As Media-Rights Fees Roll In, Pac-12 Reaches Record High Revenue Of $334M For FY '12-13

The Pac-12 on Friday released its latest 990 IRS forms, as the conference reported $334M in revenue for FY '12-13 -- the "first under the new ESPN/Fox mega-media rights deal," according to Jon Wilner of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. The total is a record "for any college conference" -- approximately $15M more than the Big Ten and $20M more than the SEC. The Pac-12’s FY '13 revenue "nearly doubled" from FY '12 ($175M) and tripled its revenue from FY '11 ($111M). The Pac-12 Networks reported $81M in FY '13 income, but the expenses -- "not only annual operating but start-up costs -- are not available." Also not known is "how much of the $81M came in the form of up-front payouts from the partners (Comcast, TWC, etc.) and how much represents expected ongoing revenue." The conference "distributed $228M to the schools." The remaining $106M was used for "conference expenses," which include the "cost of running the Networks, office space, standard conference operations, and salaries." Meanwhile, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott received $3.3M for the '12 calendar year. Wilner noted individual compensation is "reported for calendar years, not fiscal years)." That is approximately 10% more than Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany and the figure "dwarfs the pay" of SEC Commissioner Mike Slive (MERCURYNEWS.com, 5/27).