(04-05-2018 03:41 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-05-2018 02:59 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(04-05-2018 02:03 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-05-2018 01:13 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  I'll be honest...knowing NBCSN had a part of the Ivy, only to lose it, tells me these guys don't have the capacity or initiative to sew up the AAC.

You have so many programs centered in the northeast, which is the heart of NBC and Comcast, with that network already spotty with content...and they let the Ivy get away?

Ivy sports is like golf. It's not about how many are watching, but who is watching. And that "who," is very wealthy. The advertising dollar can go so much further than just any non-FBS conference. With ESPN so stretched, and it is, I just don't get what it takes to make NBCSN play.

So, I guess I can kiss Penn football goodbye. Won't be seeing that on CSN anymore.

NBCSN needs to man up and take an entire conference under their wing, and they'll see how it goes. I get that there were some bad years for ND football...it's just ONE program, though. With this entire conference, you know you're good for some great matchup's from October to season's end. And the basketball is going to deliver, too. I just don't see it...something's not all there in NBC land.

Hard to say. Contract length was probably an issue. Consider the situation. If ESPN is offering the Ivy League a 10 year deal---then a matching deal simply isnt viable for NBC if they have their eyes on those same Saturday slots going to the AAC in a couple of years.

The Ivy League, Sunbelt, MAC, and CUSA are now off the board. The MW is looking at going digital with start times that work for them. If NBC wants some FBS football to pair with Notre Dame is going to have to be the AAC. Given that the AAC is the only G5 with a proven track record for having 10 to 20 games a year with a million plus viewers---they were really NBC's only option anyway if NBC is considering placing a few of the games on NBC OTA.

NBC got burned last time when trying to contract with the AAC in 2013, when the AAC went with ESPN's "matching" deal. Does the current ESPN deal have a 'match clause'? If so, or even if not, NBC might be gun-shy about dealing with the AAC again.

NBC got burned because they low bid the conference thinking that ESPN wouldnt (or couldn't) match the exposure. They will lose again if they use the same strategy because this time around, given the AAC ratings track record, there will be plenty bidding at those low levels. Same goes for ESPN. Doesnt mean there will be a huge bidding war that results in a HUGE contract for the AAC---but it does mean the low bid strategy wont work this time around.

Well, it's more complicated than that. First, the universe of possible bidders is pretty small, a handful of media companies. ESPN and NBC are probably two of four possible bidders, throwing in CBS and FOX and if you want to include Facebook and Twitter platforms, which IMO the AAC would be wise to consider as well.

Second, ratings are one thing, but not everybody necessarily interprets them the way you are. NBC may have made their "low ball" offer (pejorative term, a more neutral one is just "offer") with the expectation that the AAC would get the ratings it has gotten. Second, NBC (and others) might believe that AAC ratings have been boosted by being on ESPN channels via the exceptional exposure the AAC has gotten on the ESPN family.

Also, ESPN is in cost-cutting mode, and FOX is having a lot of assets being bought by Disney, which creates uncertainty for the sports spinoffs.

My expectations are similar to yours in dollars, i see AAC getting around $7m per school. But, (a) i expect it all to come from ESPN, (b) I expect the number of guaranteed cable broadcasts to go down, with more content shifted to streaming, and .... © it wouldn't surprise me if I am wrong about any of this. There is a LOT of uncertainty with regards to money, bidders, delivery methods, etc.