PAC-12 Nearing New Media Deal, Might Make Fatal Mistake
The PAC-12 reportedly will land a new media deal at some point in the "near future."
The West Coast conference has been attempting to land a new media deal for nearly a year, and it seems like fans have been on a constant loop of "there will be a new media deal within a few weeks."
It's very similar to "two weeks to flatten the curve." So much talk. Such little results. However, it appears a resolution might actually be happening with August right around the corner.
The PAC-12's new media deal will likely be a mix of streaming and traditional broadcast, and is expected to be in the same ballpark as the ACC and Big 12, according to ESPN. A source told ESPN the deal will be public in the "near future" and that the "patience" shown by the remaining members "is about to pay off."
PAC-12 reportedly closing in on a new media deal. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
Is streaming games a terrible idea?
It's not clear right now what traditional broadcast networks might be airing PAC-12 games under the new game, but the streaming partner is almost certainly Apple or Amazon.
While Apple and Amazon both have deep pockets and can pay anything, taking a bigger check to be on streaming over a smaller one to remain on traditional TV might prove to be a fatal mistake.
Your casual college football fan can hop on ESPN late at night and catch some PAC-12 action. There's no extra fees or anything outside of what a person might pay for cable.
Will people really pay a fee to Amazon or Apple to watch Oregon State and Washington State play? I'm very skeptical.
PAC-12 reportedly nearing a new media deal. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Putting a lot of games on streaming seems like a great way to lose relevance. Yes, the PAC-12 might be paid roughly what Big 12 teams get - $31.7 million annually - but what is being relegated to streaming worth it?
This seems like an experiment that could have a really bad outcome.
Will the PAC-12's new media deal save the conference? (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
It will be interesting to see the final details, but moving a bunch of games to streaming just seems like an unbelievably bad idea for a P5 team.