SBJ College: HBO Max Plans Surprise The NCAA

I’m not trying to commandeer John Ourand’s newsletter, but there’s a lot of media news tonight in the college space.

Here’s what is cooking on campus:

SPORTS PLAN FOR HBO MAX HAS HOOPS TO JUMP THROUGH

• AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson caught some high-ranking sports and media execs off guard yesterday when he said WarnerMedia’s planned streaming service -- HBO Max -- will carry live sports from Turner’s current set of rights. That includes the NCAA Tournament, rights that Turner shares with CBS. I checked with various sources today and heard the same message -- no plan that would put March Madness games on HBO Max has been discussed or contemplated in any way inside the NCAA’s walls.
  
  
• It’s possible that the new direct-to-consumer service could carry live-game feeds from TBS, TNT and truTV. But even that would require buy-in from the NCAA and CBS, sources said. It’s hard for any of the sources to believe that the NCAA or CBS would allow HBO Max to have any kind of exclusive access to NCAA Tournament games. Still, Stephenson’s comments raise questions about the NCAA’s digital rights. March Madness Live has been hugely successful, but it requires authentication. HBO Max will be direct-to-consumer. Any switch from an authentication service to an over-the-top service like HBO Max would signify a huge strategy shift by WarnerMedia.
  
  
• I imagine execs with the NBA and MLB, which both partner with Turner, had the same questions as the NCAA about HBO Max’s future. For me, I subscribe to HBO Now via Apple TV, so I’m curious about HBO Max’s slate of programming. The subscriber-based streaming service, set to launch next spring, will be the place to find all kinds of programming under the WarnerMedia banner -- including Turner Sports.
  

BREAKFAST WITH THE PAC-12 RAISES QUESTIONS

Would USC and UCLA really agree to have their rivalry game played at 9:00am local time?

• Commissioner Larry Scott deserves credit for thinking creatively, but nobody I’ve contacted today believes the Pac-12 will kick off some of its marquee games at 9:00am PT. The conference’s best bet might be trying it as a one-off on its own network. Here's why:
  
  
• Fox will use a new programming tactic this season -- scheduling its best Saturday college football game for noon ET. With the network wanting its premier matchups in that window, do you think the Pac-12 would have, say, UCLA play USC in that window? Do you think fans would pack L.A. Coliseum at 9:00am local time? How do you think local TV ratings will fare for that early morning window? My college sources say there’s a better chance a 9:00am PT kickoff could actually amplify the conference’s weaknesses. And why would Fox devote one of its Big Noon Saturday time slots to, as Scott said, “see what markets respond positively?”
  
  
• Media stories today were a lot more optimistic than my sources. One question that stood out: Would a Pac-12 football game at 9:00am PT be any worse than some of the night games the conference has played in the past? That was being asked throughout the conference’s footprint today after Scott said he’s had preliminary talks with Fox Sports. The commish relayed to reporters that he’s told Fox that he wants to see one or two Pac-12 games in Fox’s new key time slot at noon ET.
  
  
• This 9:00am idea was sure to raise the eyebrows of some radio hosts out West. Rick Tittle, talking on San Francisco-based KGMZ, said: “It’s all about TV money. We know the Pac-12 Networks doesn’t make a lot of cash.” Co-host Ryan Covay added: “This seems like a real drastic change.” Fox Sports Radio’s Ben Maller was less diplomatic about the idea: “This is going to be a debacle. … This was tossed out as a weather balloon, … but if Scott is really considering this, he is disillusioned. This is a fire-able offense. University presidents … ought to band together and hand this stool pigeon a pink slip.”

SPEED READS 

• ACC Network is living by the axiom "play to your strengths" ahead of its Aug. 22 launch. In the ACC, that's basketball. After announcing at media days that a new Duke basketball documentary will be its first piece of programming, the network today rolled out a teaser trailer for "All Access: A Season With Carolina Basketball." The series focused on Roy Williams and his team will debut in October. Duke and UNC basketball will be big assets for ACC Network. Could one of those games end up on the conference network? There's precedent for ESPN. Back in 1994, just months after ESPN2 launched, the then-fledgling network got a nice gift -- No. 1 Duke vs. No. 2 UNC. That matchup remains the top ratings draw every college hoops season and could become an effective bargaining chip in distribution talks.
  
  
• There are some big-name programs opening up in-stadium alcohol sales this fall, like Oklahoma. The generally conservative SEC also finally relaxed its conference policy, and Texas A&M was the first to step through that door. Today, it was LSU announcing plans for general sales at Tiger Stadium. Athletic departments are always looking to create new revenue streams, and alcohol sales have become a proven method of getting that done.
  
  
• Count radio host Steve Cofield among the fans of the Pac-12 Football Championship moving to Las Vegas. On his eponymous show on ESPN Radio in Sin City, Cofield called the move “massive from a perception standpoint” for the conference. Cofield also didn't hold back in assessing what a Pac-12 title game would have looked like at the new Rams/Chargers venue in Inglewood, saying any decent attendance would have been dependent on USC and UCLA playing. Cofield: “Other matchups? There could be 15,000 on a Friday night. It could have been a disaster.” 
  
  
• Hockey at Minnesota is a big deal. It's one of three revenue generating sports and a big point of pride for the Gophers. The five-time national champs last led the nation at the gate in 2013-14, and attendance at 3M Arena at Mariucci has declined each of the last five seasons (although still third in the nation for the 2018-19 season). Minnesota AD Mark Coyle in an interview with the Grand Forks Herald addressed the program's recent attendance issues: "Everything is on the table. ... We reduced ticket prices to $500 for some season tickets, which is the lowest it has ever been inside 3M Arena at Mariucci. We looked at our scholarship seating areas and how we could make some adjustments there based on feedback we got from fans. We went to our Board of Regents and we’re thankful for their support and the support of our president where we can now have beer and wine sales inside that venue. ... It's not (the fans') fault they're not coming to games, it's on us. We have to figure out how to get them back and that's something it seems like we have conversations about daily."

Minnesota's Mark Coyle says "everything is on the table" in an effort to stem declining hockey attendance

THROWBACK THURSDAY

• On this week last year, Alabama locked up Nick Saban through the 2025 season, meaning college football's highest-paid coach will likely finish his career with the Crimson Tide (Saban will be 73 when the deal ends). The extension also quieted any rumors of Saban taking another shot at NFL sideline glory. The Tuscaloosa News' Cecil Hurt wrote at the time that Saban “doesn't show any signs of slowing down," and as long as he is "given the resources to win, there is little need to look elsewhere."

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Something on the College beat catch your eye? Tell us about it. Reach out to either me (msmith@sportsbusinessjournal.com) or Austin Karp (akarp@sportsbusinessdaily.com) and we'll share the best of it. Also contributing to this newsletter is Thomas Leary (tleary@sportsbusinessdaily.com).