Here’s the intriguing part about the television talks going on with the Big East, NBC and ESPN. The Big East and NBC are very close to signing a 6-year deal which will make the Big East the prime attraction for NBC’s primary sports cable outlet, NBCSports.
The official offer from NBC came in Friday with all sorts of options and variables. The money is low–between $20 and 23 million a year. But that will be boosted somewhat because the Big East is also talking to other networks, including CBS about buying a secondary package, which could increase the deal by several million dollars.
Now ESPN, according to a report by our buddy Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated.com, has a week to match it.
But the issue is not entirely about the money. ESPN can easily match or better NBC’s financial offer.
The sticking points are the other parts of the deal. Promotion, time slots, prime time exposure on the main network. All have value. All are part of the overall plan that Big East commissioner Mike Aresco and NBC have worked out.
NBC can give Big East football a Thursday night Game of the Week–EVERY week.
Can ESPN do that?
No, it can’t, so it would seem that would be a deal breaker for ESPN.
No, it won’t.
NBC can give Big East football a 3:30 time slot on Saturday on its cable outlet each week and a select number of games on the main network.
ESPN can and will not do that, so that would seem to be a deal breaker as well.
The question is whether ESPN can or even wants to do that. ESPN has more than enough outlets to handle everything the Big East can provide. That’s not the issue. The issue is whether ESPN is willing to give the Big East prime time slots and promotions when it has better, more attractive games which it can promote.
There are lots of ways that NBC can promote the Big East on all of its outlets.
Is ESPN willing to do this?
Then there is the darker side. How much is it worth for ESPN to keep NBCSports from having any kind of competitive programming?
Enough to swallow some things on the Big East?
Maybe. The Big East and NBC want to be with each other. They want to work together. In a very real sense, they need each other.
How much money does the Big East need to get from ESPN before it says, “Deal.’?
If NBC is offering between 20 and 23 million dollars a year, ESPN can easily double that figure and not even blink.
The Big East would then have to think hard about that move, but if it takes it, it gets shuffled back into the pack on programming and promotion.
The clock is ticking. Let’s see what happens.
© Copyright 2013 Mark, All rights Reserved. Written For: A Jersey Guy
“NBC can give Big East football a 3:30 time slot on Saturday on its cable outlet each week and a select number of games on the main network.”
Can they? In the past, the Mountain West has had this time slot on NBCS, and quite often, its Boise State. Is NBCS really going to move Boise out of that spot permanently? I dont see it. Yeah, they’ll lose a few of the Boise home games that have been in that spot (since its looking like ESPN will carry the Boise home games), but they’ll just want to make up for it by getting more of the Boise away games instead the way I see it.
Yes NBC will move Boise out of the 3:30 slot for East coast programming if need be. Boise has very little national appeal on the East Coast and that is what this deal is targeting. Boise will sell all of their games to ESPN on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday most likely to get the most money. That is the programming they are losing by losing the Big East and the MWC let Boise make their own home game tv deal. This most likely is the prime spots ESPN will put them on and unfortunately that will come with the loss of potential eyeballs. The Big East doesn’t have a huge stick to carry around but having the massive tv markets that it does almost assures them any tv slot they want on NBC and that is the reasoning behind this deal, and the sole reason they will take less money to get more exposure.
NBC can offer the 3 pm Saturday to the BE be it in NBCSN or TNT or NBC. ESPN has too many irons in the fire to offer that in all of their networks be it ESPN, ESPN2 ESPNU or ABC.
Even if ESPN doubles the money, the NBC path is a better one for each individual school in the new Big East. Going from $2 million to $4 million is worth far less than publicity to these programs as they look to separate themselves from the MWC/SBC/MAC. BSU will sour the milk for the other members of the MWC, no way inequality works when dollars are at stake even if one school is pulling all the weight. The verdict is still out, but for the “best of the rest” in 6 years this may have been a watershed moment for the nBE when we look back.
its always about the money, esp. when people say “its not about the money.” LOL
The question I have is when does this contract start? Is it for the 2014 football season? What happens to 2013 basketball season? It still seems to me that the basketball is being undervalued
Pingback: Thoughts on Big East TV deal | SNY UCONN