We won’t sit here and tell you it doesn’t matter if the Pac-12 finalizes a media rights deal by July 21. It certainly would matter. Big 12 apologists or general college sports skeptics might roll their eyes at the claim that the Pac-12 doesn’t have to have a finalized deal by July 21. After all, we have been saying George Kliavkoff needs to be able to present a deal to the press and the world on July 21, which is Pac-12 media day.
We’re not walking back our stated claim that the Pac-12 needs a deal by July 21. However, there’s a nuance here which is worth noting: While the best-case scenario is that the Pac-12 does finalize its deal by July 21, the second-best scenario — and a reasonable if imperfect one — is that the Pac-12 doesn’t have a finalized deal but can present the framework of a deal to the public, with the details to be hammered out in subsequent weeks.
If George Kliavkoff doesn’t have an exact dollar figure for the rights deal, but he can provide a range of figures which has a highly competitive price point, that’s good enough.
The main thing: He can’t have nothing, or to be more precise, he can’t make general assurances or statements of confidence. He needs some meat on the bone.
Jon Wilner of The Wilner Hotline identifies the areas where Kliavkoff must provide specifics at Pac-12 media day:
“— The media rights contract. The annual valuation matters immensely, but so does the means of delivery. How many football games will be placed on a streaming platform and how many will be available on linear television?
“— The grant-of-rights agreement. There is no collective security without this document, which is signed by the schools and binds their media revenue to the conference. (The Pac-12 likely is targeting a medium-term agreement that covers five or six years.)
“— The decision on expansion. Should the conference add two members — SMU and San Diego State are the favorites — or move forward with 10?”
A 100-percent-complete agenda would be fantastic, but 90 to 95 percent would be fine. If it’s clear the conference is far removed from finishing these items of business, that would be a black eye and a huge failure for the Pac-12.
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