The absence of football on the Pac-12 Networks this fall "won't stop the networks from promoting Pac-12 football," according to Jon Wilner of the San Jose MERCURY NEWS. Exec VP/Content Larry Meyers said, "We'll be as active as we can to push people to the games on Fox and ESPN." All football games for the first six weeks of the season "will be broadcast on FOX, FS1, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ABC, leaving the conference's wholly-owned media company scrambling to promote the Pac-12's chief export." The decision to place every game on the major networks, including eight Friday matchups, was a "financial necessity." A source said, "It was an easy decision." The absence of games, budget cuts, staff reductions and health restrictions related to COVID-19 have conspired to limit the Pac-12 Networks' programming options: "There will be no mid-week studio show on the linear network," and the "Saturday pregame show has been scrapped in all forms -- nothing from the campuses, nothing from the San Francisco studio." The networks "will produce regular short-form content on Saturdays, all of it available (free) on the digital platform." The networks are "planning to show a full load of men's and women's basketball games -- more than 100 for each sport, perhaps." Meyers said, "It will be a robust year for basketball" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 10/29).
