SEC To Announce ESPN Television Deal This Week

[Madison Hawk]

according to today's Sports Business Journal Article (subscription required).

ESPN pays $2.25B for SEC rights

Highlights from the article include:

• As expected, there will be no SEC Network.
• Raycom will no longer syndicate SEC games.
• ESPN will receive all rights not sold to CBS.
• ESPNU and ESPN+ syndication will receive major rights.
• ESPNU expected to announce a carriage deal with Comcast "in the coming weeks" which would place ESPNU's distribution at approximately 40 million (comparable to the Big Ten Network).
• ESPN will televise the SEC basketball championship.
• Deal is for a 15 year term with a payout at approximately $2.25 billion.
• Total television payout (CBS and ESPN) per school expected to be slightly less than the Big Ten's television deals.

Looking forward to seeing the details if it is announced this week.

 

[mattsarz]

Boom goes the dynamite (or the cash landing at SEC HQ).

 

[mattsarz]

When this agreement is announced, I wonder if this also means the end of the agreement that FSN South/Sun Sports/FSN Southwest have with the conference for baseball, basketball, etc. under the SEC-TV banner.

It will be interesting to see how far & wide the SEC goes with the ESPN+ stuff. Particularly in the Saturday early time slot, where the Big East has done well with several RSNs in getting their GOTW televised.

 

[yoji]

How will this affect my local tv station which has been advertising the (Raycom) SEC games in HD? Will they now be showing the ESPN Plus games (which aren't in HD, are they)?

 

[SideshowBob]

While the SEC Network has seemed dead for a bit now, I'm surprised they didn't pursue it. I guess ESPN just pushed a ton of money in their direction to make sure they got some content for ESPN Plus/Gameplan (which has been weaker since the Big Ten teams departed for the BTN). Interesting about ESPNU (both with the SEC allowing to be put there and the potential deal with Comcast).

I'm a little surprised that CBS didn't manage to get some games on CBS College Sports as part of thier network deal with the SEC (a la Disney's deal with the PAC-10 which included some games on ESPN in addition to the ABC games).

 

[nuts4scuba]

How will this affect my local tv station which has been advertising the (Raycom) SEC games in HD? Will they now be showing the ESPN Plus games (which aren't in HD, are they)?

I believe this is starting 2009 season. Raycom still has SEC this year.

 

[david1314]

As a SEC fan and living in the market I just hope ESPN holds all remaining Non CBS games and puts them on their various platforms/Channels.

No Raycom ,No deal with Local channels in any market. No University sponsered PPV's. Nothing.

Premier Game-CBS

Rest-ESPN,ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN360,

 

[mattsarz]

As a SEC fan and living in the market I just hope ESPN holds all remaining Non CBS games and puts them on their various platforms/Channels.

No Raycom ,No deal with Local channels in any market. No University sponsered PPV's. Nothing.

Premier Game-CBS

Rest-ESPN,ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN360,

By the article saying there will be ESPN+ games, there will be games on local TV just like the Raycom deal.

 

[The Frog]

When this agreement is announced, I wonder if this also means the end of the agreement that FSN South/Sun Sports/FSN Southwest have with the conference for baseball, basketball, etc. under the SEC-TV banner.

Some schools have tv deals separate from the conference. Tennessee with SportSouth and Florida with FSN Florida that I know of. So FSN isn't completely left out in the cold.

 

[The Frog]

By the article saying there will be ESPN+ games, there will be games on local TV just like the Raycom deal.

Basically ESPN is replacing Raycom in regards to syndicating games?

I was thinking that games fomerly on Raycom would go to ESPNU, which I don't have access to unless I pay rent for a digital cable box. I think that's a rip-off.

 

[Madison Hawk]

Here is the official press release:

www.secsports.com - ESPN, SEC Reach Unprecedented 15-Year Agreement

Coverage highlights include:

• Minimum of 20 football games on ESPN or ESPN2 (up from approximately 19), including two Thursday games.
• Minimum of 13 football games on ESPNU (generally on Saturday primetime).
• Minimum of 13 football games on ESPN+ regional syndication (replacing Raycom).
• Basketball conference tournament finals and semi-finals televised on ABC.
• Minimum of 24 conference basketball games and 6 non-conference games on ESPN or ESPN2.
• Minimum of 7 conference basketball games and 5 non-conference games on ESPNU.
• Significant increase in Women's basketball and olympic sports on ESPN platform.

Upon first glance, the positives for the SEC in the new deal are that it the money is very healthy and the new deal provides greater exposure, especially in basketball and olympic sports. In football, every conference football game will be televised, although it is not clear how many non-conference games will remain untelevised.

15 games on CBS
20 games on ESPN or ESPN2
13 games on ESPNU
13 games on ESPN+ syndication
???? games on local packages



I am somewhat surprised that the SEC did not opt for their own network. One of the primary reasons the SEC cited for not starting their own network was they wanted games broadly distributed. However, the primary new distribution channel, ESPNU, is in approximately half of the homes that the Big Ten Network is, has yet to strike an HD deal with either DirecTV or Dish Network. Given that the SEC, Big 12 and Big East have all announced television deals after the Big Ten announced the creation of the Big Ten Network, perhaps the Big Ten will remain the only BCS conference with their own network.

 

[mattsarz]

The SEC also allowed for the individual institutions to retain local multimedia rights, so it sounds like those schools will still have their football replays, some non-conference basketball, etc. Hopefully those games will now be blackout free.

 

[Derwin0]

ESPNU, is in approximately half of the homes that the Big Ten Network is, has yet to strike an HD deal with either DirecTV or Dish Network.

ESPNU is on channel 148 on Dish Network.

 

[Madison Hawk]

ESPNU is on channel 148 on Dish Network.

I was referring to the HD version. According to ESPN's press release:

"ESPNU HD has carriage agreements in place with Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS TV, RCN, Atlantic Broadband and Broadstripe customers. ESPN is currently working on distribution deals with additional cable, satellite and telecommunications operators."

ESPN Launches ESPNU HD Thursday, August 28

As a DirecTV customer, I hope a carriage agreement is reached soon.

 

[SamCdbs]

Tremendous deal for the premiere conference in college sports.

 

[ehren]

Enjoy your SEC overflow games on ESPN 360 that nobody can frickin get, LOL

Thank goodness for BTN and no more Wisconsin games on ESPN 360.

 

[SideshowBob]

Enjoy your SEC overflow games on ESPN 360 that nobody can frickin get, LOL

Thank goodness for BTN and no more Wisconsin games on ESPN 360.

There will, indeed, probably be some SEC home games that end up on ESPN360 only (though not a lot). Furthermore, it should be noted that this this doesn't mean that every SEC game will be broadcasted -- ESPN owns all the rights, but they'll probably leave some undesirable matchups not on TV. That is probably the nicest thing about the BTN in my mind -- every Big Ten home game is now on TV, without exception.

Still, third tier games on ESPNU/ESPN Plus/ESPN360 isn't so bad, not with the games they'll have on CBS and ESPN/ESPN2.

 

[The Frog]

There will, indeed, probably be some SEC home games that end up on ESPN360 only (though not a lot). Furthermore, it should be noted that this this doesn't mean that every SEC game will be broadcasted -- ESPN owns all the rights, but they'll probably leave some undesirable matchups not on TV. That is probably the nicest thing about the BTN in my mind -- every Big Ten home game is now on TV, without exception.

Still, third tier games on ESPNU/ESPN Plus/ESPN360 isn't so bad, not with the games they'll have on CBS and ESPN/ESPN2.

That depends on what you call "third tier". Raycom is going to broadcast Alabama-Birmingham vs. Tennessee. Since I'm a Tennessee fan and want to watch it, I don't consider it "third tier". If that game were on ESPNU next season it would be bad because I don't have access to that channel like I have for CBS, ESPN and ESPN2.