![]() ![]() The other 35 games (approximately) - that’s about 44 percent of the total inventory - are distributed by the Pac-12 Networks. So in a two-year cycle, ESPN/ABC has 45 of the 160, or 28 percent. (That number varies slightly by the season, of course.)ĮSPN and Fox license 45 of them as co-partners: 22 each, with the championship game alternating annually. We know this because the Pac-12 owns approximately 80 games each year: 54 regular-season conference matchups, the championship game, and about 25 non-conference home games. In the current media contract, 28 percent of Pac-12 football games are distributed on Disney platforms (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU). However, we can provide some context on potential outcomes. ![]() Only an extremely tight circle of conference executives know for sure. Was that Amazon or Apple? Was it a reference to ESPN+? Is there another streaming company interested in Pac-12 content, one whose identity has been kept secret all these months? “We already have significant interest from potential partners,” he said, “including both incumbents and new traditional television and most importantly, digital media partners.” He never specified which companies or services would distribute that content, but given the choice of words - “any piece of glass connected to the internet” - we can presume had streaming in mind.ĭuring his remarks at Pac-12 football media day last July, he noted that the forthcoming distribution deal was “highly likely” to involve a major digital media company. (Currently, they have approximately 14 million subscribers, a paltry number compared to the Big Ten and SEC networks.)įrom there came the strategy: Kliavkoff would make sure Pac-12 football and basketball content was widely available. A constant complaint: The lack of access to the Pac-12 Networks, which were not on DirecTV, not in hotels, not in sports bars and not on many cable systems outside the conference. At every stop, he spoke to athletes and coaches, administrators and executives. ![]() Kliavkoff took charge on Jand soon began touring the campuses. Will a significant percentage of Pac-12 football and men’s basketball games be available on traditional linear platforms like ESPN? Will the majority be delivered by a streaming company like Apple or Amazon? Could every ounce of inventory be streamed?įor all the uncertainty, this much is clear: Kliavkoff’s strategy is a direct result of decade-long frustration over the Pac-12 Networks’ horrendous distribution. I’ve set a goal that our content should be available to any piece of glass connected to the internet.”įive months later, Kliavkoff is under mounting pressure to craft a media rights deal acceptable to the 10 remaining schools.įor all the rumors of a streaming-heavy contract - and accompanying speculation that such a deal would lead to the dissolution of the conference - the specifics remain a mystery. During an appearance on ‘ Canzano and Wilner: The Podcast,’ he offered: “We really want our content to be available to any of our fans who want to see it. Kliavkoff reiterated the mission in September. It was set long before USC and UCLA bolted for the Big Ten, long before the Big 12 renewed its agreement with ESPN and Fox, long before the UC Regents spent months evaluating UCLA’s move and many, many months before the economy softened.
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