Vingle: C-USA Media Rights

[Mike Gwinn]

Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick knows.

If there ever was a time for Conference USA football to make a statement, it’s this coming season.

“No question,” Hamrick said.

The reason: C-USA’s three media rights deals are set to expire at the end of the 2015-16 school year. It’s time for the league to make a mark in regard to the TV ratings.

In case you’re unaware, Conference USA has deals with Fox Sports, CBS Sports and Sinclair Broadcast Group’s American Sports Network. Locally, WCHS-TV is part of the latter...

- See more at: http://www.wvgazette.com/article/20150604/GZ02/150609547/1115#sthash.ScHaLxZU.dpuf

 

[The Real SamC]

Wow, USPAM's mouthpiece newspaper and lapdog reporter, Vingleberry, writes about CUSA media rights! A day after virtually the same article, sans the MU material appears on NBC Sports' website.

In any event, depening on how many weeknights the league is willing to do (MAC and THE AMERICAN!!!!! can do more, as nobody goes to their games anyway) I expect the fees to be right in the $100M range. You have all four networks bidding, plus some wildcards like TBS/TNT, DirecTV, and some others, and no other rights except the Big 10 available for a decade or longer.

BTW, CBSSN just bought 12 MAC games from ESPN. These are Thursday night and Saturday day games previously on the ESPN3 internet deal. I belive CBS paid six Mexican pesos and a box of Wrigley's spearmint gum.

 

[TheGreenhouseEffect]

Last line stated from Hamrick written by Vingle. If we left.....?

 

[The Real SamC]

Last line stated from Hamrick written by Vingle. If we left.....?

That is a correct answer, but do not read anything into it more than is there.

Mostly,the so-called "Power 5" signed over their entire media rights for the length of the current TV contracts in the "great realignment". Just for an example, lets say NC State wants to join the SEC. Fine, but in addition to the exit fee ($52M) the ACC would still own the rights to NC State home games, no matter who they play, until 2025. Translated, this means no so-called power 5 school is changing conferences until the current TV deals run out in the middle of the next decade.

CUSA does not work that way. Exit if of $9M and proper notice.

But don't read into MH's statements the idea that we are going anywhere.

 

[jocktalker]

The SEC doesn't require member schools to sign a grant of rights. They are the only P5 conference that doesn't.

 

[The Real SamC]

The SEC doesn't require member schools to sign a grant of rights. They are the only P5 conference that doesn't.

Obviously. It is impossible to move up from the Greatest Conference In The History Of The World, so they don't have to worry about it.

 

[TheGreenhouseEffect]

Thanks for clarifying SamC. I didn't see us going anywhere either. I like CUSA. Still our rivals are ECU and UCF. I miss those games since they've went to the AAC. My opinion IF the AAC were granted P5 status then make that move, if not, then don't. No reason to.

 

[dshoe123]

Wow, USPAM's mouthpiece newspaper and lapdog reporter, Vingleberry, writes about CUSA media rights! A day after virtually the same article, sans the MU material appears on NBC Sports' website.

In any event, depening on how many weeknights the league is willing to do (MAC and THE AMERICAN!!!!! can do more, as nobody goes to their games anyway) I expect the fees to be right in the $100M range. You have all four networks bidding, plus some wildcards like TBS/TNT, DirecTV, and some others, and no other rights except the Big 10 available for a decade or longer.

BTW, CBSSN just bought 12 MAC games from ESPN. These are Thursday night and Saturday day games previously on the ESPN3 internet deal. I belive CBS paid six Mexican pesos and a box of Wrigley's spearmint gum.

Sam, do you really expect a deal in the 100 million range? if so, how many years do you think that will encompass? What leads you to believe that Turner Networks and/or DirecTV might be in the mix? And when you suggest all 4 networks are "bidding", which 4 are you expecting to "bid"?

 

[The Real SamC]

I'm optimistic of upwards of $100M, and I think CUSA (and the Big 10) will get "synced" with all of the other conferences which expire mid next decade, at which time there will be another "great realignment".

I'm optimistic because there is not a lot else out there. Most of whatever you want to class CUSA as (second or third rate content) is tied up for some time. Other than the Big 10 (which is a different level of course) all college content is tied up for a while. As is most all golf, the NCAA playoffs, NHL, tennis, NASCAR, about anything I can think of all tied up in long term deals. And you have the other 3 majors (Fox, NBC, CBS) trying to cash in with their ESPN clones. Trying to get some of that ESPN level retransmission $$ (FIVE BUCKS A MONTH!! ). They, especially CBSSN, need something that makes people want the channel. And ESPN has to play defense. So everybody is bidding.

DirecTV (which owns the ROOT networks) is looking to protect itself relative to content. You know how the industry works. The cable companies and DirecTV also own channels and are thus in the situation of paying one another for content (Comcast pays DirecTV for ROOT in the Pittsburgh market, DirecTV pays Comcast for CSN in the Chicago market and so on, both with sports and general channels as well). So you have a kind of "cold war" standoff. If Comcast screws over DirecTV for its channels, then DirecTV just screws over Comcast for its, and so on across the industry. By having "must have" content DirecTV can keep prices low and keep itself in the situation of having "all" the channels. I think DirecTV knows that if it ever gets in a situation of have a nice mix of channels, but not "all" its other limitations (no internet, rain fade) cut its marketability. DirecTV has a current deal with the I-AA Big Sky for is exclusive channel, and DirecTV's Latin American operation is a major rights holder to sports south of the border.

As to Turner, the NBA is up for renewal as is the PGA Championship. TNT already lost NASCAR. So Turner might be in a situation of its only sports content being early round baseball playoffs (actually quite low rated) and NCAA basketball that you can watch on the internet for free. That ain't much. A cable system could easily just dismiss TBS/TNT/TruTV and Turner's other channels as "just a bunch of reruns" and demand lower fees at their next renewal. Turner needs to amp up its sports offerings, along with other original content. Seinfeld's and Law & Order's 135th time over rerun is pretty marginal.

The "four networks" are Disney (ABC, ESPNs), 21st Century Fox (Fox, FS 1 &2, FCS, FSN) , CBS Inc (CBS, CW, CBSSN) and Comcast (NBC, NBCSN, Comcast Sports channels).

I suspect we will end up with a mix between 2 or 3 of the above mentioned companies, with a supplement to Sinclair's ASN.

Maybe I am overly optimistic, but if, say CBSSN doesn't try real hard, they won't survive. Rodeo and Div II basketball won't keep it alive.