Should we be concerned?

It does not seem like anyone has much positive to say about the future of CUSA media rights. The status quo would be less than ideal and not having all games on a relatively accessible streaming platform like ESPN3 or even Peacock would stink.

At what point do we feel that there will be news on this situation?

I know this will get a ton of negative comments, but I'll share what I've heard. From some close to the Marshall situation, one of the reasons we looked to jump to the Sun Belt is that initial contacts with media partners were very unfavorable even before the defections, and once the AAC took who they did the situation even looked more bleak. After the AAC group was announced media partners were again contacted, and CUSA was told they will be lucky if the status quo was kept. ESPN had no real interest in anything beyond the current type of ESPN+ stuff (possibly because they were working to get the teams they wanted to move to the SBC) and the current conglomeration of partners (Stadium, Facebook, CBS Sports, etc) were lukewarm at best. Feelers put out to Fox were not returned positively. ESPN had a great deal of influence in who the SBC took, and ESPN got who they wanted.

Of course, all this information is a few months old at this point, and I don't know how or if things have changed. No offense, but I doubt the schools that were added as replacements have done much to change the opinion of the media companies versus what was in CUSA before all the recent defections, AAC and SBC both. My best guess at this point is that the status quo is going to be the best that will be available right now, and if so I'd sign as short a contract as possible, prove that you deserve better by on field and TV performances and go back to the open market as soon as you can.

Again, I know this will get ton of negative comments and things about why do I care as a Marshall fan and that I'm making stuff up. Fair enough. But the question was asked, so I thought it fair to share what my understanding of the situation is, or at least was as of a few months ago. That said, the sports landscape and the TV landscape is constantly changing, so perhaps the picture is a bit more rosy today that it was when this information was given. But if ESPN is not really interested and Fox is still negative towards the idea, there really isn't many other good choices to get into a bidding war and drive the price up.

(01-23-2022 09:13 AM)TexasTerror Wrote:  Should we be concerned?

It does not seem like anyone has much positive to say about the future of CUSA media rights. The status quo would be less than ideal and not having all games on a relatively accessible streaming platform like ESPN3 or even Peacock would stink.

At what point do we feel that there will be news on this situation?

The league has been in a precarious situation media-wise since the member presidents of CUSA under the previous commissioner in 2011 voted to make CBS/Fox the primary media rights holder stabbing ESPN in the back, who still had a year remaining on their contract.

The league has undergone major conference shifts twice in the last 10 years losing a grand total of 17 members. You can't market instability. Conference USA has always been the most raided conference in Division 1-A.

With that said, the membership has to produce a good and competitive product. Media stakeholders don't want to pay for an unknown product. It's unfortunate because the media rights are up for CUSA in another couple of years--I think 2025. It was in my opinion a calculated effort by ESPN predominantly and their commodities to destroy Conference USA and cripple its media presence because of what happened with the 2011 decision. Not shocking is that they once again raided CUSA just before a media rights contract was up just like they did in 2013. That wasn't a coincidence. That was very much intentional. This is why Conference USA needs to try to operate with a longer-term commitment for media rights.

The biggest issue with the new C-usa is everyone will look for a way out as soon as the next round of realignment starts. I firmly believe that this conference will be better on the field than people think but the new TV contract will likely be signed by the time they get to prove it. Negotiating a short contract may result in a better one down the road when the brand is stronger (it can't get worse) but that's an awfully big risk with the next round of realignment potentially being closer than we expect. Signing a long contract gives security but I highly doubt it'll be desirable enough to keep teams from leaving. I'm just glad my career isn't riding on these decisions because it's a no win situation imo.

This thread is asking for someone to post a link stating that FloSports has won the media rights to C-USA for the next ten years, only for said link to be to a video of Baby Shark or a Rick Roll.

(01-24-2022 01:44 AM)Frontierman Wrote:  The biggest issue with the new C-usa is everyone will look for a way out as soon as the next round of realignment starts. I firmly believe that this conference will be better on the field than people think but the new TV contract will likely be signed by the time they get to prove it. Negotiating a short contract may result in a better one down the road when the brand is stronger (it can't get worse) but that's an awfully big risk with the next round of realignment potentially being closer than we expect. Signing a long contract gives security but I highly doubt it'll be desirable enough to keep teams from leaving. I'm just glad my career isn't riding on these decisions because it's a no win situation imo.

When you are not coveted for media coverage, go short term contract and prove yourself on the field/court. The current media contracts with cbs sports, espn streaming, stadium are all ending one year from now. You don't lose 9 members and then immediately negotiate from a position of strength. Bite the bullet with a short term contract first and start showing that the conference plays some good football and basketball.

(01-23-2022 10:11 PM)forphase1 Wrote:  I know this will get a ton of negative comments, but I'll share what I've heard. From some close to the Marshall situation, one of the reasons we looked to jump to the Sun Belt is that initial contacts with media partners were very unfavorable even before the defections, and once the AAC took who they did the situation even looked more bleak. After the AAC group was announced media partners were again contacted, and CUSA was told they will be lucky if the status quo was kept. ESPN had no real interest in anything beyond the current type of ESPN+ stuff (possibly because they were working to get the teams they wanted to move to the SBC) and the current conglomeration of partners (Stadium, Facebook, CBS Sports, etc) were lukewarm at best. Feelers put out to Fox were not returned positively. ESPN had a great deal of influence in who the SBC took, and ESPN got who they wanted.

Of course, all this information is a few months old at this point, and I don't know how or if things have changed. No offense, but I doubt the schools that were added as replacements have done much to change the opinion of the media companies versus what was in CUSA before all the recent defections, AAC and SBC both. My best guess at this point is that the status quo is going to be the best that will be available right now, and if so I'd sign as short a contract as possible, prove that you deserve better by on field and TV performances and go back to the open market as soon as you can.

Again, I know this will get ton of negative comments and things about why do I care as a Marshall fan and that I'm making stuff up. Fair enough. But the question was asked, so I thought it fair to share what my understanding of the situation is, or at least was as of a few months ago. That said, the sports landscape and the TV landscape is constantly changing, so perhaps the picture is a bit more rosy today that it was when this information was given. But if ESPN is not really interested and Fox is still negative towards the idea, there really isn't many other good choices to get into a bidding war and drive the price up.

I think that is pretty much spot on. Losing 9 members means the conference has to prove itself. We had a lousy deal with the departing 9 anyway.

(01-24-2022 08:49 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  

(01-24-2022 01:44 AM)Frontierman Wrote:  The biggest issue with the new C-usa is everyone will look for a way out as soon as the next round of realignment starts. I firmly believe that this conference will be better on the field than people think but the new TV contract will likely be signed by the time they get to prove it. Negotiating a short contract may result in a better one down the road when the brand is stronger (it can't get worse) but that's an awfully big risk with the next round of realignment potentially being closer than we expect. Signing a long contract gives security but I highly doubt it'll be desirable enough to keep teams from leaving. I'm just glad my career isn't riding on these decisions because it's a no win situation imo.

When you are not coveted for media coverage, go short term contract and prove yourself on the field/court. The current media contracts with cbs sports, espn streaming, stadium are all ending one year from now. You don't lose 9 members and then immediately negotiate from a position of strength. Bite the bullet with a short term contract first and start showing that the conference plays some good football and basketball.

That actually makes the most sense and you're not locked into a ridiculous contract if your teams perform really well and you're stuck in a crap contract.

As a JSU fan, I'm obviously new to the drama between ESPN and CUSA, but I definitely understand how the mouse could hold a grudge.

That said, what do you think the odds are that CUSA signs a short-term deal with ESPN?

Understand, I'm not expecting a huge multi-zillion dollar deal putting multiple games on the big network on a weekly basis. I'm just talking about a low-end primarily ESPN3 deal on par with (or only slightly better than) what FCS leagues like the OVC and ASUN have.

The conference would have two goals with this deal: 1) mend the old rift between the league and the mouse... and 2) use this deal as a stepping stone to a better deal once this one expires. (That second goal would of course depend on the teams and fan bases holding up their end of the bargain.)

I'm just having a hard time understanding how signing an equally crappy deal with a less accessible platform would be any better.

(01-24-2022 10:02 AM)whupemall Wrote:  As a JSU fan, I'm obviously new to the drama between ESPN and CUSA, but I definitely understand how the mouse could hold a grudge.

That said, what do you think the odds are that CUSA signs a short-term deal with ESPN?

Understand, I'm not expecting a huge multi-zillion dollar deal putting multiple games on the big network on a weekly basis. I'm just talking about a low-end primarily ESPN3 deal on par with (or only slightly better than) what FCS leagues like the OVC and ASUN have.

The conference would have two goals with this deal: 1) mend the old rift between the league and the mouse... and 2) use this deal as a stepping stone to a better deal once this one expires. (That second goal would of course depend on the teams and fan bases holding up their end of the bargain.)

I'm just having a hard time understanding how signing an equally crappy deal with a less accessible platform would be any better.

I'm certainly not an expert but I do remember that the commissioner prior to Judy grabbed a deal with Fox without giving ESPN the right of first refusal that they were entitled to. I really doubt ESPN gives a hoot about that since we now have a streaming deal with them that allows games to be moved to one of their linear platforms. That happened this past season with the UTSA @ UTEP due to UTSA being unbeaten at the time.

No one is throwing any meaningful money at us right now but some exposure and continued streaming on ESPN3 znd ESPN+ would b e a good start.

(01-24-2022 10:02 AM)whupemall Wrote:  As a JSU fan, I'm obviously new to the drama between ESPN and CUSA, but I definitely understand how the mouse could hold a grudge.

That said, what do you think the odds are that CUSA signs a short-term deal with ESPN?

Understand, I'm not expecting a huge multi-zillion dollar deal putting multiple games on the big network on a weekly basis. I'm just talking about a low-end primarily ESPN3 deal on par with (or only slightly better than) what FCS leagues like the OVC and ASUN have.

The conference would have two goals with this deal: 1) mend the old rift between the league and the mouse... and 2) use this deal as a stepping stone to a better deal once this one expires. (That second goal would of course depend on the teams and fan bases holding up their end of the bargain.)

I'm just having a hard time understanding how signing an equally crappy deal with a less accessible platform would be any better.

the issue is that even if ESPN didn't have a grudge, they have few open slots that aren't currently in their other properties. You'd basically have to agree to all midweek games all year.

IMO CUSA best move is to go all in on CBS sports/Paramount + deal since you already have the relationship. Maybe you could even get a CBS showing occasionally since they are losing the SEC. Paramount + would be a relative easy sell to fans since they get access to other nice content (i love this about ESPN+ and the espn/hulu/disney+ bundle). I think its imperative CUSA gets under 1 banner, whether its ESPN or CBS or some other service

I don't know the answer but espn3 is noticeably worse than CBSsports network IMO.

(01-24-2022 04:19 PM)ballantyneapp Wrote:  

(01-24-2022 10:02 AM)whupemall Wrote:  I'm just having a hard time understanding how signing an equally crappy deal with a less accessible platform would be any better.

the issue is that even if ESPN didn't have a grudge, they have few open slots that aren't currently in their other properties. You'd basically have to agree to all midweek games all year.

Ah. Didn't even consider the midweek games issue. That does suck.

(01-24-2022 04:19 PM)ballantyneapp Wrote:  

(01-24-2022 10:02 AM)whupemall Wrote:  As a JSU fan, I'm obviously new to the drama between ESPN and CUSA, but I definitely understand how the mouse could hold a grudge.

That said, what do you think the odds are that CUSA signs a short-term deal with ESPN?

Understand, I'm not expecting a huge multi-zillion dollar deal putting multiple games on the big network on a weekly basis. I'm just talking about a low-end primarily ESPN3 deal on par with (or only slightly better than) what FCS leagues like the OVC and ASUN have.

The conference would have two goals with this deal: 1) mend the old rift between the league and the mouse... and 2) use this deal as a stepping stone to a better deal once this one expires. (That second goal would of course depend on the teams and fan bases holding up their end of the bargain.)

I'm just having a hard time understanding how signing an equally crappy deal with a less accessible platform would be any better.

the issue is that even if ESPN didn't have a grudge, they have few open slots that aren't currently in their other properties. You'd basically have to agree to all midweek games all year.

IMO CUSA best move is to go all in on CBS sports/Paramount + deal since you already have the relationship. Maybe you could even get a CBS showing occasionally since they are losing the SEC. Paramount + would be a relative easy sell to fans since they get access to other nice content (i love this about ESPN+ and the espn/hulu/disney+ bundle). I think its imperative CUSA gets under 1 banner, whether its ESPN or CBS or some other service

Like the Suck Belt? #FunBelt midweek games.

Our ESPN deal runs through 2025. I know we have a great relationship with ESPN. Maybe once we officially join, CUSA can be a part of it. As some said, a short term deal.

Our deal, guarantees one game on one of their main channels and a week day game, if one is scheduled.

(01-24-2022 06:24 PM)whupemall Wrote:  

(01-24-2022 04:19 PM)ballantyneapp Wrote:  

(01-24-2022 10:02 AM)whupemall Wrote:  I'm just having a hard time understanding how signing an equally crappy deal with a less accessible platform would be any better.

the issue is that even if ESPN didn't have a grudge, they have few open slots that aren't currently in their other properties. You'd basically have to agree to all midweek games all year.

Ah. Didn't even consider the midweek games issue. That does suck.

Supposedly that was part of the dispute.

ESPN wants mid-week content. And of course it's great to play on national tv. But mid-week games suck.

So the trade off is trying something else (probably for less money) or getting stuck with mid-week games. Tough choice.

How much does basketball play into media/TV deals? Just curious, because new CUSA is rated far better than the MAC or Sun Belt in basketball and nearly equal to the AAC. Is it 100% football related, or are they combined with multiple sports?

UNFORTUNATELY, basketball seems to pull very little weight. It is hard for me to identify with this reality but that is the fact.

(01-24-2022 09:09 PM)sstaedtler88 Wrote:  How much does basketball play into media/TV deals? Just curious, because new CUSA is rated far better than the MAC or Sun Belt in basketball and nearly equal to the AAC. Is it 100% football related, or are they combined with multiple sports?

Very little. The guesses I usually see is that for the P5 conferences 10-20% of the TV value is basketball, depending on conference and contact. I've never really seen a similar breakdown for G5 deals. Though of course the Big East is all basketball.

(01-24-2022 06:27 PM)All4One Wrote:  

(01-24-2022 04:19 PM)ballantyneapp Wrote:  

(01-24-2022 10:02 AM)whupemall Wrote:  As a JSU fan, I'm obviously new to the drama between ESPN and CUSA, but I definitely understand how the mouse could hold a grudge.

That said, what do you think the odds are that CUSA signs a short-term deal with ESPN?

Understand, I'm not expecting a huge multi-zillion dollar deal putting multiple games on the big network on a weekly basis. I'm just talking about a low-end primarily ESPN3 deal on par with (or only slightly better than) what FCS leagues like the OVC and ASUN have.

The conference would have two goals with this deal: 1) mend the old rift between the league and the mouse... and 2) use this deal as a stepping stone to a better deal once this one expires. (That second goal would of course depend on the teams and fan bases holding up their end of the bargain.)

I'm just having a hard time understanding how signing an equally crappy deal with a less accessible platform would be any better.

the issue is that even if ESPN didn't have a grudge, they have few open slots that aren't currently in their other properties. You'd basically have to agree to all midweek games all year.

IMO CUSA best move is to go all in on CBS sports/Paramount + deal since you already have the relationship. Maybe you could even get a CBS showing occasionally since they are losing the SEC. Paramount + would be a relative easy sell to fans since they get access to other nice content (i love this about ESPN+ and the espn/hulu/disney+ bundle). I think its imperative CUSA gets under 1 banner, whether its ESPN or CBS or some other service

Like the Suck Belt? #FunBelt midweek games.

Yup. We did exchange Sat games for exposure. I’d say it worked pretty well. As a toddler dad, midweek games don’t bother me so much.