David Hookstead
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University of Colorado chancellor Phil DiStefano believes the PAC-12 is in great position for its next media deal.
The conference and commissioner George Kliavkoff have been pushing hard for a new media deal, but as of late April, nothing has been agreed to.
The last update was the PAC-12 might be leaning towards reaching some kind of significant deal with Apple. Whatever happens, DiStefano believes the PAC-12 will be just fine.
The man responsible for running the show in Boulder told USA Today that “there’s a very good possibility” the PAC-12 will reach a deal that ranks third in all of college sports, behind only the Big Ten and SEC. He’s also hopeful the new media deal doesn’t exceed seven years. That way, the PAC-12 could go back to the negotiating table sooner than later.
He also made it clear the Buffaloes are “committed to the PAC-12.” Of course, that could change with enough money. I wouldn’t recommend reading too much into that claim.
Will the PAC-12 survive?
It certainly does seem like the conference is growing some momentum for figuring out some kind of deal. The chatter about the Big 12 raiding the conference seems to have certainly cooled.
Having said that, it’s still very bold for DiStefano to just declare the PAC-12 will likely land the third richest deal in college sports.
It’s definitely possible, but making a claim like that before the ink dries isn’t wise. The number the PAC-12 is shooting for is at least $31.7 million annually per conference member.
That’s what the Big 12’s deal is worth, and that’s what the west coast conference wants. Anything less is going to be an issue, especially for powerhouse members Oregon and Washington.
The money to beat that number will definitely be there if the PAC-12 signs with Apple. The drawback, which OutKick has covered extensively, is moving most games to streaming might doom the conference to irrelevancy.
Is the casual fan going to sign up for Apple TV+ to watch Colorado play Stanford? Probably not. That has to weigh heavily into any possible deal that involves heavy streaming.
The good news is a decision has to be on the horizon. The PAC-12 needs this situation tied up sooner than later. If not, the Big 12 might actually start to become a realistic option. That’s not something George Kliavkoff wants to worry about.
Colorado’s chancellor must be living in an alternate reality if he thinks the PACifist 12 is going to get close to the Big 12’s contract value. I don’t think Deion Sanders came to Boulder to see his new program being relegated to Apple+ on a regular basis instead of being on ESPN or FOX. Does anyone really think that Colorado is going to stick around on a sinking ship like the PACifist 12?
ucb sucks.
Colorado will go 1-11 this year. They’re getting attention simply because “Prime” is coach.
It was revealed earlier that signing with Apple TV would mean that the individual PAC programs had to cover the production costs of televising their games. This additional cost would come on top of a lower payout, and relegation to a “Network” no one watches and no one can find. The PAC already owes $50 million to their old carrier for sub-par ratings. What makes anyone think that Apple TV will suddenly get millions of loyal PAC subscribers from a Conference which has performed badly for the last 20 years?