$1 Billion + for B1G media rights?

[spliff45]

I don't know that I'd care for NBC getting rights. They would more than likely push several games to their Peacock streaming service. I guess that could be said for CBS and Paramount+ too if they got involved.

NBC To Make Big Push For Big Ten Media Rights

"If I’m ESPN or Fox, I’m looking over my shoulder because NBC is going to go hard after the Big Ten,” a source told FOS.

frontofficesports.com

 

[KCHawkeye]

I don't know that I'd care for NBC getting rights. They would more than likely push several games to their Peacock streaming service. I guess that could be said for CBS and Paramount+ too if they got involved.

NBC To Make Big Push For Big Ten Media Rights

"If I’m ESPN or Fox, I’m looking over my shoulder because NBC is going to go hard after the Big Ten,” a source told FOS.

frontofficesports.com

Yikes! You might be right, Spliff. I miss some games to ESPN+ and Bally Sports for baseball.

 

[okeefe4prez]

Ugh, this is potentially really bad news. NBC has gotten rid of their sports network, NBCSN.

If the Big Ten agrees to this deal, they need very tight covenants on content distribution control, but with a check that big, they might not have the ability to do so. NBC has completely bent NASCAR over a barrel on distribution and their ridiculous diktats on scheduling have caused NASCAR to bleed viewers over the duration of the existing NBC deal. And because they ditched NBCSN, the NASCAR races are going to get moved to USA.

This deal will definitely lead to them trying to drive content to Peacock and to force sign ups for that. Gone will be the days in September where BTN sets up 4 alternates so they can cover Northwestern versus Akron. If you want that stuff, you'll have to get Peacock. The play for NBC will really be to force all of the Ohio, Michigan and Penn State fans into buying Peacock for 3 or 4 months in the fall. Some egghead nerd has a model of how many people they think will sign up.

 

[hawkinn3]

Well worth that money to see Iowa’s explosive offense ring up 13 points.

 

[spliff45]

Well worth that money to see Iowa’s explosive offense ring up 13 points.

1 point for every dollar on the monthly subscription to whatever streaming service?

 

[Motigerhawk]

1 point for every dollar on the monthly subscription to whatever streaming service?

Put like that I would pay 50 bucks to a streaming service.

 

[ssckelley]

Ugh, this is potentially really bad news. NBC has gotten rid of their sports network, NBCSN.

If the Big Ten agrees to this deal, they need very tight covenants on content distribution control, but with a check that big, they might not have the ability to do so. NBC has completely bent NASCAR over a barrel on distribution and their ridiculous diktats on scheduling have caused NASCAR to bleed viewers over the duration of the existing NBC deal. And because they ditched NBCSN, the NASCAR races are going to get moved to USA.

This deal will definitely lead to them trying to drive content to Peacock and to force sign ups for that. Gone will be the days in September where BTN sets up 4 alternates so they can cover Northwestern versus Akron. If you want that stuff, you'll have to get Peacock. The play for NBC will really be to force all of the Ohio, Michigan and Penn State fans into buying Peacock for 3 or 4 months in the fall. Some egghead nerd has a model of how many people they think will sign up.

BTN isn't going away. NBC is not going to pay all that money just to put content on their streaming services much like ESPN doesn't put Big Ten games on their ESPN+ channels. You will still get to watch your Northwestern play Akron on the BTN.

 

[okeefe4prez]

BTN isn't going away. NBC is not going to pay all that money just to put content on their streaming services much like ESPN doesn't put Big Ten games on their ESPN+ channels. You will still get to watch your Northwestern play Akron on the BTN.

Correct, BTN isn't going away yet. I think they have a few years left on that deal. But you're ignorant to reality if you think the end game of the media companies isn't "direct to consumer." They understand that live sports is the only content people will pay a premium for. Think of the channels when you were a kid pre-cable.

ABC - owned by Disney, which also owns ESPN, pushing content onto D+, Hulu and ESPN+.
Fox - all non-sports assets sold to Disney.
CBS - owned by Paramount, pushing content onto Paramount Plus.
NBC - owned by Comcast, pushing content onto Peacock.

The dream of these companies is to sell everyone a content bundle at premium prices where they get to keep the money rather than dickering with cable companies over carriage rates every year. Everyone wants to lock up their own ecosystem and Comcast/NBC sees the writing on the wall, if ESPN locks up the Big Ten and has the ACC and SEC plus the tier 1 Pac 10 games, they will be able to launch a college football specific app and charge $100 or more a year for it and it will be a better deal for customers than even getting cable for 3-4 months and it will create a monstrous revenue stream for Disney. Disney knows ESPN is in huge trouble. It has made money for decades off the "ESPN tax" on cable subscribers and that is dying very quickly, so they need to hammer the price inelastic purchasers. And they will.

 

[ssckelley]

Correct, BTN isn't going away yet. I think they have a few years left on that deal. But you're ignorant to reality if you think the end game of the media companies isn't "direct to consumer." They understand that live sports is the only content people will pay a premium for. Think of the channels when you were a kid pre-cable.

ABC - owned by Disney, which also owns ESPN, pushing content onto D+, Hulu and ESPN+.
Fox - all non-sports assets sold to Disney.
CBS - owned by Paramount, pushing content onto Paramount Plus.
NBC - owned by Comcast, pushing content onto Peacock.

The dream of these companies is to sell everyone a content bundle at premium prices where they get to keep the money rather than dickering with cable companies over carriage rates every year. Everyone wants to lock up their own ecosystem and Comcast/NBC sees the writing on the wall, if ESPN locks up the Big Ten and has the ACC and SEC plus the tier 1 Pac 10 games, they will be able to launch a college football specific app and charge $100 or more a year for it and it will be a better deal for customers than even getting cable for 3-4 months and it will create a monstrous revenue stream for Disney. Disney knows ESPN is in huge trouble. It has made money for decades off the "ESPN tax" on cable subscribers and that is dying very quickly, so they need to hammer the price inelastic purchasers. And they will.

I don’t see this as a bad thing. Instead of having to pay $100+ for a cable subscription to get a bunch of channels I don’t want I can’t just pay for the channel I want.

 

[okeefe4prez]

I don’t see this as a bad thing. Instead of having to pay $100+ for a cable subscription to get a bunch of channels I don’t want I can’t just pay for the channel I want.

If pretty much everything is in one place and it's only $100 or maybe even $200, then that's no big deal. The issue is going to be if everything gets separated and the cost to watch college football goes to $400-500 and it requires people to switch between apps. I don't think it will ever devolve into a single game PPV (other than that crap the Big 12 pulled to appease Texas), but I could envision the price going way up over time. They have to get creative to keep cash flowing into the ecosystem.