The American saw some revenue growth — at least $4 million due to Houston's Peach Bowl appearance — and Aresco said the league is in talks to secure a title sponsor for both the Miami Beach Bowl and the conference's football title game.

But any conference gains are still dwarfed by the College Football Playoff split the Power 5 conferences receive.

Improving the league's television contract will be a chief focus during the spring meetings. The AAC's $126 million contract with ESPN ends in 2020.

Despite the tough time for cable companies that are being hit by declining revenue, Aresco said he is looking forward to negotiating for a new deal.


"We're going to have a television strategy ready because we're only a few years away from next negotiations. We did a short-term deal and we may be able to talk to ESPN next year. They may want to extend us before that, but we don't know," Aresco said. "We've increased our value enormously and had 19 games that had over a million viewers including that Temple game that had 6 million viewers which was a blockbuster."

In addition to TV revenue, administrators will discuss ways to improve their digital footprint and explore the future with online companies to help distribute and brand the AAC. Other topics will include how the conference can improve its football bowl lineup to increase payouts, the composition of the NCAA men's basketball committee, transfer rules and student welfare.


http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/uc...story.html

We're seeing record TV deals on the top end and new lows on the bottom end. How does everyone feel about our chances in TV negotiations?

The AAC's accomplishments have been closer to the top end. I'm optimistic.

None of those lower end deals have delivered 2 NY6 bowl wins and a MBB National Championship. Those other leagues aren't investing in athletics (with high profile coaches and facilities) anywhere close to the level of the AAC. That's why Western expansion is only a matter of will as far as the AAC in concerned.

The MWC has fallen off the map. They're a 1 bid basketball conference and their football champ just played the AAC #6.

The AAC has created that separation.

(05-29-2016 08:32 PM)BigEastHomer Wrote:  The AAC's accomplishments have been closer to the top end. I'm optimistic.

None of those lower end deals have delivered 2 NY6 bowl wins and a MBB National Championship. Those other leagues aren't investing in athletics (with high profile coaches and facilities) anywhere close to the level of the AAC. That's why Western expansion is only a matter of will as far as the AAC in concerned.

The MWC has fallen off the map. They're a 1 bid basketball conference and their football champ just played the AAC #6.

The AAC has created that separation.

Well other than Boise I would agree the MWC has fallen off the map.

(05-29-2016 08:27 PM)Insane_Baboon Wrote:  We're seeing record TV deals on the top end and new lows on the bottom end. How does everyone feel about our chances in TV negotiations?

great ...i feel comfortable saying we are definitely a raise

the question is just how much..

we will not touch record highs, but will not touch the lows..

imo the decreasing tv deals are a myth.a myth cusa fans are pushing to make themselves feel better
theyd rather say all tv deals are going to devalue and they are just the first conference its affecting than admit that the MAC got a better tv deal

1) their deal didn't devalue...their original deal had ucf, houston ecu etc..the new deal was for teams than were mostly sunbelt and fcs 2 years ago.. compared to the value they were given in the sunbelt/fcs they have been given a raise

if the acc was raided badly all that remained was wake, ncstate and boston college, then 9 AAC teams were added, and they received a tv deal of 8 mil per...the acc 8mil per deal is a raise and a reflection of the members not a reflection of all future college football deals...anyone saying the 26mil to 8 mil decrease is because of cable cutters is blind

not 1 conference with the majority same members till this day has received a decreased value tv deal

I think it would be in ESPN's interest to have a quality AAC. If they pay us well they will end up with a better quality product, just the P5 alone is not enough games.

If I was ESPN I would convince Colorado State, Boise, SD state, and one one more to move to the AAC and pay us around 8 million per team. And maybe help us sign a GOR type of agreement to hold us together.

Before saying TV deals are on the decline...lets look at the context. Look at these headlines...

"CUSA schools to receive less TV money"

"MTSU, FAU, UTSA, North Texas to receive $250K a year in TV money"

A few years ago, if you would have said the 2nd line, it would not have been surprising...the reality is that CUSA lost value....the overall loser in conference re-alignment. It is filled with Sun Belt level teams, move-ups, etc...and the Sun Belt was able to backfill with teams that had similar value. So their TV deal is going to now be similar....and in reality the MAC and MWC have more consistency in terms of brand.

So what does that mean for the American...who knows...that's what Aresco is trying to figure out.

But and increase is an increase and no matter that national media want to focus on the difference, Aresco's job is really to try and get separation from CUSA and the MWC...and he is succeeding in doing just that. That changes the "perception"...which is as important as the real dollars in the public eye.

(05-29-2016 08:32 PM)BigEastHomer Wrote:  The AAC's accomplishments have been closer to the top end. I'm optimistic.

If the Big 12 raids us, we'll be lucky to get more than the current TV money next time around.

The only chance we have at a significant raise is if the Big 12 decides to stand pat, and we keep all our schools.

(05-30-2016 06:59 AM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(05-29-2016 08:32 PM)BigEastHomer Wrote:  The AAC's accomplishments have been closer to the top end. I'm optimistic.

If the Big 12 raids us, we'll be lucky to get more than the current TV money next time around.

The only chance we have at a significant raise is if the Big 12 decides to stand pat, and we keep all our schools.

as a uc fan, i hope like hell that uc wins the lottery. in any event, i do think that the 'commish has done a good job - he's made chicken salad with chicken @*#. if anyone has the talent, and contacts, to guide a "non P5" league through this landscape, i think it's aresco. in some ways, if the B12 does nothing, which is still a distinct possibility, he may be able to work with an AAC that still has all of its bullets. i hope so.

I'll keep my expectations low. I'm going to say $3.5 million each. % wise that would be a huge increase. It would also separate us from the G4 and really create a separate class for the AAC.

I tend to agree KT. I have been hoping for 3.5 to 8. With an early extension, I would expect on the low end, Maybe a 500k jump for final 4 years, and then 3 or 4 for the additional 3 or 4 years. While that is not huge $$$. It is a big increase from now.

As for GOR, I doubt Cincy, UCF, Ucon, Memphis would sign one at 8 mil. Maybe if the 8 mil came with our own Access bowl, and one bowl better than we have bowl, for runner up.

As long as league-members think there is a plausible chance they will be invited to join a richer conference, the idea of a GOR for this league is make-believe. It won't happen.

No one in our league will sign a GOR.
The league will constantly have teams mentioned for expansion and that's good because it means we have schools that are valuable.
I don't think the Big12 will make any expansion decisions in the short term so I can see the AAC extending with ESPN for maybe a deal where there is an increase foe each year the league remains intact.
Since our tv deal ends in 2020 if we extend to let's say 2025 with
2018- 2.5 mill
2019- 3 mill
2020- 3.5 mill
2021- 4.0 mill
2022- 4.5 mill
2023- 5.0 mill
2024- 5.5 mill
2025- 6.0 mill

Tulsane will sign a GOR

Channeled my best BC#1

I'm not so optomistic, I think the b12 expands in august an adds fr this group 4 teams, houston, uconn, ucf, cinci and or byu

Even with a Big XII raid that includes Cincinnati and UConn there is still a good chance the American could increase their TV deal if they expand to the west by 4. SDSU, Boise State, UNLV, and Colorado State could join Houston, SMU, and Tulsa in a western division. While ECU, Temple, UCF, USF, Tulane, Navy, and Memphis make up the east. That conference would clearly be the best G5 conference in football and basketball which could command around 4 to 7 million during a ten year TV deal.

(05-30-2016 11:26 AM)Stookey57 Wrote:  I'm not so optomistic, I think the b12 expands in august an adds fr this group 4 teams, houston, uconn, ucf, cinci and or byu

Expansion doesn't typically happen in August...usually expansion announcements occur in the spring prior to end of fiscal year end, due to TV contract negotiations.

I think the ACC did it in Sept that one time because they were trying to be proactive knowing the Maryland situation.

(05-30-2016 12:08 PM)bearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  Even with a Big XII raid that includes Cincinnati and UConn there is still a good chance the American could increase their TV deal if they expand to the west by 4. SDSU, Boise State, UNLV, and Colorado State could join Houston, SMU, and Tulsa in a western division. While ECU, Temple, UCF, USF, Tulane, Navy, and Memphis make up the east. That conference would clearly be the best G5 conference in football and basketball which could command around 4 to 7 million during a ten year TV deal.

The MWC sucks so I would personally love to see the Aztecs get the hell out. However, word I've heard from a trustworthy source inside SDSU is that the administration really soured on the nBE/AAC the way the Tulane thing was handled. Granted, SDSU wasn't yet a member but Aresco didn't think enough of SDSU to even tell my school adding the Green Wave was in the offing and they heard of it through the media. I know another Aztec who is in real estate development in the West and interacts with a peer in Boise whose buddy works in Boise's AD and that school's experience was identical.

Bottom line is Craig Thompson is a moron but at least from what I can tell, so is Aresco. Therefore, as long as that doofus is commissioner of the AAC, I don't see either school having much interest in being asked to join again.

(05-30-2016 12:40 PM)SleepingGiantsFan Wrote:  

(05-30-2016 12:08 PM)bearcatlawjd2 Wrote:  Even with a Big XII raid that includes Cincinnati and UConn there is still a good chance the American could increase their TV deal if they expand to the west by 4. SDSU, Boise State, UNLV, and Colorado State could join Houston, SMU, and Tulsa in a western division. While ECU, Temple, UCF, USF, Tulane, Navy, and Memphis make up the east. That conference would clearly be the best G5 conference in football and basketball which could command around 4 to 7 million during a ten year TV deal.

The MWC sucks so I would personally love to see the Aztecs get the hell out. However, word I've heard from a trustworthy source inside SDSU is that the administration really soured on the nBE/AAC the way the Tulane thing was handled. Granted, SDSU wasn't yet a member but Aresco didn't think enough of SDSU to even tell my school adding the Green Wave was in the offing and they heard of it through the media. I know another Aztec who is in real estate development in the West and interacts with a peer in Boise whose buddy works in Boise's AD and that school's experience was identical.

Bottom line is Craig Thompson is a moron but at least from what I can tell, so is Aresco. Therefore, as long as that doofus is commissioner of the AAC, I don't see either school having much interest in being asked to join again.

Sorry no comparison between the two, as for Boise's relationship with the AAC there has been enough on that one for everyone here to know how Boise behaved as part of that expansion and it was their backing out that cost SDSU to have to leave and return to the MWC

The one key move that would allow the AAC to guarantee itself an increased payout, and at the same time give the far flung conference an identity that its scattered geography refuses to allow---is to get all 3 academies under one roof. If we could add Air Force and Army---the AAC is going guarantee it has a significant place in any upper level college football future. I'd say you take who you have to in order to make that happen. Add Colorado St if that's what it takes to get Air Force. Add Army and whoever they want (Im guessing they'd probably want someone like UMass). Done!

The AAC would become the "conference of the military schools". A truly "American" conference. It would be a image that fits its name---and it would also house the best of the rest in terms of non-power football, making it an annual defacto NYD Bowl competitor. With all the Commanders Cup games, the Army-Navy game, as well as 3-5 teams threatening to win the G5 access slot every year and a roster of top young up and coming coaching names---the conference will offer an interesting, fun, innovative brand of football with compelling story lines all within the context of grabbing a slot in a big NYD bowl. That's valuable television folks.