MAC and ESPN have announced a new deal for football and hoops that runs through the 2016-2017 season:

http://www.macreportonline.com

(01-28-2009 10:31 AM)HuronDave Wrote:  MAC and ESPN have announced a new deal for football and hoops that runs through the 2016-2017 season:

http://www.macreportonline.com

Sounds like nothing more than a roll over of the current agreement.

Terrible.

Oh boy, we may get a couple extra ESPNU hoops games per year! And mid-week football through 2017!

The lack of vision and leadership in the conference office is stunning.

IS this an exclusive deal??? Can we reach out to CBS sports for its upper tier channel? Comcast ?

(01-28-2009 11:08 AM)BobcatFan Wrote:  Oh boy, we may get a couple extra ESPNU hoops games per year! And mid-week football through 2017!

The lack of vision and leadership in the conference office is stunning.

Yeah, we all know how the other networks are beating down our doors, throwing money at us to air MAC sports.

(01-28-2009 01:35 PM)axeme Wrote:  Yeah, we all know how the other networks are beating down our doors, throwing money at us to air MAC sports.

Bingo! We have a winner...

I think think the MAC needed to get this done because with the economic collaspe, there was a risk of ESPN cutting back on midmajor telecasts. This does provide the MAC some financial stability until 2017. The MAC attendance has pretty much forced the conference into the midweek games. The MAC gets more money from these games on TV that the gate. MAC doesn't have to worry about CUSA or Big East raiding any of the MAC schools anymore. The MAC has its contract and know can play hardball with Temple. MAC can demand hoops from Temple with this package in place. If Temple walks there will be more money for the 12 other members and more chances for TV. With this package the MAC can offer a 14th school TV time. That might make the MAC attractive for schools looking to move up.

I doubt it's a completely exclusive deal with ESPN but they would get first pick of what games to air. That will pretty much tap the money coffers, even if they are getting money from ESPN for the games. There may be some money to put together a very tiny hoops package on FS Ohio, and that's where most of the production costs will go towards -- and have in recent years -- and will primarily showcase Ohio schools. The fact of the matter is that the MAC has no funds to throw out to televise many events

Games have also aired on Comcast Sports out of Chicago but unless NIU is part of that equation I bet they are reluctant to air anything live.

The Michigan area is almost impossible to get any games on FS Detroit because all of the pro teams are on that network (or at least used to be), plus Comcast Local ceased operations a while back. Wouldn't hold my breath for any games on CBSSports, either, because the league isn't affiliated with CBS in any way (e.g., internet site). The fact that they are going to get some play on ESPNU is nice but is long overdue.

There are very, very few MAC schools that can afford to pay to have any games televised. Their fear is that if the game is televised it could hamper attendance at the game. And if there are games being televised and produced through the school, they aren't making the airwaves much on satellite.

Glad the MAC was able to lock something down but it does look like a rollover from the previous deal with some minor adjustments. Midweek football at its finest!!

(01-28-2009 11:15 AM)victory engineer Wrote:  IS this an exclusive deal??? Can we reach out to CBS sports for its upper tier channel? Comcast ?

Mid-week football is simply not worth the cost in terms of attendance and corresponding fan interest. The MAC's short-sighted desire to continue scheduling games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights in November for the next decade, despite those games drawing only a few thousand fans, is difficult to defend.

Meanwhile, while some pittance of ESPN hoops games may be all the conference can reasonably get at this point with respect to national broadcasts, a shrewd conference management would be looking for other ways to increase exposure. We are doing absolutely nothing as a conference on the web-broadcasting front for basketball, in stark contrast to the Horizon's excellent coverage. Meanwhile, our regional TV package is really thin, despite a network like Sportstime Ohio out there desperate for content that could then be shared with ESPN Full Court for national (albeit PPV) distribution.

Chryst is a joke. Any number of posters on this board could - literally - do a better job.

Playing half our conference games on the weekdays costs the MAC more than ESPN could ever pay us.

(01-28-2009 01:35 PM)axeme Wrote:  Yeah, we all know how the other networks are beating down our doors, throwing money at us to air MAC sports.

All you've done is allude to other problems w/ the MAC front office.

According to the various releases, ESPN will remain the exclusive national distributor of the MAC. No chance of CBS College Sports, Versus or anyone else.

This agreement begins with 2009-2010 athletic season.

As others have said, the MAC has already been meeting many of these minimums per season in football with 2007 (ESPN/ESPN2) and 2005 (ESPNU) being the exceptions (ESPN/ESPN2 count includes MACC in football apparently):

2008: ESPN/ESPN2 (9), ESPNU (9)
2007: ESPN/ESPN2 (5), ESPNU (10)
2006: ESPN/ESPN2 (8), ESPNU (8)
2005: ESPN/ESPN2 (10), ESPNU (4)

Basketball has been a different story (excluding Bracketbusters and the MAC tourney champ, which appears to count separately), so the guaranteed minimum of six will be an improvement.

2008-09: ESPN/ESPN2 (1), ESPNU (3)
2007-08: ESPN/ESPN2* (1), ESPNU (4)
2006-07: ESPN/ESPN2 (1), ESPNU (1)
2005-06: ESPN/ESPN2 (1)

*An additional game aired on ESPN Classic

(01-28-2009 06:51 PM)DrTorch Wrote:  

(01-28-2009 01:35 PM)axeme Wrote:  Yeah, we all know how the other networks are beating down our doors, throwing money at us to air MAC sports.

All you've done is allude to other problems w/ the MAC front office.

A big part of the problem for whomever is in the league office is that the product they are trying to sell has limited marketability.

I hear a lot of people who think they could better, but I've never heard anything substantial about who is going to pay us better and give us more national exposure. Sure, STO will show what we pay to produce, but there is no way they pay us, plus, that is a limited Ohio outlet. We could give up FSN, but it would really also shrink our visibility and availability. Who has the money to produce MAC hoops regularly? Can our schools contribute enough to the league office to make that happen? It will be the MAC schools that will make that happen when and if they have the will and the means. I don't see it being a priority at the school level, which is a necessity in order for the MAC office to have the mandate to get it done. THe MAC office really has limited resources compared to other conferences because the schools can't/won't pony up the means to do all these things fans think should be happening in terms of media exposure.

So we abandon national TV to have Saturday football? Aren't we irrelevant enough to the media? Quite a selling point to recruits: no, we won't be on ESPN, but 5,000-20,000 fans will see you every week, much like your high school! I guess when we go to lose 95% of our games vs. Big Ten teams, they might show us the BTN.

The commissioner's office is too easy a whipping boy when the real problem lies at the universities and in their athletic departments and the failure of our teams to compete at higher levels in the major sports in recent years. We haven't given a reason to anyone outside the conference to care about the MAC.

And this is not defense of Chryst. I think it's too easy to blame him for the MAC's problems that more directly run to the 12 or 13 schools we have.

This is a very weak deal when compared to what the WAC just signed last year. We should have demanded at least a similar contract to the WAC, if not better.

I bet the financial aspect of this new contract is weak as well.

Here is how this new contract compares to the WAC's.

MAC's new contract (2016-2017):

Quote:The deal includes a minimum of 11 nationally televised football games a year, with six on ESPN or ESPN2 and five on ESPNU.

Quote: In addition, at least six men's or women's regular-season basketball games a year will be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.

The men's tournament championship game will be shown on ESPN or ESPN2; the women's championship game might be shown on ESPNU, depending on the tournament format.

WAC's new contract (2016-2017):

Quote:Football: Double the number of games per year from eight to a minimum of 16 with at least 10 on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 and at least six on ESPNU. A minimum of nine games will be conference contests with an average of five on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2. Every school will appear at least once on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.

Quote:Men’s Basketball: Quadruple the number of games per year with a minimum of six regular season games each year on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 (three must be conference games). The conference championship game and one semifinal will also be shown on one of the three networks. A minimum of six regular season games each year on ESPNU plus one quarterfinal game from the tournament. Every school will appear at least once on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.

Quote:Women’s Sports: Six regular season events (volleyball, basketball or softball) this year, seven next year and eight in 2010-11. The volleyball and women’s basketball championships will be aired on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.

Source: http://www.govandals.com/ViewArticle.dbm...ID=1574583

Its tough for the MAC to even ask for what the WAC got. The WAC has had two teams in BCS games this decade and has had eight AP top 25 teams this decade vs. the MAC with four. Unless I missed it, no final AP top 25 teams in the MAC since the final poll from the 2003 season. The WAC has also been a multiple bid league most of this decade (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007), something the MAC has not been able to do at all this decade.

(01-28-2009 08:32 PM)mattsarz Wrote:  Its tough for the MAC to even ask for what the WAC got. The WAC has had two teams in BCS games this decade. The WAC has also been a multiple bid league most of this decade (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007), something the MAC has not been able to do at all this decade.

If the current BCS system rules that are in place now were in place prior, the MAC would have already had two BCS games (Miami in 2003 and Marshall in 1999).

I agree about the basketball part though.

It is a bit concerning that we just sold ourselves for eight more years. I hope we at least looked at and made an attempt to talk with other national networks before signing this deal. Considering it is MAC leadership, i doubt that is the case.

We have one good year of TV ratings for football and we jump into a long-term deal so quickly.

The WAC is getting $4 million per year on its new contract. I have a feeling we sold ourselves for a lot less than that.

most WAC will be played at midnight EST, something that MAC can not do.

(01-28-2009 07:30 PM)axeme Wrote:  

(01-28-2009 06:51 PM)DrTorch Wrote:  

(01-28-2009 01:35 PM)axeme Wrote:  Yeah, we all know how the other networks are beating down our doors, throwing money at us to air MAC sports.

All you've done is allude to other problems w/ the MAC front office.

A big part of the problem for whomever is in the league office is that the product they are trying to sell has limited marketability.

Again, you're restating the more fundamental problem. Root cause analysis.

The MAC front office should be improving the product's marketability. Then new deals can be negotiated.

And that doesn't lie completely w/ the front office. It lies w/ the universities themselves. Are they serious about competing, or is this just a bunch of 3rd rate bureaucrats following along, posing as if they're academicians, using taxpayer money to make themselves feel important?