November 11, 2008

ESPN to grab BCS broadcast rights?

Matt Hinton aka SMQ has the deets on the Worldwide Leader's attempts to wrestle the BCS away from Fox.

The BCS is considering a proposal from ESPN that would see all BCS bowl games, including the championship game, wind up on ESPN, sources familiar with the negotiations are saying.

...

Sources say Fox still has another five days to accept the BCS' proposal, which is seeking about a 50% annual increase over the current deal's $82.5 million annual fee. The BCS is looking for a four-year, $500 million deal, which would put the average annual payout at around $125 million.

Fox has proposed a 25% increase, which would average a little more than $102 million per year. Though Fox still has several days to match, insiders say it is not likely to increase its bid by enough.

Since the question is bound to come up - no... the BCS is not going to move to a playoff model until (at least) the expiration of the current conference agreements, which means 2015 or later. That's non-negotiable, regardless of who broadcasts the BCS.

For all the flack that the boys from Bristol get (a good deal of which is warranted, mind you), I've never really questioned ESPN's ability to do a great job on the broadcasts. On the other hand, the Fox production of the BCS games feel a little more unnatural - as if they don't quite have the feel for the college game the way they do in their NFL broadcasts.

Four years at $125 million a year? Yikes! That's a lot of Allstate commercials. BERGWOOD!

Comments:

ESPN to grab BCS broadcast rights?
Matt Hinton aka SMQ has the deets on the Worldwide Leader's attempts to wrestle the BCS away from Fox.
The BCS is considering a proposal from ESPN that would see all BCS bowl games, including the championship game, wind up on ESPN, sources familiar with the negotiations are saying. ... Sources say Fox still has another five days to accept the BCS' proposal, which is seeking about a 50% annual increase over the current deal's $82.5 million annual fee. The BCS is looking for a four-year, $500 million deal, which would put the average annual payout at around $125 million. Fox has proposed a 25% increase, which would average a little more than $102 million per year. Though Fox still has several days to match, insiders say it is not likely to increase its bid by enough.
Since the question is bound to come up - no... the BCS is not going to move to a playoff model until (at least) the expiration of the current conference agreements, which means 2015 or later. That's non-negotiable, regardless of who broadcasts the BCS. For all the flack that the boys from Bristol get (a good deal of which is warranted, mind you), I've never really questioned ESPN's ability to do a great job on the broadcasts. On the other hand, the Fox production of the BCS games feel a little more unnatural - as if they don't quite have the feel for the college game the way they do in their NFL broadcasts. Four years at $125 million a year? Yikes! That's a lot of Allstate commercials. BERGWOOD!