(06-11-2015 12:55 PM)Redwingtom Wrote: (06-11-2015 12:14 PM)perimeterpost Wrote: Miami joins NIU, CMU and Buffalo as the next school to complete the necessary tech upgrade as part of the new ESPN contract. The MAC has 4 years, starting last year, to get all of the schools upgraded with ESPN quality broadcast capabilities. Rumor is there will be more than 3 making the upgrade this summer, anyone have insight as to who might be next?
http://www.muredhawks.com/genrel/061115aaa.html
You mention this as some sort of requirement...but that article makes it sound like this is some voluntary program Miami is doing.
Was there a previous thread about this requirement?
It's a requirement as part of the new contract, per this line in the article "the RedHawks will launch.. The ESPN University Production Initiative, a component of the Mid-American Conference’s 13-year agreement with ESPN, ".
I don't have a link to a previous thread but I can summarize it for you- when ESPN decided to open up negotiations with the MAC last year with 3 years still remaining on the previous contract they offered an additional $8M/yr for the final 3yrs of the original $14M/10yr deal that would then roll into a $100M/10yr contract.
As part of the agreement the MAC agreed to upgrade its video broadcast capabilities to reach ESPN standards within 4 years so events in the bball arenas (bball, volleyball, wrestling) could be broadcast on ESPN3. Most MAC schools just use a single web cam with the radio broadcast dubbed in and little to no onscreen graphics. The upgrade calls for multiple cameras, instant replay, and on-air talent.
The plan was to upgrade 3 schools a year for 4 years, the costs could be approx $2M per school, or $24M total. It's not a coincidence that the final 3yrs of the old contract was given an extra $24M. Last year NIU, CMU and Buffalo were the first schools to make the transition. If you have access to ESPN3 check out one of their archived bball games, the quality is impressive.
The MAC has been hush-hush about the selection process for determining which schools make the upgrade and when. A few months ago the MAC said that more info regarding the next round would come out in June and there's a chance more than 3 schools will make the upgrade this summer.
This is the part of the contract renewal that gets mentioned the least but imo its the most significant. If you've ever tried to watch a web stream of MAC bball game you know how embarrassingly amateurish they are. Having all of our home games professionally broadcast and archived on ESPN3 will help the conference with recruiting and overall perception. Plus additional exposure for some non revenue sports is a big deal too.
I'm excited to see this transition completed.