(02-21-2015 11:36 AM)krup Wrote: I can see the SEC making more than the B1G on their cable network, because they started it when the concept was proven, while the B1G cut their deal back when there was still uncertainty over whether a conference cable network would even be successful.
On the other hand, because of timing the B1G is going to make more money than the other conferences on the renewal of their TV deal.
It will end up with a P5 that has two tiers, with the SEC/B1G tier making significantly more than the others.
The B1G is going to make a lot more than the SEC, because they were extremely smart back in 2007, when they decided to create a network deal with FOX for half of their media rights. That made them an equity partner and they will reap the rewards from here on out. And, that deal with FOX only runs until 2026, so they can take back FOX's equity that year if they want, while the SEC is stuck with ESPN until 2035, nine years more!
Plus, whereas ESPN owns the SEC lock/stock/barrel for 20 more years, the B1G has the other half of their media rights up for grabs NEXT year, and can either sign a full-value contract or fold that into their network. They can make sure that climbing media rights fees don't make their deal obsolete in a year or two like happened to the ACC and SEC.
In contrast, the SEC stupidly signed their media rights away to ESPN/CBS in 2008, and that deal will haunt them for the next 20 years. ESPN and the SEC can repackage that deal six ways to Sunday, but the bottom line is because ESPN had the SEC rights until 2025, they had the SEC by the balls and no reason to let go, so they didn't. To give the SEC more money now via the network, they squeezed their balls for TEN more years on the deal, from 2025 to 2035.
Make no mistake: Once ESPN has you for years at what turn out to be low-ball dollars, the ONLY way you are getting more dollars now is by extending the deal for many more years, which is really just shuffling the deck chairs around so that the conference leaders who signed the bad deal can wave a few more dollars around now to make it look to restless member schools like the deal doesn't really suck so bad. But at bottom, it's the same bad deal.
Bottom line: Whatever money the SEC makes from the SECN this year, it would have been a LOT more had they not signed that 2008 ESPN deal. Biggest bonehead move ever, save arguably for Swofford signing the same type of deal with ESPN in 2010.