Longhorn Network Contract With ESPN Could Present More Concerns For Big 12

The “full contract” between the Univ. of Texas and ESPN for the Longhorn Network was uncovered by Texas A&M blog The Midnight Yell, and “there's a bit more in the deal that could be problematic for the Big 12,” according to Tom Fornelli of CBSSPORTS.com. ESPN has “exclusive negotiating rights with Texas should the school no longer be a member of the Big 12.” The deal reads in part, "In the event that UT determines not to participate in any athletics conference in one or more sports, UT agrees to provide ESPN a right of first negotiation of 60 days with respect to its television telecast rights." ESPN also “has 48 hours to match any offer Texas may get from somewhere else.” UT will get “about $11,000,000 a year from the network,” and that number “will increase by 3% annually until ESPN gets its money back from the original investment, at which point Texas' revenues from the network will rise significantly.” If the Big 12 “created its own network, Texas couldn't be a part of it.” The contract also allows ESPN to “try to get rights to Texas high school state championship games.” Fornelli wrote, “Obviously, this is part of the high school games deal that the Big 12 has decided to ignore for a year, but the contract states that ESPN agrees to try and get the rights for these games” (CBSSPORTS.com, 8/8).

TAKING THE FIRST STEP: Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe said the “one thing that hasn’t gotten out” about the Longhorn Network is “how considerate” UT men’s AD DeLoss Dodds and the school have been. Beebe: “They have said … that they did not want to do anything that was going to create a recruiting advantage or do anything that was going to harm the conference. And DeLoss came to the meetings with that kind of continued attitude about it.” Beebe said, “I think that all of our institutions in five years are going to have delivery systems, whether they be together or some together, some not." He added, "The Longhorn Network is just the first one out of the gate. And whenever you have a first venture like that, there’s all sorts of questions and things that need to be ironed out. But I think all of (the other schools) will be there in five years” (ESPN.com, 8/8).

SCHEDULING CONCERNS: In Austin, Kirk Bohls noted LHN's “hopes of televising live high school football games remain on hold for at least a year, but ESPN still would like to show a second Texas football game besides” the season opener against Rice in September. A Big 12 source said that the ESPN's representatives “have approached Texas Tech about the possibility of showing the Red Raiders-Longhorns game this year and, to make it worth Tech's while, discussed showing other Tech games like Nevada and New Mexico over the next four seasons for $5 million.” So far Texas Tech "has declined.” The source said that the next probable school ESPN would approach is Oklahoma State (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 8/8).