(05-04-2017 12:30 PM)ren.hoek Wrote: (05-04-2017 12:00 PM)JRsec Wrote: (05-04-2017 11:41 AM)XLance Wrote: (05-04-2017 09:37 AM)JRsec Wrote: (05-04-2017 09:21 AM)Lenvillecards Wrote: Someone posted on the ACC board a letter from Swofford to all the schools & AD stating that he has assurance from Skipper that the layoffs will affect the ACCN. It's "full speed ahead ".
I think you meant, will not affect the ACCN. I believe that too Lenville. But given the layoffs and the declining subscriptions Skipper himself will be the tell. As long as he is there it will be done. But should Disney replace him (and he's been there for a while) it could signal a change of programming strategy across the board and not just for the ACCN. That's what has to be watched. Corporations almost always change the CEO if a long term negative trend affects stock prices.
What concerns me is that such a change might well change their whole approach to delivery. I know the escape clause in the ACC's GOR extension is centered around the ACCN. I've not read the one for the SECN. But for now the SECN is a big profit maker so unless a change signals the selling off of portions of ESPN's rights, up to and including the SECN, anything quite literally is possible and 2019 is really close at hand. Any changes for 2019's operational plans could easily be changed by the end of this next football season.
None of this bothered me until the Miller / Wildhack interview. Then whoever it is that writes and manages that Florida State site brought up similar issues the other night. Couple that with rumors getting out from credible sources about N.D. and Cincy joining in 2019 and it just makes me wonder. Why would Notre Dame joining leak out at the same time that the layoffs and doubts over the viability of Disney wanting to invest in the ACCN come out in the same week? And is Finebaum's blurting out the "Oklahoma Want's Out" story just coincidental or was it designed to focus the public's attention away from Miller's observations. Either way we won't know for sure. That's why John Skipper himself is the tell. If they keep him that means they like the trajectory of the decisions he has made and that those decisions will come to fruition. If however Skipper is removed sometime between this Summer and Next Summer then watch out for everybody connected with ESPN, not just the ACC.
There is no escape clause.
I was referring to the 3 million per school should the ACCN not materialize. The GOR extension was predicated on the ACCN.
I heard that ESPN needed the GOR extension (i.e. membership stability) to commit to the ACCN, which is prudent and logical. I haven't heard anyone credible say that the GOR is void without the ACCN. I believe I heard Swofford say the GOR is unconditional, although my memory is somewhat fuzzy these days (I blame my kids).
I wholeheartedly agree that a change in leadership at ESPN in the era of cost cutting would be a game changer. The LHN would be on the chopping block. The SECN would survive since it is an existing, known, and profitable entity. The ACCN, would be thoroughly reviewed and who knows what would happen there? I still say we merge the ACC and SEC and then get ND, Texas, OU, and OState. Let Kansas go to the B1G.
I think the merger aspect is under the radar. Look at the factors already in play. The SECN is located in North Carolina. If you merged the LHN into it and kept the conference headquarters in Birmingham you have centered all of the major aspects of the united group for the three areas concerned. All the ACC has already done is for each conference school to get broadcast production ready. Since the equipment is the same the SEC modified to prior to the SECN it is already synchronized. I would bet the LHN is as well.
It is why I think that if FOX can land a piece of the PACN that a division of the Big 12 based upon SWC ties and Big 8 ties is likely. Texas, Texas Tech, T.C.U. and Baylor come to ESPN. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State go to FOX. Any scheduling alliance would be a first step to an eventual merger into a league. ESPN might like to own Texas outright without any FOX intervention from one of the top products in Texas. 5 games a week in a state of 26 million is a lot of exclusive ad revenue. Plus combine the product and ESPN has all of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas Kentucky and Missouri with no other P5 schools in any of them. New York, Massachusetts, Pittsburgh, Indiana, Ohio with Cincinnati joining with Notre Dame, would give us inroads into the underbelly of the Big 10. Oklahoma is a small sacrifice to make to engulf that region. There is no reason that the ACCN could not be broadcast out of Charlotte.
I've even proposed that if you kept the two conferences distinct as far as branding goes that the ACC North and ACC Mid Atlantic could operate out of Bristol. The ACC South and SEC East out of Charlotte, and the SEC Central and SEC West out of the LHN facilities. Bundle the two conference networks, use overflow channels to distribute divisional content for each division and create a whole new niche for regional advertising. Right now many strong regional companies just can't justify national airtime. It misses their target audience and costs too much. So when brand plays brand we have national advertising. The divisional games of the week would be targeted at regional companies who wanted the specified exposure.
So in essence a merger, in business practices a merger, but for branding two separate entities. But getting all of Texas is the key. However, get a change in CEO and who knows what happens?