ESPN could offer enough money to convince CBS to hand off the SEC package earlyGETTY IMAGES
If ESPN is "willing to pay now what it is willing to pay" beginning in '24 for the SEC media rights, that amount of cash in hand "might be tough for CBS to ignore," according to Andy Staples of THE ATHLETIC. CBS has been getting those SEC games at a "bargain-basement price each year," so it is possible ESPN "can offer enough to convince CBS to hand off the package early." The "SEC on CBS" theme song "would be an excellent throw-in" for Disney to ask for should it decide to "pony up and buy CBS out of any of the last three years of the contract." Whenever the handoff does happen, it will "mark the end of an era." The SEC on CBS as currently comprised "started as an experiment that few thought would work," but it "helped turn what had been a provincial, regional sport into a (sometimes still provincial) national enterprise" (THEATHLETIC.com, 12/11).
PROBLEM FOR THE PAC-12: In San Jose, Jon Wilner notes the deal with ESPN is a "massive victory for the SEC." But the "implications for the Pac-12 are significant, as well," as it appears the conference is in "jeopardy of further marginalization in the college football media universe." There "won’t be much airtime available on ABC/ESPN for other conferences, at least not in the key windows." That "probably won’t be a problem for the Big Ten," which is expected to "cut an all-in deal of its own with Fox." Wilner: "But it's a problem for the Pac-12" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 12/12). In Portland, John Canzano wrote the "negotiating strategy employed by Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott blew up in his face this week," as SEC commissioner Greg Sankey "doubled down, mid-hand, and walked off with the casino." Scott’s strategy to wait "didn’t leave a lot of inventory leftover" for the Pac-12, which should have been "proactive in seeking a lucrative, long-term deal." It feels like the Pac-12 will end up "worse than where it currently is," with a "disjointed and unsatisfying offering." The SEC has a "superior product to sell." Canzano: "That's evident. But what I fear gets lost in this discussion is how the misfires by Scott diminished the brand, performance and trajectory of the conference." The Pac-12 has "eroded in the last decade," and it is "not better off than when Scott arrived" (Portland OREGONIAN, 12/12).
