(02-06-2019 02:57 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  Bottom line: Given that Aresco wants an ESPN deal, and given that as you say, ESPN runs risks if it doesn't sign the AAC during this window, if a deal is NOT signed during this time, that bodes poorly for the AAC getting a high-end deal.

Maybe, maybe not. It's pretty standard for a league to demand "make us an offer we can't refuse" money during an exclusive window and for the network to say, nah, we'll just see what the market says.

Only reason for the AAC to take whatever they can get during the exclusive window is to avoid forcing membership to choose, on the open market, between a lower ESPN offer and a higher offer from a less desirable outlet that provides poorer exposure. Which is fine, if that's how it plays out. It's a perfectly reasonable business decision to conclude that being on ESPN is worth passing up the possibility of more TV dollars from a provider that will deliver fewer viewers.