http://www.jconline.com/story/mike-carmi.../30226149/

The Big Ten Network, which the league owns along with Fox, began showing a profit in 2011-12. However, those shares were initially held back by the conference to help with the transition of Maryland and Rutgers.

Big Ten deputy commissioner and treasure Brad Traviolia said this is the first year the conference distributed BTN profit shares to schools. Traviolia, though, declined to say which schools received them and how much was distributed.

The conference's five-year budget plan, obtained in 2014, showed the league projected to distribute $11 million - $1 million each to 11 schools - in BTN profit shares beginning in 2014-15. The profit shares are subject to approval by the Big Ten's Chancellors and Presidents.

The league's newest members – Maryland, Nebraska and Rutgers – are operating under a six-year financial integration plan and not expected to receive BTN profit shares. Nebraska is scheduled to receive its first full financial share in 2017-18 – the first year of the league's new television contract - while Maryland and Rutgers will receive full shares starting in 2020-21.

The conference has people who crunch the numbers and know how to maximize the value of the content they offer. With the markets added (northern New Jersey & NYC along with Baltimore) to those the Big 10 already has; no other college football conference will be able to match the $ earned from TV that the Big 10 has and will have unless Texas joins the SEC which will never happen.

(07-20-2015 11:19 AM)Policiious Wrote:  The conference has people who crunch the numbers and know how to maximize the value of the content they offer. With the markets added (northern New Jersey & NYC along with Baltimore) to those the Big 10 already has; no other college football conference will be able to match the $ earned from TV that the Big 10 has and will have unless Texas joins the SEC which will never happen.

Well to be fair, the Big Ten Conference only owns around 50% of the network so while they may have better markets, money, etc., they may make less money because they own less of their network than other conferences. But the Big Ten does have the great media markets in their footprint and should be in a good position should the "a la carte" offering become the new standard.

(07-20-2015 04:27 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  

(07-20-2015 11:19 AM)Policiious Wrote:  The conference has people who crunch the numbers and know how to maximize the value of the content they offer. With the markets added (northern New Jersey & NYC along with Baltimore) to those the Big 10 already has; no other college football conference will be able to match the $ earned from TV that the Big 10 has and will have unless Texas joins the SEC which will never happen.

Well to be fair, the Big Ten Conference only owns around 50% of the network so while they may have better markets, money, etc., they may make less money because they own less of their network than other conferences. But the Big Ten does have the great media markets in their footprint and should be in a good position should the "a la carte" offering become the new standard.

The only conference that owns a greater share is the PAC. I do believe the SEC has it built into the contract that they can buy back some of ESPN's ownership but honestly, are they going to? No. Why would they want to decrease ESPN's drive to make the SEC Network successful?

The Big Ten knows what it is doing. The 50% mark is smart. It keeps both parties fully interested and active in making the Network a success. The PAC had zero experience in running a Network. Right about now they are wishing they had a partner that has that experience.