August 9th, 2022 at 11:13 AM ^
Guess ESPN will be all SEC all the time, the rest would be filler and likely not drive viewers outside of a few key match ups in a few conferences, not sure how they pay another conference a large contract to lock in their games
August 9th, 2022 at 11:36 AM ^
Wonder what Fox does with the Pac12? Have to think if they are pouring that kind of cash into the Big 10 the Pac is really hurting for slots.
Outside of the top ACC teams (Clemson, FSU, Miami) I wonder how much ESPN is going show their games? I assume CBS will still have some SEC games?
This will be interesting. Somehow I get the feeling that some Big Ten teams are going to get squeezed onto streaming services.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:51 AM ^
SEC media rights are exclusive to ESPN/ABC starting in 2024.
I actually think the Pac-12 is going to be fine. They are going to own the 10:30PM ET Pac-12 after dark time slot unless the Big Ten puts a USC or UCLA game in that slot at some point. There is going to be market for those games because ESPN, FS1, or streaming will want something to fill those time slots.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:13 AM ^
At this point I really hope the bulk of the BIG games (specifically Michigan ALL games) are on Fox or CBS as emergency only. I have YTTV and don't want to deal with potential NBC crap.
I really don't want CBS or NBC because I can envision that CBS catering to SEC since they carry a large portion of games and then NBC catering to ND (THWND).
Is this for this upcoming season or for 2023+?
August 9th, 2022 at 11:15 AM ^
2024 season and future seasons…CBS will not carry the SEC then.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:21 AM ^
I was going to say the same thing. Also, just because one network gets the rights, it doesn't mean another network can't buy some of the games.
Does this only apply to football or is the B1G off ESPN for basketball too?
August 9th, 2022 at 11:25 AM ^
Yes this is for all conference sports. Likely more bball games on FS1, BTN & USA network throughout the week.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:50 AM ^
If it's for everything it's bad news for women's hoops because ESPN is far and away the best for that. Which is a big deal with our nascent potential national power. NBCSN will sometimes air a college hockey game but not often and Fox never that I can remember. Same for basically everything but football and men's hoops. We'll still have BTN, but there are too many games for them to air enough.
I think BTN2 is on the way.
I’ve been wondering the same thing since the USC / UCLA news came out.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:23 AM ^
CBS lost their SEC rights, which is why they're paying so much for Big Ten rights. Gary Danielson will suddenly be relentlessly hyping the Big Ten as the best conference because he has no shame. Current deal expires in 2023, but not sure what time of year. Summer makes sense so seasons aren't split, but not 100% sure.
Basic structure as I understand it is:
Fox gets the big noon game they've had the last several years with Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt. They also spent extra to get exclusive rights to M/OSU, so that will be noon the Saturday after Thanksgiving for the duration of this deal (supposed to be 7 years).
CBS gets the 3:30 game from the Big Ten but loses the SEC 3:30 game. So that would presumably be Nessler and Danielson until they retire (66 and 70 respectively).
NBC gets primetime games. Unclear if this would be their premier slot (so Tirico) or if ND would get that honor.
Big Ten wanted those to be exclusive, so I think all the rest go to BTN.
I'm sure there's some kind of language requiring each school to be featured on the networks once or something, but given the choice you're going to see M/OSU/USC on the three main telecasts as much as possible since they're the biggest ratings draws. So expect a lot of NBC in our future. My personal worry is that the geniuses at Comcast try to force everyone to buy into Peacock and make some of those games exclusively available online.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:28 AM ^
This is just a guess but since NBC is being looped in. I think all of their networks(USA, CNBC, etc…) may be in play. Similar to how they split up coverage of the Olympics.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:32 AM ^
On the basketball front, Fox just hired Jason Benetti away from ESPN and he's one of the better college play by play guys at the moment (him and Dan Shulman would be my top two). I think Hummel is still under contract with ESPN though we lose that duo which was the best one working. Except maybe on BTN. Announcing contracts are weird, I swear Raftery is signed by Fox, CBS, and ESPN some years.
B1G hoops promos, with British accents, during Premier League games (on the USA Network). LOL! You’re probably right though, that’s probably where we’re headed.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:49 AM ^
you're going to see M/OSU/USC on the three main telecasts as much as possible since they're the biggest ratings draws.
You’d be surprised how weak USC’s TV numbers have been lately.
I get that SC has been mediocre and that the Pac-12 has time zone/TV exposure problems, but the last two USC at Notre Dame games—both in prime time on NBC—got 2.9M viewers last year and 3.2M in 2019.
That’s two brand-name teams in a rivalry game. For context, last year’s Northwestern-Michigan game got 3.2M.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:55 AM ^
They're a national brand who I assume will be good again once Riley has a year or two. But maybe not.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:40 PM ^
Fox gets the big noon game they've had the last several years with Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt...
CBS gets the 3:30 game from the Big Ten...
NBC gets primetime games...
What I don't understand is how this plays out. Are there no longer going to be any Fox (or CBS) games in primetime, for example? What about the other games (since the above only covers 3 games out of what could range from 6ish to as many as 16 per week)? They're not all going to be on BTN/at noon; plenty of weeks have had multiple games at 3:30 and/or primetime on major networks, for instance a 7:30 game on ABC/ESPN and an 8:00 game on Fox/FS1. What networks are going to have the rest of the games?
Does this just mean that each network has priority in the respective timeslot? I.e. Fox has the top overall pick each week (presumably for Big Noon), CBS has priority for a 3:30 game, NBC has priority for primetime, in some order? That would make more sense, with remaining games slotted in wherever, instead of a situation where e.g. NBC gets all of the primetime games (i.e. the biggest one each week is on NBC and any others are on Peacock). And that would also seem to fit with how it's been in recent years, with a defined "draft order" so to speak laying out which network gets to pick what and in what order.
Long story short, still a lot of details to sort out...
August 9th, 2022 at 12:49 PM ^
I'd imagine it's something like (during the conference season): 3 network games, a BTN triple header, and one or two remaining games spread out among the cable subsidiaries of the networks (so FS1, NBCSN or USA, CBSSN)
I think this is right. Even with a 16 team league you only have 6 or 7 games a week once conference play starts. It gets trickier later in the year when you have to figure out how many primetime games you are going to have in 25 degree weather.
Little bit easier now that the B1G can put a conference game in LA late in the season. They probably will get a majority of the primetime games late in the year for that very reason.
Well, at least we'll have Jon Jansen and Doug Karsch on the radio broadcast.
I am not looking forward to that. Jansen I don’t mind, but Karsch? I think we could have done better.
I’m willing to give him a chance. Who would you replace him with (realistically)?
August 9th, 2022 at 11:13 AM ^
Insert Well Bye gif here. Honestly, good riddance. ESPN has gotten more and more annoying IMO. They can go full SEC bitch now, if they hadn't already.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:14 AM ^
Yeah the conference must be getting at minimum $1.5B on this new deal…and the crazy part is that I think it will only be for 6-7 years! Unbelievable that they are turning down $380M! The PAC-12 would jump for joy with a new media deal for their whole conference for that price! And that likely was for the B1G’s “C” package.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:42 AM ^
Think you might be misconstruing the deal (or else I am.) The B1G asked for $380M and ESPN told the conference to pound sand, not the other way around.
August 9th, 2022 at 11:55 AM ^
Ahh I see, I was reading that wrong. Guess ESPN didn’t want to pay close to $400M for fourth pick of conference games each week.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:02 PM ^
Honestly hard to fault them. If you can put on top ACC games over mid to lower tier Big 10 games for less money I understand the move. However even mid tier Big 10 teams have huge fan bases.
Which would draw a bigger audience 3:30 UVA v. UNC or 3:30 Minnisota v. Nebraska? and how much is the difference worth in dollar amounts?
I have no idea, but this had to be some of the calulation right?
August 9th, 2022 at 11:15 AM ^
so dangerous playing that game these days..... monkeypox is real.....
Wrap that rascal
August 9th, 2022 at 11:22 AM ^
Man... You think ESPN coverage was biased towards the SEC in the past? You ain't seen nothin' yet...
<insert cable network here> News: "Hey, ESPN, watch this shit!"
ESPN: "Heh, hold my beer..."
August 9th, 2022 at 11:31 AM ^
Fox/FS1 has CFB content all day on Saturdays in the fall…lol. We will be fine 1VaBlue1, more Charles Woodson instead of Joey Galloway is a win!
August 9th, 2022 at 11:24 AM ^
Insert Seinfeld "That's a shame" gif here.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:45 PM ^
user name totes chex
August 9th, 2022 at 11:27 AM ^
I really hope CBS so we get Nessler doing games again with Michigan.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:09 PM ^
The real important thing is that we will now get the best CFB TV theme song
August 9th, 2022 at 12:11 PM ^
The only thing I can say with any certainty, is that we'll be subject to 4 hour games to pay for these deals.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:17 PM ^
Further proof that ESPN sucks.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:46 PM ^
bring back SportsChannel amirite
I'm all for Chris Berman starting that sports channel he talked about a few years ago.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:35 PM ^
SEC Slappies and home of the 4 hour college football broadcast. Oh well.
August 9th, 2022 at 12:43 PM ^
ESPN will talk trash about the Big Ten every day all day on their shows. Which is bad news for the old folks still watching their garbage.
Agreed. I stopped watching ESPN a long time ago. Getting the pro-sports TV and the B1G network has way more value than ESPN's daily crap-o-rama.
Same here. It’s been at least 20 years. In the mid 90’s ESPN was the shit, but quickly fell from grace.
In other words, nothing is changing.
I think that this is a loss for ESPN, not us. As they have grown more and more corporate, and hyped the SEC relentlessly, my dislike has risen. They, like the SEC, will be pushed into an increasingly regional profile. I long ago stopped going there for sports news, for everything except soccer. They helped to create this situation, let them stew in their own juices.
What happens to USC and UCLA prime time games (10:00pm ET)? What network would those games be broadcast on? FS1? Do they even exist anymore?
And if the #1 game is on FOX at noon every week, what happens to big USC and UCLA games? Do they play a 9AM local time home game against Michigan or OSU?
I believe that (at least USC) came to the B1G to get away from 10pm ET kick offs. I’m guessing they’ll want to stay away from that slot as much as possible.
But what about noon ET (9AM local) kickoffs at home? Are they going to be forced into that with these TV contracts?