Just a thought but what if ESPN told the Big East, hey if you add these teams(with the east/west group)- we'll give you $130 million a year right now for a 10 year deal. ....

Would the Big East take it?

From ESPN's perspective-
* locks up Big East Basketball and keeps as viable top tier basketball conference. Maybe even spreads their presence to take over the CBS games.
* gains foothold in 2nd tier football over alliance
* gets championship game with Big East in football

From Big East's perspective-
* certainty with respect to TV money
* ESPN on their side instead of against
* Likely would remain AQ if ESPN was with them.

How does that relate to the deal they turned down?

right at the same level....

Thing is, ESPN isn't going to want to lose their basketball. Still a lot of good teams there...

I'll bet BE leadership is playing ESPN against NBC(Versus) to maximize their leverage and $. You'd think they'd want to get the negotiation rapped up for no other reason than to entice programs that have received invitations to formally announce their acceptance and entrance into the conference.

ACC got way more than they deserved by playing Fox against ESPN and packaging the product. That set the market.

ESPN wanted the Big East to take UCF, before Syracuse and Pitt left.

Do we want to continue with a partner that works toward our demise?

(12-06-2011 11:38 PM)RUfan03 Wrote:  Do we want to continue with a partner that works toward our demise?

You do if that partner now controls the BCS.

Big East will probably sign with NBC Sports, just a personal hunch

(12-06-2011 02:25 AM)monty Wrote:  ACC got way more than they deserved by playing Fox against ESPN and packaging the product. That set the market.

The Pac-12 set the market. By comparison, the ACC got shafted, probably why they wanted to look for some schools to expand their markets

"The (Pac-12) contract, which will begin with the 2012-13 season, will be worth more than $225 million per year -- or $2.7 billion over the life of the deal, Sports Business Daily and The Associated Press reported on Tuesday."

"The ACC recently signed a deal for $155 million a year, and the Big 12 reached a deal with Fox that made its total annual package worth about $130 million.

"The Pac-10, which will be renamed the Pac-12 in July with the additions of Utah and Colorado, topped those deals, as well as the $205 million the SEC gets and the $220 million paid to the Big Ten."

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=6471380

BE was offered between $110-$130 by ESPN and they felt it was a slap in the face so they rejected it. ESPN probably did not plan this Western Expansion by the BE, they tried to destroy the beast but it grew three fold. Fox and NBC have recently grown major interest with college athletics, look at the side contracts they are doing to air the non-revenue sports and not-premium matchups. after these 10,12 year contracts are over expect to see a major bidding war between the top networks. We are witnessing the last era of ESPN's monopoly on college athletics, that's why they designed the contracts to last as long as possible.

I think what is more likely is that the upcoming media negotiations are going to be the straw that breaks the hybrid model in the Big East.

The football schools need money to justify the taxpayer and alumni monies that have been thrown at football and they will take a deal comparable to the ACC's current deal, but with Versus or Fox. Meanwhile the Big East Catholics, who don't have those football expenses to make up and would rather keep their alumni happy by remaining visible with a great basketball product, will get a deal with ESPN.

The Catholics' deal with ESPN will not be for a ton of money, which works out tremendously for ESPN as the bar would actually be lowered in future negotiations, while the Big East Catholics (presumably plus Xavier and maybe St. Louis or another school or two depending on Notre Dame) could remain in the national spotlight on The Worldwide Leader.

(12-06-2011 01:47 AM)onlinepole Wrote:  I'll bet BE leadership is playing ESPN against NBC(Versus) to maximize their leverage and $. You'd think they'd want to get the negotiation rapped up for no other reason than to entice programs that have received invitations to formally announce their acceptance and entrance into the conference.

I think NBC wins out in this round. They really want the BE basketball portion, and I think will offer them the moon for that portion of the sports package. They realize they got burned when they went with the "one school only" contract with Notre Dame football, and can't afford to have it happen again

So the thinking is that NBC ends up with the Big East, CBS ends up with the MWC-CUSA alliance, and ABC/ESPN keeps everything else?

If so, at least there would be a little more competition in college sports coverage than today.

(12-07-2011 01:33 AM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  So the thinking is that NBC ends up with the Big East, CBS ends up with the MWC-CUSA alliance, and ABC/ESPN keeps everything else?

If so, at least there would be a little more competition in college sports coverage than today.

My guess:
NBC = Big East / Notre Dame
FOX = PAC/Alliance/B1G
CBS = SEC / Armed Forces (unless that changes?) / 2nd tier rights not taken by ESPN.
ABC/ESPN = ACC/ top games out of the other conferences.

(12-07-2011 01:29 AM)DaSaintFan Wrote:  

(12-06-2011 01:47 AM)onlinepole Wrote:  I'll bet BE leadership is playing ESPN against NBC(Versus) to maximize their leverage and $. You'd think they'd want to get the negotiation rapped up for no other reason than to entice programs that have received invitations to formally announce their acceptance and entrance into the conference.

I think NBC wins out in this round. They really want the BE basketball portion, and I think will offer them the moon for that portion of the sports package. They realize they got burned when they went with the "one school only" contract with Notre Dame football, and can't afford to have it happen again

You may be right about NBC winning this round, but they have not been "burned" by the "one school only" contract with NBC.

They only pay ND $15 million per year, they have very low production costs and they think that it is a good deal.

Look for NBC to renew the ND deal and sign a Big East deal with ND acting as a broker.

I just don't think Big East would resign it's TV deal with ESPN. There's obvious acrimony between the two after Big East turned down ESPN's offer and BC's AD stated that ESPN wanted Syracuse and Pitt. My guess is that Big East would want more than ACC's TV contract and there's no way ESPN is going to do that. Also NBC/Comcast needs another partner my guess Google/Youtube or Netflix joins in for Big East online rights.

(12-07-2011 12:58 AM)OneSockUp Wrote:  I think what is more likely is that the upcoming media negotiations are going to be the straw that breaks the hybrid model in the Big East.

The football schools need money to justify the taxpayer and alumni monies that have been thrown at football and they will take a deal comparable to the ACC's current deal, but with Versus or Fox. Meanwhile the Big East Catholics, who don't have those football expenses to make up and would rather keep their alumni happy by remaining visible with a great basketball product, will get a deal with ESPN.

The Catholics' deal with ESPN will not be for a ton of money, which works out tremendously for ESPN as the bar would actually be lowered in future negotiations, while the Big East Catholics (presumably plus Xavier and maybe St. Louis or another school or two depending on Notre Dame) could remain in the national spotlight on The Worldwide Leader.

Yep, clearly this major expansion is the first move towards a schism because that is how all schisms work - starting with major expansions.

What planet do some of you people live on?

The thing is- the bball schools won't be unanimous. For one- Notre dame would side with the football schools in the TV- for their partner NBC. So right there the vote would be 9-7.

(12-07-2011 08:32 AM)Dr. Isaly von Yinzer Wrote:  Yep, clearly this major expansion is the first move towards a schism because that is how all schisms work - starting with major expansions.

What planet do some of you people live on?

There are no shortage of women out there who think that having a baby will save a marriage. Oregon, Minnesota, and Kansas were all added to the United States in the three years before the Civil War. Those are two examples of misguided thoughts that expansion would bind.

What does Seton Hall have in common with the University of Central Florida? What does Georgetown have in common with the University of Cincinnati? How much should the basketball schools that are revenue positive for the conference (Villanova, Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame) have to share in their spoils with the Florida schools, Rutgers, and SMU that make money for the football league but add nothing to the basketball side?

The different goals of the football schools and the Catholic schools will come to a head at some point and I think the most likely time for that division is the media rights negotiations.

(12-07-2011 08:13 AM)TerryD Wrote:  

(12-07-2011 01:29 AM)DaSaintFan Wrote:  

(12-06-2011 01:47 AM)onlinepole Wrote:  I'll bet BE leadership is playing ESPN against NBC(Versus) to maximize their leverage and $. You'd think they'd want to get the negotiation rapped up for no other reason than to entice programs that have received invitations to formally announce their acceptance and entrance into the conference.

I think NBC wins out in this round. They really want the BE basketball portion, and I think will offer them the moon for that portion of the sports package. They realize they got burned when they went with the "one school only" contract with Notre Dame football, and can't afford to have it happen again

You may be right about NBC winning this round, but they have not been "burned" by the "one school only" contract with NBC.

They only pay ND $15 million per year, they have very low production costs and they think that it is a good deal.

Look for NBC to renew the ND deal and sign a Big East deal with ND acting as a broker.

This^

The real fun starts when the BIG contract runs out.