New Big Ten Media Rights Deal

ChiefGritty · Aug 19, 2022

Calvin said:
I may be reading too much into your response, but I disagree. I think the solution is a 12 or 16 team playoff where 2 loss teams are getting in, and seeding becomes more important. The current 4 team format I think creates a spending war that tends to reward only the very top spenders, and the way to solve that isn't necessarily parity, but a more open playoff format where more 2nd tier teams get in. Wouldn't bet my beach house on it, but a lot more games become interesting if the playoff format is more open.

This kinda goes down a whole different rabbit hole, but obviously I continue to totally disagree.

And we've kinda reached a singularity here because two 16 team superconferences leading to a 12 team playoff is a format we're all extremely familiar with, that's the NFL. Now it's not EXACTLY the same for a variety of reasons, but every tweak brings us closer and closer.

And I think you and I are in total agreement that we're heading toward a world in which Alabama vs Georgia is like a week 14 tilt between the Chiefs and the Bengals. We just disagree on what that means for the sport.

Anyway, the big force that is going to start to drive a greater degree of parity than we have today is NIL. The marginal 5 star is worth less as Bama's 6th than as Penn State's first. The financial resources are actually much more evenly distributed than the current balance of power, and that won't hold in a more open marketplace.

Fighter of the Nightman · Aug 19, 2022

Echoing earlier comments, I could see fan bases like Illini basketball or Nebraska football getting screwed with more Peacock air time, as both have huge and loyal followings that will make sure to watch their teams’ games, but yet they aren’t as big as other fan bases like OSU football.

Calvin · Aug 19, 2022

ChiefGritty said:
This kinda goes down a whole different rabbit hole, but obviously I continue to totally disagree.

And we've kinda reached a singularity here because two 16 team superconferences leading to a 12 team playoff is a format we're all extremely familiar with, that's the NFL. Now it's not EXACTLY the same for a variety of reasons, but every tweak brings us closer and closer.

I don't see it playing out the same for a variety of reasons. I think if you go to a 12 team format, you create space for the have-nots, Cinderella stories, etc., which will drive more interest during the season. You still have a selection process rather than a pre-determined set of outcomes that can eliminate teams and kill the suspense of how games, margin of victory, perceived strength, etc. will play to the committee. It's not the NFL at all IMO, and I think the people who control the sport know that and embrace it.

We'll see who's closer a while from now when the new playoff is announced. I think you'll still have the same parity issues, but anything can happen in a playoff if you make it in, and that will help to overcome the way fans look at the season, similar to basketball. Just getting in is a prize that programs covet --you don't have to win it all.

Fighter of the Nightman · Aug 19, 2022

I would kill to have the data and information these decision makers have. Whenever people here disparage Illinois’ value to this conference, remember that we added RU and Maryland for a reason. And it wasn’t their football success or revenue, it was their markets and their POTENTIAL. These people aren’t short sighted enough to bank on schools like Maryland and Rutgers and - yes - Illinois sucking indefinitely.

Yes, our markets are already in the BTN footprint, but that doesn’t make them less valuable. Yes, we aren’t the biggest revenue generator right now, but what would an 8- or 9-win Illini program generate? Our revenue is actually astonishingly high for literally selling like 30k football tickets, lol! If Iowa or Wisconsin can ascend, so can we, and I think the big shots entertain that possibility. A decent Illini football program - as astonishingly hard as that is to picture - is extraordinarily valuable to the Big Ten. Even without it, we aren’t the dead weight some defeatists here suggest.

Joel Goodson · Aug 19, 2022

Fighter of the Nightman said:
Echoing earlier comments, I could see fan bases like Illini basketball or Nebraska football getting screwed with more Peacock air time, as both have huge and loyal followings that will make sure to watch their teams’ games, but yet they aren’t as big as other fan bases like OSU football.

Bank on it.

the juiceman cometh · Aug 19, 2022

Fighter of the Nightman said:
Echoing earlier comments, I could see fan bases like Illini basketball or Nebraska football getting screwed with more Peacock air time, as both have huge and loyal followings that will make sure to watch their teams’ games, but yet they aren’t as big as other fan bases like OSU football.

I would bet that Illini basketball and Nebraska football are likely to have fewer games on Peacock than the average B1G team. Now, Illini football and Nebraska basketball? Probably greater than average.

Fighter of the Nightman · Aug 19, 2022

the juiceman cometh said:
I would bet that Illini basketball and Nebraska football are likely to have fewer games on Peacock than the average B1G team. Now, Illini football and Nebraska basketball? Probably greater than average.

Well yeah, I'm sure overall. I’m just saying they’ll want to promote Peacock and not always give it crap.

ChiefGritty · Aug 19, 2022

the juiceman cometh said:
I would bet that Illini basketball and Nebraska football are likely to have fewer games on Peacock than the average B1G team. Now, Illini football and Nebraska basketball? Probably greater than average.

It's not going to be the bottom of the barrel games.

It's essentially replacing FS1, whereas FS1 is now pushed up to replacing ESPN/ESPN2

And then everything that doesn't fit is on BTN, that's the outlet of last resort for the lower level games.

All in all I expect it to be a pretty even mix of all the teams. The better games of the bad teams and the worse games of the good teams. They'll also make sure every school has at least one to force every hardcore fan in the conference to buy the service.

Mr. Tibbs · Aug 19, 2022

ChiefGritty said:
It's not going to be the bottom of the barrel games.

It's essentially replacing FS1, whereas FS1 is now pushed up to replacing ESPN/ESPN2

And then everything that doesn't fit is on BTN, that's the outlet of last resort for the lower level games.

All in all I expect it to be a pretty even mix of all the teams. The better games of the bad teams and the worse games of the good teams.

yea, the majority of our football games are going to remain at 11 am for the immediate future unless or until we get out of the gate at 4-0 or 5-0 , or find ourselves in the top 25 with a 5-1 or 7-2 record. Yea, we will get the occasional 2:30 game , but it wont be on a major network.

Who knows, stranger things have happened. The 2007 game vs O$U was hardly penciled in as a top matchup when that season started

ChiefGritty · Aug 19, 2022

Mr. Tibbs said:
yea, the majority of our football games are going to remain at 11 am for the immediate future unless or until we get out of the gate at 4-0 or 5-0 , or find ourselves in the top 25 with a 5-1 or 7-2 record. Yea, we will get the occasional 2:30 game , but it wont be on a major network.

11AM games are way rarer now than they used to be, I don't see why that wouldn't continue.

Lots of games will be on the later windows on BTN and FS1, plus I thought I saw they were continuing with Friday FS1 games.

Illini2010-11 · Aug 19, 2022

ChiefGritty said:
11AM games are way rarer now than they used to be, I don't see why that wouldn't continue.

Lots of games will be on the later windows on BTN and FS1, plus I thought I saw they were continuing with Friday FS1 games.

I sure hope you are correct in this. I am tired of seeing 11 AM Homecoming games, where in order to get to pre-game events, I would need to leave home at 5:30 AM.

Mr. Tibbs · Aug 19, 2022

ChiefGritty said:
11AM games are way rarer now than they used to be, I don't see why that wouldn't continue.

Lots of games will be on the later windows on BTN and FS1, plus I thought I saw they were continuing with Friday FS1 games.

does BTN have a "crappy" 11am game and 3:00 game every week? thats 2 games
CBS & Fox & NBC all get one bigtime game at either 11, 2:30 and 7 pm right ? thats 3 games
FS1 gets another crappy to average game on Sat aft ? thats 1
Thurs-Fri nights are another game thats 1

thats 7 games . thats how this shakes out basically ??? obviously with ooc games, the number of games goes up .

ChiefGritty · Aug 19, 2022

Mr. Tibbs said:
does BTN have a "crappy" 11am game and 3:00 game every week? thats 2 games
CBS & Fox & NBC all get one bigtime game at either 11, 2:30 and 7 pm right ? thats 3 games
FS1 gets another crappy to average game on Sat aft ? thats 1
Thurs-Fri nights are another game thats 1

thats 7 games . thats how this shakes out basically ??? obviously with ooc games, the number of games goes up .

I would assume at least two Big Ten games are on FS1 on a given Saturday, but yeah, I think you've about got it.

And the nature of the BTN is that it can do regional coverage with multiple games at once as is common during those cupcake weeks in the early season.

Once upon a time those were all at 11AM but they have done regional coverage in the 2:30 slot in recent years.

BTN night games are also not unheard-of.

The message got to the league office that every week 11AM football was killing ticket sales for its weaker Central Time teams, they've taken steps to address that. I don't see why there would be backsliding on that, I hope not.

I have no freakin' idea how they handle USC and UCLA though. Making them play at 9AM PT, even on the road, is just going to be such a hardship. But FOX is going to want USC-OSU and USC-Michigan in their 11AM slot. I guess we'll find out when we get there.

Saturdaze · Aug 19, 2022

The more I read, the more it seems like the B1G embarrassed the SEC with this deal. I can‘t tell if this deal was the doing of the B1G leadership, or a retaliatory partnership amongst the networks being excluded by the SEC, and also Disney’s attempts to eventually monopolize sports streaming. Either way it ended up with B1G teams getting 50% more annually than SEC teams.

With NIL and the extra money this has to be the B1Gs best chance since the BCS era began to surpass the SEC on the field as well.

Illini92and96 · Aug 20, 2022

Saturdaze said:
The more I read, the more it seems like the B1G embarrassed the SEC with this deal. I can‘t tell if this deal was the doing of the B1G leadership, or a retaliatory partnership amongst the networks being excluded by the SEC, and also Disney’s attempts to eventually monopolize sports streaming. Either way it ended up with B1G teams getting 50% more annually than SEC teams.

With NIL and the extra money this has to be the B1Gs best chance since the BCS era began to surpass the SEC on the field as well.

Did I read it right that Big is getting $1B/year for seven years and the SEC $300M for 10? That's what I can tell but it seems way too big a disparity.

Mr. Tibbs · Aug 20, 2022

Illini92and96 said:
Did I read it right that Big is getting $1B/year for seven years and the SEC $300M for 10? That's what I can tell but it seems way too big a disparity.

that is what has been widely reported. The addition of UT and Okla will change that somewhat, but not to the point of equality

timing, and location, is everything. The B10 has a much greater population in its footprint than the SEC , which is worth so much to TV.
It will be interesting to see what the SEC numbers get revised up to once UT & OU are in. OU doesnt offer "huge" viewership numbers, but they are a football blueblood. Texas offers viewership, but the SEC is already in that state to begin with. So its highly doubtful they can get anywhere near what the B1G just negotiated

ChiefGritty · Aug 20, 2022

Illini92and96 said:
Did I read it right that Big is getting $1B/year for seven years and the SEC $300M for 10? That's what I can tell but it seems way too big a disparity.

No, that $300M/yr was just for the rights CBS previously held, for the SEC's top game each week. That and the ESPN contract for the rest of the SEC media rights had been running on different cycles but now they're all together with ESPN.

(CBS is now paying more for a three-way share of the top B1G content than they would have for the #1 SEC game. They misread the market and got owned.)

The total figure for the SEC is a little opaque since I don't think the adjustments made for Texas and Oklahoma have been publicly reported, but the claims are that SEC schools will be getting in the upper $60's million annually whereas Big Ten schools will be more like $70-80 once 2024 arrives.

Not some insane gap, but a real one, which is a continuation of the status quo.

The contest is more or less a financial advantage versus greater proximity to the best recruits and a deeper group of genuine football factories. Let the games begin.

IlliniFaninHoosierLand · Aug 20, 2022

Clip has been released of Kevin Warren's interview with Bryant Gumbel that will air on Real Sports this Tuesday at 10:00 PM CT:

Guest · Aug 20, 2022

IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1560257844250828800

Okay, stupid question of the day, when exactly is this new deal officially going to kick in? I have been trying to find out by reading some of the cited media articles listed and the nearest I got was someone saying, "The seven-year deal begins in 2023 and runs through the 2029-30 season." So is that Jan. 1st or as the above CBS promo seems to intimate, Fall of 2023 for the football season? I ask as I am mainly a basketball watcher and I just want to know when I need to start checking out how to get Peacock for basketball games (or other streaming choices to watch the Illini). This year's basketball season, or next year's?

Also, a side note (and of course, totally unbiased

) did you notice in the CBS promo, if you watched, that the Illini were featured one almost-too-quick-to-see-it time (technically two times but the second was actually featuring a good play by Nebraska against the Illini and the Illini football players in the background had their heads hanging down)?

IlliniFaninHoosierLand · Aug 20, 2022

Guest said:
Okay, stupid question of the day, when exactly is this new deal officially going to kick in? I have been trying to find out by reading some of the cited media articles listed and the nearest I got was someone saying, "The seven-year deal begins in 2023 and runs through the 2029-30 season." So is that Jan. 1st or as the above CBS promo seems to intimate, Fall of 2023 for the football season? I ask as I am mainly a basketball watcher and I just want to know when I need to start checking out how to get Peacock for basketball games (or other streaming choices to watch the Illini). This year's basketball season, or next year's?

Also, a side note (and of course, totally unbiased ) did you notice in the CBS promo, if you watched, that the Illini were featured one almost-too-quick-to-see-it time (technically two times but the second was actually featuring a good play by Nebraska against the Illini and the Illini football players in the background had their heads hanging down)?

It starts with the 2023-24 school year. The 2:30 PM CT CBS game during football season won't start til the 2024 football season.

IlliniSaluki · Aug 20, 2022

Guest said:
Okay, stupid question of the day, when exactly is this new deal officially going to kick in?

July 1st, 2023

IlliniSaluki · Aug 20, 2022

IlliniFaninHoosierLand said:
It starts with the 2023-24 school year. The 2:30 PM CT CBS game during football season won't start til the 2024 football season.

True but the expectation is the first few weeks of the season will have a B1G game in that slot as typically the first couple of weeks the SEC doesn't have a game at that time.

Saturdaze · Aug 20, 2022

Illini92and96 said:
Did I read it right that Big is getting $1B/year for seven years and the SEC $300M for 10? That's what I can tell but it seems way too big a disparity.

According to the grist article @illinistephen posted the B1G is getting $8.05 billion over 7 years, while SEC getting $7.1 billion over 10 years.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2022/08/18/Media/Big-Ten-Media-Deal.aspx

I also read that the ESPN deal with the SEC won’t be renegotiated, and already included language to accommodate the addition of teams.

Saturdaze · Aug 20, 2022

ChiefGritty said:
No, that $300M/yr was just for the rights CBS previously held, for the SEC's top game each week. That and the ESPN contract for the rest of the SEC media rights had been running on different cycles but now they're all together with ESPN.

(CBS is now paying more for a three-way share of the top B1G content than they would have for the #1 SEC game. They misread the market and got owned.)

The total figure for the SEC is a little opaque since I don't think the adjustments made for Texas and Oklahoma have been publicly reported, but the claims are that SEC schools will be getting in the upper $60's million annually whereas Big Ten schools will be more like $70-80 once 2024 arrives.

Not some insane gap, but a real one, which is a continuation of the status quo.

The contest is more or less a financial advantage versus greater proximity to the best recruits and a deeper group of genuine football factories. Let the games begin.

I’ve learned we can’t really compare numbers from different articles because there are multiple income sources and some passively include estimates of CFP money as an example. Also, the TV rights packages is separate from BTN or SEC network profit distributions.

The SEC may recover some of the gap via other revenue streams but B1G schools getting average $72M / year each while SEC teams getting average $50M / year each for TV rights. That’s a huge difference.

Ryan Day said it will take $13 million of NIL money to keep the OSU roster intact. That $22 million difference is huge in the NIL era. So as far as recruiting is concerned B1G positioned to pay more in NIL, and have more TV visibility. I think regional access to recruits will diminish during the coarse of these deals. I also think this is why the B1G is supportive paying players directly - they have the financial advantage, and being able to pay players directly would increase the benefit of that advantage.

B1G will get to renegotiate 3 years sooner so that gap may significantly increase for the final 3 years of SEC deal AND B1G has opportunity to lock in the best network slots prior to SEC even having an opportunity. The B1G is now in a position of power to passively dictate the terms of SECs next deal, and options available to them. ESPN is in a tough spot financially. Disney may sell them off before the end of the SEC deal. On multiple fronts it seems like the B1G just owned the SEC strategically with this deal.

Mr. Tibbs · Aug 20, 2022

does anyone know what the ultimate end game is for B1G football & basketball programs & players ?

will star players be making mid-six figures ?