The Mountain West Conference has "pledged its 'reasonable efforts' to help the University of Hawaii preserve its lucrative pay-per-view television package and at least $2.3 million in annual income” when the school joins the conference in football in '12, according to Ferd Lewis of the HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER. A contract signed by MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson and UH President M.R.C. Greenwood this month said the conference will attempt to "negotiate a local area 'carve-out' for UH with its national television broadcast contract." The conference additionally will use "its reasonable effort -- but shall not be obligated" -- to secure the $2.3M the school receives under a contract with Oceanic Time Warner Cable for its PPV deal that is scheduled to run through ’14. UH has operated a PPV package since ’02. Part of UH's agreement to join the MWC in ‘12 specifies that the university will assign "all local, regional, national and international broadcast rights" to the conference. The MWC has contracts with CBS College Sports and Comcast signed through ‘15-16 worth about $12M a year. UH's agreement with the MWC says the $2.3M payment from the conference "may come from all television sources." The contract also states UH will not be "entitled to share in other national TV contract revenue until such time as all other MWC institutions have received at least $2.3 million in TV revenue from football for that academic year” (HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER, 3/20).
