SNY has previously broadcast more than a dozen UConn women's basketball games a year GETTY IMAGES
The AAC and ESPN yesterday formally announced their new 12-year TV deal, and UConn AD David Benedict said that he "worried abut moving Huskies games off linear TV," according to Alex Putterman of the HARTFORD COURANT. Benedict said that he worried about whether the conference's deal "meant sacrificing the school's relationship with SNY, which broadcasts more than a dozen UConn women's basketball games a year." ESPN Exec VP/Programming & Scheduling Burke Magnus alluded that the new agreement "does not necessarily mean the end of UConn games on SNY." Magnus added that ESPN will soon "meet with both SNY and CBS Sports Net, which also sub-licenses select AAC games, to discuss details" (HARTFORD COURANT, 3/28). SNY has found huge ratings and revenue success from carrying the UConn’s women’s basketball package for the past seven years and wants to continue with it. The RSN used its UConn package to help it convince Connecticut cable systems to carry the channel seven years ago. Cable systems could potentially drop the channel in Connecticut if it no longer has the UConn women's package. The team is that popular. But ESPN knows how much SNY profited off this deal, and undoubtedly will charge much more than the $1M SNY currently is paying for the rights (John Ourand, SBJ Media).
WELCOME TO THE NEW AGE: AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco said that he considered games on ESPN+ to be a "benefit, not a drawback, of the new agreement." Aresco said, "ESPN+ is the digital future." Aresco and Magnus said that it is "too early to know" which games will air on regular ESPN networks and which will be on ESPN+, but that games with "greater impact on conference championship races are more likely to appear on linear television" (HARTFORD COURANT, 3/28). Aresco said of ESPN+, "It's as though we have our own branded network on that platform." In Tampa, Joey Knight writes ESPN+ "notwithstanding, the league will have more" football games on ESPN's traditional TV platforms under the new deal. Currently, a "minimum of 26 AAC games are broadcast annually on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU." That minimum "increases to 40 under the new agreement." For men's basketball, a minimum 65 regular season games per season "will be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, with at least 25 on ESPN or ESPN2" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 3/28).
GOOD DEAL FOR AAC: In Memphis, Mark Giannotto writes the AAC "didn't have much leverage here," and it was "never going to get anything close to what the Power 5 conferences do from media rights." The AAC "still needs the exposure of ESPN more than ESPN needs the conference," but this new deal "very clearly separates the league from the rest of the Group of Five" (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 3/28). In Houston, David Barron notes the deal will distribute about $7M per year to each school in the AAC, up from about $2M per year under the previous deal. This represents a "significant hike" for AAC schools such as Houston, which has about $55M in annual athletic department revenue (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 3/28). In Tulsa, Kelly Hines writes during a “financially stressful time” at Tulsa that resulted in “eliminated positions and various cutbacks, the TU athletic department can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the TV contract will alleviate budget problems" (TULSA WORLD, 3/28). In Connecticut, David Borges notes the $5M in additional network money will “help offset the payments from the old Big East (exit fees, championship tournament units) that will expire next year.” The AAC “hopes to continue a relationship with CBS for some of its bigger men’s basketball games as well” (NEW HAVEN REGISTER, 3/28).
