Big East Football: NBC Sports' Reported Power Play Will Be a Positive for League

[MtAiryGoldenEagle]

"Thursday, the New York Daily News reported that the Big East and NBC may be very close to working out a deal for the television rights to the conference (h/t Big East Coast Bias). From the report...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1286922-big-east-football-nbc-sports-reported-power-play-will-be-a-positive-for-league

[Benny B]

Am I reading this right... football schools are getting $14M a piece and everyone and the basketball-only schools are getting $4M a piece... for a football TV contract? 

And to think there were people who thought MU football was a good idea.

[avid1010]

i don't pretend to understand the details that lead to conference shuffles, but this seems like it would go a long way in helping to secure the BEAST?  short of the BEAST signing the ESPN contract a few years ago, this seems like a good way for the BEAST to fall on its feet.  

[GGGG]

$14M would still be the lowest of the BCS conferences, but it certainly narrows the gap.

[bobnoxious]

While I think its cool a deal like that or better could be worked out Im a little worried that the source of the article is the bleacher report, just sayin

[Benny B]

While I think its cool a deal like that or better could be worked out Im a little worried that the source of the article is the bleacher report, just sayin

The source of the article is the New York Daily News.

[bobnoxious]

There I go not getting all of the details before I post

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

What's the chance that number is even bigger with Air Force or BYU added?

[Groin_pull]

So, MU would be receiving $4 million under this deal. What are they receiving from the Big East-ESPN deal?

[Benny B]

So, MU would be receiving $4 million under this deal. What are they receiving from the Big East-ESPN deal?

The Big East does not make public its revenue-sharing method between basketball-only members, football-only members and full members; however, the article says football members are receiving $4M/yr under the current contract, so my guess is that MU is only receiving, at most, half that much from the current TV contract.

[lurch91]

The exposure that Big East Football will get is more valuable then the $14 mill.  Big East Football will be on NBC every weekend, probably sandwiched around ND home games.  Not sure how many households don't have cable in the 2010's, but this is a great way to elevate the Big East brand.

[GGGG]

The exposure that Big East Football will get is more valuable then the $14 mill.  Big East Football will be on NBC every weekend, probably sandwiched around ND home games.  Not sure how many households don't have cable in the 2010's, but this is a great way to elevate the Big East brand.

NDs ratings on NBC are terrible.  There were weeks last year that ABCs games drew four or five times the audience that NBC had.  Now NBC might be their best option, but I'm concerned that NBC Sports is a virtual wasteland and might do what it did for the NHL - effectively take it out of the national conversation.

[JakeBarnes]

NDs ratings on NBC are terrible.  There were weeks last year that ABCs games drew four or five times the audience that NBC had.  Now NBC might be their best option, but I'm concerned that NBC Sports is a virtual wasteland and might do what it did for the NHL - effectively take it out of the national conversation.

NBC Sports was the best thing that happened to the NHL.  The lockout took the NHL out of the national conversation, but given the higher quality of announcer, deeper coverage and quantity of coverage for the NHL on the NBC Sports networks, the NHL is a lot more in the national conversation than it ever was in the last few years at ESPN (all games moved to espn2, hockey tonight show cancelled, etc).  If anything, NBC should be considered a reason hockey is in the national conscience at all.

[GGGG]

NBC Sports was the best thing that happened to the NHL.  The lockout took the NHL out of the national conversation, but given the higher quality of announcer, deeper coverage and quantity of coverage for the NHL on the NBC Sports networks, the NHL is a lot more in the national conversation than it ever was in the last few years at ESPN (all games moved to espn2, hockey tonight show cancelled, etc).  If anything, NBC should be considered a reason hockey is in the national conscience at all.

Really?  Because the Stanley Cup ratings were abysmal. 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/66-shows-that-had-better-ratings-than-the-first-tw

[🏀]

Yeah, NBC Sports isn't exactly a ship I would be ready to dry dock with.

I feel another CNN/SI failure lurking.

[GOO]

Doesn't espn have an exclusive right to negotiate for 60 days starting Sept 1st?  If so, could the BE even sign with NBC before November?  Either way, if the NBC rumor is true, these are great numbers for MU and will only go up this fall if others start to bid. I'd hitch the BE to NBC. Big incentive for NBC to promote its one major college asset.   Would probably have a side benefit for nonrevenue sports getting some filler air time on NBC sports channel.

[M@RQUETTEW@RRIORS]

Really?  Because the Stanley Cup ratings were abysmal. 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/66-shows-that-had-better-ratings-than-the-first-tw

Both of your statements regarding Notre Dame and Hockey are true with regards to ratings on NBC.  However, I'd wager a hefty amount that those ratings are because of Notre Dame and Hockey.  I believe the ratings for your typical MU big east game will be just fine in comparison to what they would have been on ESPN.  I think its a win/win for the Big East and NBC.

[lurch91]

NDs ratings on NBC are terrible.  There were weeks last year that ABCs games drew four or five times the audience that NBC had.  Now NBC might be their best option, but I'm concerned that NBC Sports is a virtual wasteland and might do what it did for the NHL - effectively take it out of the national conversation.

True, I wasn't advocating ND football as NBC's NCAA Football crown jewel.  Just that another contract is already in place with ND and that would probably take precedence in scheduling televised games.  I was just thinking in terms of a national audience for the Big East in NBC.

[GGGG]

True, I wasn't advocating ND football as NBC's NCAA Football crown jewel.  Just that another contract is already in place with ND and that would probably take precedence in scheduling televised games.  I was just thinking in terms of a national audience for the Big East in NBC.

Yeah, I hear what you are saying.  And honestly I am torn.  I do worry about being relegated to a crappy network.  However it might be the best option to get games on the television regularly.

Regardless, the one thing the BE can do is increase the quality of its football product.  Not sure if that is going to happen though.

[Silkk the Shaka]

Yeah, I hear what you are saying.  And honestly I am torn.  I do worry about being relegated to a crappy network.  However it might be the best option to get games on the television regularly.

Regardless, the one thing the BE can do is increase the quality of its football product.  Not sure if that is going to happen though.

The best thing that could happen for the Big East is for Boise St. to go on a three to five year run of dominance starting this year where they are making the plus one playoff every year and possibly even win the whole thing once.  Proving that a team from the BEast has a legitimate shot at the title would raise the profile of the brand, cause NBC to promote it more, and hopefully cause the other (quite frankly second rate) FB teams to think twice about leaving.

[Benny B]

Yeah, NBC Sports isn't exactly a ship I would be ready to dry dock with.

I feel another CNN/SI failure lurking.

It's a ship that has access to nearly every single television set in America RIGHT NOW.  No cable station can come close to that kind of access.

Sure the thing might be a bucket of rust, but it's not the ship you're after... it's the distribution network.

[bradley center bat]

NBC Sports was the best thing that happened to the NHL.  The lockout took the NHL out of the national conversation, but given the higher quality of announcer, deeper coverage and quantity of coverage for the NHL on the NBC Sports networks, the NHL is a lot more in the national conversation than it ever was in the last few years at ESPN (all games moved to espn2, hockey tonight show cancelled, etc).  If anything, NBC should be considered a reason hockey is in the national conscience at all.

I agree. the best thing that happen to the NHL was getting away from ESPN. They are top dog on NBC Sports. The ratings were up for the playoffs this season, but were down for the finals.

[79Warrior]

Yeah, I hear what you are saying.  And honestly I am torn.  I do worry about being relegated to a crappy network.  However it might be the best option to get games on the television regularly.

Regardless, the one thing the BE can do is increase the quality of its football product.  Not sure if that is going to happen though.

Its a crappy network, no question. It would be a huge mistake for basketball to move to NBC Cable. Big East football is irrelevant on the network level. Nobody watches it anyway. The basketball programs will be hurt big time. Football might like the money, but hoops will be in a TV wasteland. Like it or not, ESPN is the place to be for exposure, period. We might get paid more on NBC, but nobody will be watching.

[Benny B]

Like it or not, ESPN is the place to be for exposure, period. We might get paid more on NBC, but nobody will be watching.

Right... Because a cable network that doesnt even reach 60% of households in this country is "the place to be" compared to the network that is in 99% of U.S. households right now.

[Mr. Nielsen]

Its a crappy network, no question. It would be a huge mistake for basketball to move to NBC Cable. Big East football is irrelevant on the network level. Nobody watches it anyway. The basketball programs will be hurt big time. Football might like the money, but hoops will be in a TV wasteland. Like it or not, ESPN is the place to be for exposure, period. We might get paid more on NBC, but nobody will be watching.

Do you even watch NBC Sports Network? It's a very good channel and has strong coverage of the NHL.