Is this surprising? No. Is it important? Yes.
Jon Wilner of The Wilner Hotline has been informed by multiple sources in the media industry sphere that Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff “is serious about a media rights agreement with Amazon.”
It seemed certain that Kliavkoff would try to make a run at a digital media rights package for a portion or subset of Pac-12 football games. We’re not yet at the stage where a deal is imminent, but Wilner’s reportage points to Kliavkoff being focused on Amazon, not Paramount+, Peacock, Apple, or other digital outlets he could have considered as a future home for Pac-12 football.
The need to sweeten the pot in the media rights realm and give every Pac-12 member school a significant infusion of new revenue is central for Kliavkoff, given that he must show Oregon and Washington (in particular) that staying in the Pac-12 will not significantly reduce their value in the marketplace. By making Pac-12 membership comparatively more lucrative than it otherwise would be, Kliavkoff hopes to keep Oregon and Washington in the Pac-12 and maintain an 11- or 12-school membership group which would almost certainly include San Diego State in the near future, and would probably add one other member as well.
“George is focused on digital,” a source explained recently — and it wasn’t a reference to ESPN+.
Kliavkoff hinted at that possibility during the Pac-12’s preseason kickoff event in late July, explaining that a deal with one of the major digital media companies was “highly likely.”
The comment was vague enough that it could have been taken as a reference to ESPN’s digital arm. Or to Peacock (NBC) or Paramount+ (CBS). And Kliavkoff hasn’t uttered a public peep about his media strategy since then.
But six weeks later, some clarity has emerged: A multi-year partnership with Amazon is under consideration.
“It’s smart,” a second source said. “They could get more money relative to their real media value with Amazon.”
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