Danger Will Robinson.
Here’s outgoing NCSU AD Lee Fowler underwhelming us one last time on the new TV deal ACC officials left Orlando without signing despite marathon negotiations with various networks:
Fowler shared just a bit of news, saying the ACC’s new TV contract is expected to be completed within the next 10 days. The league’s current TV agreements, worth more than $75 million, expire after the 2010-11 season.
The new deal, Fowler said, will increase the visibility of the ACC’s non-revenue sports and its high-profile sports.
“We’ll have all our football games on some sort of TV,” he said. “We’ll have all our basketball games on some sort of TV. And the money will increase. So that’s very important. We’re looking forward to when that’s announced.”
Ack! The ACC has gotten an average of about $67m. per year from its TV deals. (Overlapping ones with ABC/ESPN for $258m. over 7 years and FOX Sports/Raycom for $300m. over 10 years.) Recall that in 2008 the SEC got $186m. a year for 15 years out of ESPN/CBS back in 2008.
Rumor has it the ACC is holding out for at least $100m. per year in order to save face while pumping up this non-revenue sports non-sense. If the ACC really wanted to pump up non-revenue sports it would start its own network, a la the Big Ten. But the truth of the matter is aside from ACC basketball — with UNC-dook tilts the property to have — there is scant national demand for ACC products.
The next two weeks will be very telling ones for college athletics. We’ll get a market value for ACC properties and probably greater clarity on conference expansion. Here’s hoping John Swofford and his gang in Greensboro are up to the challenge.
Update: Here’s some great detail on the money-making machine that the Big Ten has in its own network and why it is moving to lock up Nebraska and, yes, Rutgers.
