a lot of Stanford, Cal, and UW alumni.
So we've already doubled reasons that this makes sense.
I've been bullish on the PacX for three reasons - Oregon, Washington and Stanford. If Oregon is playing on Fox or ESPN or heck even the CW, I'm likely to switch over from Indiana-Maryland or Miss St-Mizzou, or even TT-KU. Oregon is one of those schools I'm going to watch even though they aren't my school. Apparently, Washington does that for some folks too and Stanford gets non-college sports fans because "oh man Stanford is good at football?" is a question people want to find out by seeing.
So it still boggles my mind that those 3 schools can't get a pretty sweet TV deal, compared to any 3 in the Big 12. No, they're not Notre Dame, LSU or Penn St. But they're more watchable, in my mind, than OK St, K St, or Baylor. And I LOVED watching RG3, Michael Bishop, and still think Mike Gundy's Cowboys are the 2011(?) National Champions of my heart.
Feelingsball.
Michael Bishop was a great college quarterback. Rocket arm. And he could run like the wind. I watched a lot of his games.
August 1st, 2023 at 11:10 PM ^
I remember when Bishop was supplanted by Tom Brady as Drew Bledsoe’s backup in New England.
Michigan apples > Washington apples.
sorry, not sorry.
New York state apples > Michigan apples > Washington apples.
Not at all sorry.
What's a pac12?
This is a little insane to me. Apple is ok losing money for now, so I get their angle, but for the PAC12...?
Apple TV+ is certainly a money sink for Apple. They don't care because they use it instead to drive people to integrate digital services into Apple-made hardware, which means they'll stay loyal customers and Apple hopes it'll attract more people buy TVs, tablets, and phones from them.
Let's say that stops working for Apple in the next couple years. This article suggests losses will peak for Apple TV+ in 2025 or so. Given that, the PAC12 decides it's going to try to save themselves by hitching their wagon to a streaming service that is a loser for Apple, who very well could cut the service if it doesn't start making more money and/or driving more people to buy their core products.
Meanwhile, the conference just lost three members and rumors have it that they'll lose at least a couple more very soon, which will not help Apple with the streaming profits very much.
Yeah, so are we supposed to sign up for AppleTV just to watch the PacX minus USC and UCLA (I'd include CU but who the fuck cares about CU)? Given that the B10 and SEC will be on all day (and the ACC), I ain't got time for that.
Now, maybe if they signed a deal with Tubi or Crackle- now you're talking!
Thing is, I'd watch Oregon if they were on TV. I think Washington and Stanford get enough casual viewers too. I think Washington and Oregon fans are large enough and hard core enough to do this.
But, so many random CFB fans are just not going to tune into this. And also...how is it that Washington and Oregon can't get a solid TV deal? I know they aren't Notre Dame, but I'm also more likely to watch Oregon than any Big 12 team that isn't leaving. As a random fan, I'm more likely to tune into Oregon than UCLA, and as likely to watch them as USC. How is this the best they can do?
IDK, it's not jsut about eyeballs for the B10 presidents. UCLA gets 120,000 appliations a year (not a typo). The state of Cal exports more college students than any other state, especially diverse populations that are highly qualified. The B10 is looking for more than a good football program.
Don't get me wrong, they aren't adding UCLA if they wouldn't be a $$$ value add to the per-school payout. But adding Oregon will only maintain the status quo in $$$ (at best) and does nothing off the field. Same with UW. The B10 doesn't want to be known as Pac12 killers. If ASU, Utah and UA go to the B12, they will make the death stroke and if UW and Ore are considered by USC and UCLA as necessary for travel reasons, then I could see the B10 getting to 18.
Question is, how pissed is FSU or are they just posturing? And how serious is Clemson b/c they are playing it much closer to the vest.
August 1st, 2023 at 10:43 PM ^
I would think season 2 of Severance would be a much higher priority than PacX football.
PAC-9
Can't wait for the
iCrumble
Realignment will continue until morale improves.
So their pay depends on the number of subscriptions they sell? Have the Pac become door-to-door salesmen?
I wonder if each team will read the entire user agreement before accepting this deal… Am I right, guys?
I mean South Park tells us what happens, and this isn't even the worst of it.
It's insane ppl want the Big10 to take on Oregon and Washington, this show that they have no sustainable value to uphold the current $$$ the Big10 gets for its rights deal. Why on earth these people want the Big10 to inherit Oregon and Washington's problems (poor location, timeslot) is beyond me.
Stanford on the other hand I can see getting invited as a add-in should Notre Dame opt to come. Theor Academic prestige, endowment, etc brings something else to the table.
Stanford is trending down in football, there is absolutely no reason to add them because of that. If you want to add them because we want to say the big ten will then win the Directors Cup due to all the lesser sports the win at, that would be the only reason. They won’t be driving viewers anymore than Rutgers does. Their Alumni only care about the Cal game.
The only monetary justification for adding Stanford would be if that brings ND in as well. Strategically it would reinforce keeping the LA schools also.
That’s bananas!!
I’ll see myself out
August 1st, 2023 at 10:16 PM ^
Be careful you don’t slip on the peel
That no so-called linear network wants to spend much on media rights to broadcast the Pac 9 says something really negative about nationwide interest in that conference. Despite OP's stated interest in watching Oregon, most of the country doesn't care unless they are playing another marquis team. There simply aren't enough viewers in the northwest to make linear broadcast rights worth much and their games are on too late for the eastern half of the country to stay awake and watch.
Meanwhile Brett Yormark is meeting with Arizona president Robbins tonight and presumably trying to close the sale. If UA goes to the Big 12 then I think ASU will end up going too, which in turn increases the chances that Utah goes since the Pac will effectively be crumbling at that point.
If you consider college football programs that average 1 million viewers or more a decent bar for leverage with TV networks the Pac12 is weak.
I'm counting USC and UCLA as already BigTen as that has a major impact on negotiations.
The BigTen has 14 of 16 schools averaging 1 million or more viewers.
Pac12 has just 3 schools at that mark.
If you consider any program that averages 3 million viewers a game a blue chip that is coveted by the networks, the Pac12 has 0 and the BigTen has 3.
The pac12 had only 3 regular season games break 4 million or more viewers and only 1 was an intraconference match up and only 1 once we factor out USC and UCLA.
Yea but that same link shows Oregon out drawing everyone in the Big Ten but M, OSU and PSU - including USC. It shows TCU doing so too, but Oregon wasn't in the national championship hunt.
Utah and Washington are next and are way down, below TCU, Baylor, and OK St. So I guess the B12 does have more eyeballs on em.
Except for Oregon. They really do belong. But can't carry a conference TV deal on their own.
August 1st, 2023 at 10:24 PM ^
Yes, Oregon is legit. The Pac12 as a group is no where near the BigTen or SEC.
Don't forget though that the Big12 is losing Oklahoma and Texas. With that said their best was TCU at #12, Okie State at #24, and Baykor and Kansas State also average a million plus. Better than the Pac12, but lacking.
August 1st, 2023 at 10:37 PM ^
Also noteworthy - Clemson is 10, just ahead of Oregon at 12, and FSU is 15. The next ACC team I think is NC St and UNC in the 40s - well behind most of the big 12 and much of the Pac12, about the same viewership as Cal
Some of the big ten benefits from playing against M-OSU-PSU, but still, damn.