The ACC’s re-upped television deal with ESPN currently projects to average more money per school per year than the SEC’s deal with ESPN and CBS. The ACC makes more money than the SEC! That’s not counting the fact that the SEC’s about to alter its own deals and is apparently building a SEC Network, the Sports Business Journal reports:
SEC Network Coming, Expansion Money Could Be Less Than Hoped For
SN sister pub Sports Business Journal: #SEC near SEC Network deal, begin early as 2014. Also #CBS balking at major $ increase with Mizz/TAMU
— Matt Hayes(@Matt_HayesSN) May 21, 2012
That’s big news. We’ll have to wait and see what that looks like.
As for the latter part, CBS, which gets the SEC’s best games (its Tier 1 games), may feel it has little reason to pay very much more for the additions of Texas A&M and Missouri since SEC games already do well enough in those markets, or what have you. CBS is already carried nationwide, so there’s no way to expand its footprint, only its ratings in places where it already is.
Think about it -- how many games per year will Mizzou play that will be better than everything else the SEC has to offer that week? One or two, tops?
Still, this doesn’t mean ESPN won’t pay more, and it doesn’t mean a SEC Network won’t do very well. But it is very important to note the whole point of realignment -- getting more TV money -- isn’t quite as automatic as other conferences made it look to those of us on the outside.
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