On Tuesday, Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff held a highly anticipated meeting with the conference’s nine remaining universities regarding a potential media rights deal.
Coming out of that meeting on Tuesday, no agreement has been made, but details have surfaced regarding the deal itself.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that the media deal discussed was primarily built around Apple TV streaming, including “incentivized tiers, which would give it a strong upside if certain subscription numbers are met.”
Of course, the problem with an Apple TV streaming-based media deal would be incentivizing fans enough to pay for a streaming deal.
Currently, Apple TV carries the MLS season pass on their platform, which currently runs $79 a season for Apple TV+ subscribers and $99 a season for non-Apple TV+ subscribers. The MLS season pass recently saw a massive increase in subscribers when soccer superstar Lionel Messi signed with Inter Miami.
However, it would seem unlikely that a similar incentive would appear for college football fans to subscribe to a potential Pac-12 package. Without such an incentive, would college football fans be willing to pay a subscription fee to watch Pac-12 football?
Nonetheless, Thamel also reported on ESPN Tuesday afternoon that Kliavkoff made it known that with potential subscriber numbers, the television deal could surpass the Big 12’s revenue numbers of $31.7 million per year per school. On the flip side, a failure to miss specific subscriber numbers could mean disaster for the remaining Pac-12 programs.
Will school presidents be comfortable agreeing to a deal primarily based on projections? That’s the central question coming out of Tuesday’s meetings.
There does appear to be hope for the Pac-12 as insider John Canzano reported that the conference board meeting was “positive” and that his source included “the phrase ‘excited and aligned.”
For the Pac-12, getting a television rights deal done sooner than later will be pivotal for creating stability in the conference.
Last week, the University of Colorado announced its departure from the conference following this season. At the same time, Southern California and UCLA are headed to the Big Ten following the 2023-2024 academic calendar.
There is also uncertainty surrounding the trio of Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah. Thamel reported on Monday evening that the trio of universities are expected to stick together, whether that is to stay in the Pac-12 or move to the Big 12. The Arizona Board of Regents also met Tuesday evening, though what was discussed in that meeting remains unclear.
Overall, Tuesday’s media deal presentation for the Pac-12 is a step in the right direction for the conference, but plenty of work remains ahead for Kliavkoff and the conference.
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