Texas/ESPN TV deal is $300 mil for 20 years

[badger]

:mack:

EDIT: As long as I effed up anyway, here's a link to complete the effing up.

Link! (http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/article.aspx?subjectid=231&articleid=20110119_231_0_AUSTIN510132)

[badger]

tee hee, it IS a slow news day here, isn't it ;)

[85sooners]

:gary:

[badger]

Hook em

[Oldnslo]

That's some poor yet expensive football.

[Veritas]

Just what the world needed: BSPN having a vested interest in the whorns.

[Octavian]

Just what the world needed: BSPN having a vested interest in the whorns.


Yep, it's gonna be bad. Really annoying. And ESPN will do it with a straight face.


I wonder what this means for the OU Channel. Would this pull us closer to an ESPN deal of our own or push us toward FOX?

[OhU1]

*SPN

[Soonerman82]

I hope OU puts thier network on DirecTV and Dish.

[badger]

ESPN's agendas in the past included making Mizzou a viable contender for the title game (we proceeded to crush them, and their hearts for a second time that season) getting Texas into the Rose Bowl (they were left out of the BCS when KSU beat us) and getting Lester to coach Meatchicken (Herbie publicly humiliated when Les calls an emergency presser to announce his contract extension at LSU).

Don't worry --- it's just money. Texas already had a lot of it and only got five wins outta it this past season.

[SoonerSnook]

This is a channel I honestly will NEVER watch.

[Jacie]

Good thing for sa*et they inked a deal based on seasons played instead of games won . . .

[Boomer Mooner]

$300 million will buy you a whole lot of swimming, golf, volleyball, etc. Really, are the whorns even going to watch it?

[Bourbon St Sooner]

It will broadcast * games and "other content."

Any guess on what the other content is?

Gay porn?

Mack Brown's VY fetish videos?

[sperry]

Wish the FCC would disallow this. News agencies shouldn't be allowed to have significant interests in the entities they cover.

[oubose]

I watch espn with the mute botton on anyway, just as well shut the whole ****ing thing off

[Herr Scholz]

This is a channel I honestly will NEVER watch.

Don't be so sure. It will also broadcast all of the UIL high school football games in the state, a very underrated aspect of this new network. Also, there will be an ESPN studio on campus for a "sportscenter" type program and pre and post game interviews. Both of these things seem to be able to help with recruiting. ESPN will have a hand in UT recruiting now. This is the one part that our aggies are up in arms about.

[AlboSooner]

seem to be able to help with recruiting

Texas already recruits very well. How much can you improve a number one recruiting class? Their 5-7 team was full of blue chips.

[Octavian]

OU responds...


Oklahoma senior associate athletic director Kenny Mossman told Sporting News on Wednesday that the school remains interested in starting its own network down the road.

“We are working on the development of a channel,” he said in an e-mail. “We’re not yet to the point of an announcement, but we continue to work through the process and are encouraged about our direction.”

News of an OU-centric network first went public last June, when athletic director Joe Castiglione told reporters the school’s leadership was investigating such a project.

Besides Texas, Oklahoma might be the likeliest school to chase the network option. The combination of dollars, athletic prominence and fan base, both local and national, makes the network conceivable.

Sporting News (http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2011-01-19/texas-reaches-20-year-300-million-deal-with-espn)


Will be interesting to see where this goes...obviously we'd want access to out of state markets in the Big 12 footprint.

[AirbOUrne]

Don't be so sure. It will also broadcast all of the UIL high school football games in the state, a very underrated aspect of this new network. Also, there will be an ESPN studio on campus for a "sportscenter" type program and pre and post game interviews. Both of these things seem to be able to help with recruiting. ESPN will have a hand in UT recruiting now. This is the one part that our aggies are up in arms about.

So at some point *spn becomes a booster. Hopefully Leach's lawsuit comes through, that way * will be owned by a former Sooner OC as well as having their stadium named after a former Sooner.

[47straight]

Don't be so sure. It will also broadcast all of the UIL high school football games in the state, a very underrated aspect of this new network. Also, there will be an ESPN studio on campus for a "sportscenter" type program and pre and post game interviews. Both of these things seem to be able to help with recruiting. ESPN will have a hand in UT recruiting now. This is the one part that our aggies are up in arms about.

Of course it will. After all, all high school players in the state of Texas are the chattel property of The University of Texas at Austin, according to the horns.

[Herr Scholz]

Not saying that, just saying it will benefit recruiting in all sports, not just football. Can't hurt and it's a zero risk proposition for UT. OU should do it as well which it sounds like you are.

[Herr Scholz]

Texas already recruits very well. How much can you improve a number one recruiting class? Their 5-7 team was full of blue chips.

We've only had 2 #1 recruiting classes under Brown (one resulted in the '05 title and the other one fizzled out in '01 when Simms turned the ball over 5 times vs. CU in the Big XII title game - would've gone to the national title game with a win there). Also, OU has outrecruited us on average over the past decade if you didn't know.

Also, the '10 team had a ton of attrition on the O line which became a glaring weakness and had a green QB back there. That team wasn't loaded with talent. Only a couple will probably be drafted (Sam Acho and Aaron Williams).

[TXBOOMER]

F texass!
Boomer Sooner!

[CatfishSooner]

F'N HORNS MEHHH

[OhU1]

We've only had 2 #1 recruiting classes under Brown (one resulted in the '05 title and the other one fizzled out in '01 when Simms turned the ball over 5 times vs. CU in the Big XII title game - would've gone to the national title game with a win there). Also, OU has outrecruited us on average over the past decade if you didn't know.

Also, the '10 team had a ton of attrition on the O line which became a glaring weakness and had a green QB back there. That team wasn't loaded with talent. Only a couple will probably be drafted (Sam Acho and Aaron Williams).

Let me sum up Herr's post: 2001*; 2010*

[Soonernut1963]

How does this work? Football is a part of our Big 12 package, so live football wouldn't be a part of the agreement? If not, they are being paid for golf, baseball, softball, etc. Does this make sense for espn?

How long until espn works a set of horns into their logo? lol

[Soonrboy]

Next, they will roll out the All-Access Tebow channel.

[boomersooner28]

Next, they will roll out the All-Access Tebow channel.

Thats what i've been waiting for! They've damn near got it now. :rolleyes: :mad:

[gunsalus]

Didn't Notre Dame generally do a lot worse after they got their exclusive TV deal? If so, here's hoping for the same with *.

[toast]

Didn't Notre Dame generally do a lot worse after they got their exclusive TV deal? If so, here's hoping for the same with *.

only * started a year early

[melrosebeach]

Wish the FCC would disallow this. News agencies shouldn't be allowed to have significant interests in the entities they cover.

I was thinking the same thing. It's like FOX, NBC or CNN creating a city's public access channel.

I think Ut should go indie.

[SC Sooner]

I wonder how much higher in the rankings they will pump ut now? If you dont' think they will, think back to NASCAR, before they signed their contract, NASCAR reports were usually relegated to less than 5 minutes and a couple of sound bites. Now they give substantial coverage, advertising and have spun off several weekly series covering the events leading up to each race. OMG... the thought of Mack Brown's show on weekly?

[Soonersince57]

That works out to $3 million per win.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

Don't be so sure. It will also broadcast all of the UIL high school football games in the state, a very underrated aspect of this new network. Also, there will be an ESPN studio on campus for a "sportscenter" type program and pre and post game interviews. Both of these things seem to be able to help with recruiting. ESPN will have a hand in UT recruiting now. This is the one part that our aggies are up in arms about.

aggie has boone pickens' millions

* has ESPN

OU still has the Big 12 by the balls

[kevpks]

Do they have alternate programming lined up to replace their bowl coverage after next year's losing season? I'm sure reruns of Walker Texas Ranger are pretty cheap.

[Bourbon St Sooner]

Also, OU has outrecruited us on average over the past decade if you didn't know.


My jaw just dropped.

Somebody go dig up a Herr Schlitz post from the last few years about how OU never wins a recruiting battle against * anymore.

[MeMyself&Me]

Listening to rivalsradio, the host was talking about this deal and mentioned the contract guarantees that the channel will carry at least one exclusive football game per year. I know that it will typically be one of their annual patsy non-con games that wouldn't be covered otherwise (or would be PPV) but the 'guarantee' part I found interesting. I would have thought that the Big 12's other TV contracts would take precedence over anything that the shortwhoren channel would show. How can they guarantee that a game each year will be available?

[Half a Hundred]

I'd be interested to see if OU were talking to Cox and NBC/Comcast about a market swap between the cable companies (perhaps OKC/Tulsa for Portland, Ore. and Hartford, Conn.) and a TV deal with the network. Seems like that would make the most sense of all, and we get our Notre Dame deal 30 years after the offer.

[IndySooner]

Listening to rivalsradio, the host was talking about this deal and mentioned the contract guarantees that the channel will carry at least one exclusive football game per year. I know that it will typically be one of their annual patsy non-con games that wouldn't be covered otherwise (or would be PPV) but the 'guarantee' part I found interesting. I would have thought that the Big 12's other TV contracts would take precedence over anything that the shortwhoren channel would show. How can they guarantee that a game each year will be available?

Even though I know it's not possible, I would love to see the conference make a power play here and schedule ALL of UT's games on network TV. That would be an interesting court battle.

[49r]

I'm not so sure this will end up being much. Most things that people would actually be interested in watching, high profile Football and Basketball games, will be on nationally anyway. It will take away a bit from the revenue they generate via the current contracts and as I understand it, should get them to about level (when all the contracts are combined) to what the Big Ten and SEC schools are getting ALREADY. Thing is, the ESPNUT "network" revenues average out to $15 million annualized (minus the 20% IMG vig, or $3mm), so they will add $12 million to the bottom line annually. So, added to the $10 million or so they already will get through current contracts it works out to about $22 million. Kinda pathetic really.

Which is pretty good - for now - but in 20 years (if the network doesn't die from poor ratings) it would be negligible, and far behind the curve - especially when you think about the projected revenue growth in the BTN and similar growth in SEC TV contracts and the proposed Pac 10 network.

I gotta think that while the horney dudes may be giddy with excitement about this new "network", in the long run it may end up being something most of them rarely if ever watch, not to mention revenue streams will most likely not match up to the bigger players in the college sports media game.

It will be an interesting litmus test, however. *IF* this thing works it will be a model for other schools moving forward. It's a mighty big if though IYAM

The downside to this deal is it's going to put the Big XII in a slightly weaker negotiating position, and will probably have a really negative effect for the have-nots of the conference. OU will be okay and will likely have a similar media deal worked out soon, probably the same for A&M but almost all the rest of the schools will struggle to get anything remotely similar up and running and it could put a pretty significant strain on loyalty to the conference...putting it at more risk of breaking apart.

This could be a nothing deal or it could have disastrous negative effect on the conference, and I would imagine produce almost nothing of real significant value to Texa$$

[oubose]

1 more reason to hate them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will it be aired from mac brown's house?

[Big D Sooner]

I think that this is trouble for OU. We better respond quickly. Texas has established themselves as a brand, they have more money, and they are now the favorite son of espn. I guess the saving grace for OU is that they already get most of the highly rated recruits and yet OU still owns the big xii

[SoonerinSouthlake]

I think that this is trouble for OU. We better respond quickly. Texas has established themselves as a brand, they have more money, and they are now the favorite son of espn. I guess the saving grace for OU is that they already get most of the highly rated recruits and yet OU still owns the big xii

it COULD be a problem...I Agree
But the whorns have had advantages for a long time.

I like our chances with the leadership at OU. We will respond and continue to flourish

[yermom]

So at some point *spn becomes a booster. Hopefully Leach's lawsuit comes through, that way * will be owned by a former Sooner OC as well as having their stadium named after a former Sooner.

let's not forget the current coach that is also a former OC at OU :D

[Sooner70]

I plan to watch the plays & musicals on Longhorn TV. I think their first one is the musical classic "OKLAHOMA". Maybe Mack has a bit part.