Truth or fiction?

CBSSports:Pac-12's murky future finds shred of clarity ...

Interesting bit of speculation from Dodd that USA Network (a NBC Universal property) could be involved in the "competition" for the Pac's Tier 1 content.

Wonder how that package would fit, dollars and programming wise, with a Notre Dame renewal many assume is just a formality?

(05-03-2023 08:26 PM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  Interesting bit of speculation from Dodd that USA Network (a NBC Universal property) could be involved in the "competition" for the Pac's Tier 1 content.

Wonder how that package would fit, dollars and programming wise, with a Notre Dame renewal many assume is just a formality?

I don’t think they are necessarily in conflict with each other.

If all Pac-12 games were on USA, that wouldn’t conflict with ND at all.

Another option would be to have an afternoon (3:30 pm ET or so) Pac-12 game on NBC on the weeks that ND doesn’t have a home game, which would give NBC a college football doubleheader week when combined with their Big Ten package. USA would then take the Pac-12 games on the ND home game days.

Pete could you fix that link? I clicked the first one without realizing there were two, lol.

It isn't all that surprising at this point when putting all of the past rumors together. There had been no suggestion that ESPN was giving them the money they wanted that could "easily surpass", or whatever the wording was, what the Big 12 was going to get. Amazon obviously wasn't going to be spending a lot if they only wanted one game a week. And with what I learned from Apple, they seem like an "all or nothing" type of company with this. So if Apple is involved where was ESPN going to fit in that would get more money for the PAC?

But even with that confirmation being indirect, that's still the most solid info we've gotten that ESPN is out.

On a side note, Monty is going to have a field day with that info.

(05-03-2023 08:30 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(05-03-2023 08:26 PM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  Interesting bit of speculation from Dodd that USA Network (a NBC Universal property) could be involved in the "competition" for the Pac's Tier 1 content.

Wonder how that package would fit, dollars and programming wise, with a Notre Dame renewal many assume is just a formality?

I don’t think they are necessarily in conflict with each other.

If all Pac-12 games were on USA, that wouldn’t conflict with ND at all.

Another option would be to have an afternoon (3:30 pm ET or so) Pac-12 game on NBC on the weeks that ND doesn’t have a home game, which would give NBC a college football doubleheader week when combined with their Big Ten package. USA would then take the Pac-12 games on the ND home game days.

I think Pete is implying capital outlay Frank.

Perhaps we should be asking if ESPN is holding back to have more to offer Notre Dame? Or we could spread the rumor that ESPN will demur on issues which impact FOX and vice versa. It's slow, that'll light a fire, and who knows, there could be a germ of truth to it as well. Right now, FOX and ESPN have some mutual self-interests which need some pandering. It's a lot like Hitler and Stalin carving up Europe, only unofficially of course.

I’d expect someone from the pac12 or espn to refute this report. Couldn’t imagine Oregon and Washington, not being on fox or espn.

Can confirm SI and The Athletic's reporting here...this isn't true. ESPN and the Pac-12 talked *today*.

(05-03-2023 09:31 PM)MattBrownEP Wrote:  Can confirm SI and The Athletic's reporting here...this isn't true. ESPN and the Pac-12 talked *today*.

I'm not saying you're wrong about this Matt, but there is overlap. The linked article was an hour old, but an hour from when? So, it is possible ESPN talked with the PAC 12 today and that subsequently it was determined they had no interest. We'll see. A couple of fishy things however, the source requested to remain anonymous and the story seemed to arise from something which occurred this past weekend. But the article did say ESPN was not out of the running for perhaps a late night time slot.

Don't trust Dodd on realignment

I agree Dodd is not always right with his sources but this isn't coming from Canzano, Wilner or Scheer. That said, why is this a surprise? The Pac declined the ESPN offer during the exclusive negotiation window and went to open market. Thus, AppleTV, Amazon, ION, CW, Peacock, [insert streamer du jour] rumors.

(05-03-2023 09:39 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Don't trust Dodd on realignment

Yeah, Dodd is a good reporter...but he's had too many misses in the realignment department.

(05-03-2023 09:39 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Don't trust Dodd on realignment

Exactly.

Nicole Auerbach
@NicoleAuerbach

ESPN remains a bidder for the Pac-12’s Tier 1 rights, a source tells.
@TheAthletic
7:13 PM · May 3, 2023

And yet...no P12 media rights deal in place since negotiations began last July. The talk of a deal keeps getting pushed further back. Why did the B12 not have an issue to get a deal done with ESPN/FOX? Maybe because they didn't overestimate their value? Also, if you read the OP linked article, ESPN says it may look to feature some games, so yeah, there could be negotiations for less than Tier 1.

(05-03-2023 09:39 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Don't trust Dodd on realignment

But trust Auerbach? Lol.

Endeavor’s checks stopped clearing for Athletic and SI

(05-03-2023 10:13 PM)Big 12 fan too Wrote:  

(05-03-2023 09:39 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Don't trust Dodd on realignment

But trust Auerbach? Lol.

Before the B1G's new media deal was announced, Auerbach was the one who said to look out for the B1G to go with CBS/NBC and for ESPN to get shutout. Many didn't believe it. A few days later, the B1G's new media deal broke and that's exactly what happened.

(05-03-2023 08:26 PM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  Interesting bit of speculation from Dodd that USA Network (a NBC Universal property) could be involved in the "competition" for the Pac's Tier 1 content.

Wonder how that package would fit, dollars and programming wise, with a Notre Dame renewal many assume is just a formality?

At the rate we're going, it's possible that ND would cost them more than the Pac.

(05-03-2023 09:07 PM)JRsec Wrote:  

(05-03-2023 08:30 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(05-03-2023 08:26 PM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  Interesting bit of speculation from Dodd that USA Network (a NBC Universal property) could be involved in the "competition" for the Pac's Tier 1 content.

Wonder how that package would fit, dollars and programming wise, with a Notre Dame renewal many assume is just a formality?

I don’t think they are necessarily in conflict with each other.

If all Pac-12 games were on USA, that wouldn’t conflict with ND at all.

Another option would be to have an afternoon (3:30 pm ET or so) Pac-12 game on NBC on the weeks that ND doesn’t have a home game, which would give NBC a college football doubleheader week when combined with their Big Ten package. USA would then take the Pac-12 games on the ND home game days.

I think Pete is implying capital outlay Frank.

Perhaps we should be asking if ESPN is holding back to have more to offer Notre Dame? Or we could spread the rumor that ESPN will demur on issues which impact FOX and vice versa. It's slow, that'll light a fire, and who knows, there could be a germ of truth to it as well. Right now, FOX and ESPN have some mutual self-interests which need some pandering. It's a lot like Hitler and Stalin carving up Europe, only unofficially of course.

And, just like Hitler and Stalin, there are others on the Horizon who might have a thing or 2 to say about the whole thing.

...for anyone interested, Flug is on as we speak - here's the link:

flugaur live show - 05-03-23

(05-03-2023 09:55 PM)UCGrad1992 Wrote:  I agree Dodd is not always right with his sources but this isn't coming from Canzano, Wilner or Scheer. That said, why is this a surprise? The Pac declined the ESPN offer during the exclusive negotiation window and went to open market. Thus, AppleTV, Amazon, ION, CW, Peacock, [insert streamer du jour] rumors.

It has been reported ESPN only wants a limited # of games from PAC, at 90 mil per year. If that is true they have been out of the tier 1 mix for quite a while. There is nothing new in his latest talk other than USA network.