NY Times: Fox would up TV deal to $600 million for 12 teams

[Aughnanure]

Would still be equal money for all teams with either deal ($50 mil a year) , so I don't get it. Stay at 10 then.

New Big East and Fox Team Up
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/sports/ncaabasketball/fox-sports-and-new-big-east-are-teaming-up.html?_r=1&

The levels of boola-boola in Fox’s bloodstream have been rising for years — one symptom was luring the play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson from CBS — but they are peaking now because of the start-up in mid-August of Fox Sports 1, an all-sports cable channel. Fox Sports executives laid out many of the network’s plans last week, but they did not discuss a deal with the Catholic 7 — the basketball universities that are seceding from the Big East — which is expected to be announced in a week or so.

The seven universities acquired the Big East name last week by leaving behind tens of millions of dollars in exit and entry fees that they would have received — had they not left — as a result of other universities’ comings-and-goings from the drastically realigned conference.

The new Big East will join a Fox Sports 1 college roster that features the Big 12, the Pacific-12 and Conference USA. Fox also owns 49 percent of the Big Ten Network, carries the Big Ten football championship game and alternates the Pac-12 football title game with ESPN.

The seven Catholic universities had privately voiced concerns that the Big East was changing to chase football cash; aware of the discontent, Fox last fall made clear its desire to talk to the group. The universities also knew that the terms of what essentially acted as a prenuptial agreement would let them leave the Big East as a unit, without paying exit fees, and make their own TV deal.

Fox won them over with a 12-year deal worth about $500 million, according to reports. But the contract could spike to $600 million if the conference grows to a dozen teams, according to two people briefed on the contract but not authorized to speak publicly about its terms. A number of universities are said to be candidates to join the new Big East, including Xavier, an Atlantic 10 member, and Creighton, of the Missouri Valley Conference.

ESPN, by contrast, will be paying the old Big East about $20 million annually to carry a conference featuring Connecticut, Cincinnati, Temple and South Florida — which are not leaving, for now — in addition to Navy (in football only) and a group of new, mostly Southern universities.

Football is the financial bell cow of college sports, but Fox chased the basketball-only conference for several reasons:

¶ Fox Sports 1 doesn’t need football, but basketball is the cream of the old Big East, especially as Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Rutgers exit the conference.

¶ Basketball adds volume to Fox Sports 1 as it plans to make its debut Aug. 17 with as many as 90 million subscribers.

¶ The seven universities bring Fox history and rivalries, especially Georgetown, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Providence, four of the original seven Big East teams, and Villanova. (Marquette and DePaul are the sixth and seventh programs.)

[GGGG]

That's $4.1 M per school per year...assuming 12 teams.

Networks don't pay "mid-major" conferences nearly that much.  So can we stop that nonsense now?  This move is looking better and better.

[NavinRJohnson]

SLU and Dayton, Come on Down!

I'd actually prefer a 10 team league, but for that kind of incremental revenue, I can be flexible.

[Aughnanure]

SLU and Dayton, Come on Down!

I'd actually prefer a 10 team league, but for that kind of incremental revenue, I can be flexible.

I like SLU. Just wish there was an obvious #12 other than Dayton.

[NavinRJohnson]

I like SLU. Just wish there was an obvious #12 other than Dayton.

I know many don't  like it, but I think Dayton is an ideal fit.

[Chicos' Buzz Scandal Countdown]

There's no way this doesn't include overtures for Gonzaga. If making $4m per year isn't enough for them to figure out how to make the travel work, I don't know what would.

Seriously - Fox has to be insane to pass on the opportunity to sign the #1 team in the nation when you have a chance.

[Aughnanure]

I know many don't  like it, but I think Dayton is an ideal fit.

Just wish they were in western Pennsylvania...or Kentucky...or West Virginia instead. I like the one state per team model. I think Richmond has high upside but other than them I can't comeup with a good argument to deny Dayton if we're going to 12 (assuming ND and Gonzaga are of course out).

[marquette20]

I think they stick at 10 for a couple years unless they need more teams for the non-revenue sports

[Chicos' Buzz Scandal Countdown]

Before anyone says it - I reject this idea that it is too hard on student athletes to have that kind of travel. They already play non con games all over the country. $4m allows them to fly private.

If I can knock out 5 hours of work with in-air wifi from coast to coast so can their team with homework.

Also - this farce that Gonzaga can't find a home for their other non-basketball teams? Hogwash. Why would they be kicked out of the WCC?

[Aughnanure]

There's no way this doesn't include overtures for Gonzaga. If making $4m per year isn't enough for them to figure out how to make the travel work, I don't know what would.

Seriously - Fox has to be insane to pass on the opportunity to sign the #1 team in the nation when you have a chance.

Adding Gonzaga or Notre Dame would make this league absolutely impossible to label as anything other than high major... as much as BCS fans and ESPN may try.

[KipsBayEagle]

I guarantee you Gonzaga would be a requirement with this deal for Fox in a 12 team conference.  The reason being is that it would give them a strangle hold on the 11:00 time bracket.  With pac 12 and big east games with gonzaga at 11 est, fox can carve out it's own niche in college basketball by monopolizing that air time.  (unique marketing, zero competition)

[Groin_pull]

Screw Dayton. Go for Richmond or VCU to get to 12.  

[Chicos' Buzz Scandal Countdown]

Screw Dayton. Go for Richmond or VCU to get to 12.  

8) Xavier
9) Butler
10) Gonzaga
11) SLU
12) Creighton

Solved. Next topic

[Aughnanure]

Before anyone says it - I reject this idea that it is too hard on student athletes to have that kind of travel. They already play non con games all over the country. $4m allows them to fly private.

If I can knock out 5 hours of work with in-air wifi from coast to coast so can their team with homework.

Also - this farce that Gonzaga can't find a home for their other non-basketball teams? Hogwash. Why would they be kicked out of the WCC?

This. The best argument I heard was from someone pointing out how these kids pretty much just sit down and study/play video games when they're not practicing, so how hard can it be to sit on a plane for an extra hour and a half (or basically 2 Game of Thrones episodes).

[Avenue Commons]

SLU and Dayton, Come on Down!

I'd actually prefer a 10 team league, but for that kind of incremental revenue, I can be flexible.

Fox wants lots and lots of programming.

The extra cash could be more for C7 members if the splits aren't all equal.

[Aughnanure]

8) Xavier
9) Butler
10) Gonzaga
11) SLU
12) Creighton

Solved. Next topic

God how amazing would that be?

[NavinRJohnson]

Before anyone says it - I reject this idea that it is too hard on student athletes to have that kind of travel. They already play non con games all over the country. $4m allows them to fly private.

I think you just kind of summed up where this thing is going long term. Gonna be super conferences for the professional sports of football and basketball, where travel, etc. is not really an issue, with more traditional and separate regional conferences for the rest, and the two will have little nothing to do with one  another.

[NavinRJohnson]

The extra cash could be more for C7 members if the splits aren't all equal.

I agree with that.

[chapman]

What's with the arachnophobia?  Take the cash, go to 12 with SLU and  

[chren21]

Seriously in 20 years won't the travel times be cut in a third?

[Aughnanure]

Fox wants lots and lots of programming.

The extra cash could be more for C7 members if the splits aren't all equal.

Didn't think about that. Makes sense.

[Groin_pull]

8) Xavier
9) Butler
10) Gonzaga
11) SLU
12) Creighton

Solved. Next topic

I would love the Zags. But it just doesn't seem like that's a real possibility. Hope that changes.

[chapman]

Before anyone says it - I reject this idea that it is too hard on student athletes to have that kind of travel. They already play non con games all over the country. $4m allows them to fly private.

Because it's a total myth that they're circling the globe in non-conference play.  Gonzaga traveled to Florida, Oklahoma, and Indianapolis in non-conference play this year, with the first being for a tournament.  Kind of similar to another team that scheduled very aggressively by going to Florida, Maui, and Charleston.  The year before they went to Champagne and Cincinnati.  Now you're asking them to go from two or three longer trips to 13.

Also - this farce that Gonzaga can't find a home for their other non-basketball teams? Hogwash. Why would they be kicked out of the WCC?

Because the WCC will not let them just dump their non-revenue sports (i.e. costs) in a conference for no benefit to anyone else.  They would have to pay to play, and after stripping a conference of its largest revenue generator the pay won't be tiny.

Seriously in 20 years won't the travel times be cut in a third?

Well, this is a 12 year television deal.  We can check the progress of air travel and teleportation then

[Avenue Commons]

Has it occurred to any any of you that if Fox wanted Gonzaga (the no. 1 team in the country) that the story would have leaked by now?

Where there's smoke there's fire. Welcome Butler, Xavier, Creighton, SLU and Dayton.

[Chicos' Buzz Scandal Countdown]

Has it occurred to any any of you that if Fox wanted Gonzaga (the no. 1 team in the country) that the story would have leaked by now?

Where there's smoke there's fire. Welcome Butler, Xavier, Creighton, SLU and Dayton.

respectfully, no one here has seen this kind of thing happen before with any kind of coverage... It's unprecedented and none of us know what it would or would not look like.

This is entirely speculation on this board. I still haven't heard a death blow that would prevent a university from pursuing an opportunity to multiply its tv revenues by 8