Report: Pac-12 CEOs Met About TV Deal, Second Meeting Coming ‘Soon’
Aug 1, 2023, 12:17 PM | Updated: 1:42 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – After a large buildup of Tuesday being do or die for the Pac-12, it appears they have given the most anticlimactic answer they could muster. No media rights have been agreed upon but expect another meeting soon.
First reported by Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger in a Tweet, Pac-12 presidents and athletic directors met for about an hour this morning. No agreement on a media deal has been reached, but apparently there is confidence in a deal eventually concluding.
Dellenger finished the statement by adding another meeting is planned for “soon”, but no further details appear to be known on the matter yet.
Pac-12 presidents & ADs, as expected, met this morning & were presented with details of a TV deal, sources confirmed to @YahooSports. Executives left the hour-long meeting with no agreement but with the expectation of eventually concluding a deal.
Another meeting is planned soon
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) August 1, 2023
Apple TV Rumors
ESPN’s Pete Thamel recently Tweeted a few details of the media deal presented to the Pac-12 CEO Group, but no solid numbers were given. Based on Thamel’s Tweet and some other industry experts, it appears the deal presented to the Pac-12 largely relies on Apple TV with incentivized tiers. No word on any linear components yet and how involved they could be if part of the deal.
No decisions on the deal or any schools pondering other options are expected immediately. Campus leaders are digesting the possibilities of a stream-centric future and the variance in potential income. The money piece is tricky because of the variables of subscriptions.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 1, 2023
Thamel also brought up the Arizona Board of Regents meeting this afternoon, though he did indicate feeling like they were not likely to vote on a decision one way or the other.
Action Network’s Brett McMurphy gave his two cents on the Apple TV news a little later citing a strictly streaming TV deal for the Pac-12 could be “very challenging” for their schools to budget annual revenue.
Biggest blowback on Pac-12’s possible primary Apple media rights deal w/incentive bonuses is it’s “very challenging” for schools to accurately budget annual revenue, sources told @ActionNetworkHQ. Another Pac-12 meeting scheduled to discuss further
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) August 1, 2023
Some Interesting Chatter During The Pac-12 Meeting
Naturally, as we sat and waited, I hit the phones to see what, if anything I could come up with. A few interesting pieces of information came to light. Obviously, there is still more out there as this story continues to develop that I and the media as a whole don’t know, than we do know.
- I was informed that very important members in the Utah hierarchy met yesterday to go over things. As to what those things are and where the mindset was at during that meeting, I’m still waiting to hear back on.
- I’ve been informed from a few different contacts that right now the Utes are still heavily aligned with the remaining Pac members and that is where they want to stay ideally. Sounds like they are fighting hard for the conference.
Based off of Dellenger’s reporting, another Twitter report from John Canzano, and a text I just received from another contact, those items seem to lineup with how the meeting went this morning.
Pac-12 board meeting was "positive", per a source. The quote I got included the phrase "excited and aligned."
Why hold another meeting?
Some members of the Pac-12 CEO Group need to get final approval.
More soon.
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) August 1, 2023
Again, obviously this story is still developing and there is a lot more for the remaining nine conference members to discuss moving forward, but it would appear for the here and now the Pac-12 lives to fight another day.
We will update this story and more information becomes available.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports
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