Pac-12 Media Deal Could Be Announced Tuesday; Agreement Likely Be Streaming-Heavy with Apple as Likeliest Partner
If the Pac-12 conference thought it would be a heavily-prized free agent when seeking broadcast partners, it seems to have been thoroughly disabused of that notion. Its new media rights deal could be announced as early as Tuesday, Aug. 1, and details are leaking out that indicate that the conference definitely didn’t get the same quality deal that other conferences have received from big-name media outlets.
Jason Scheer, who covers the Pac-12’s Arizona Wildcats reported this week that the Pac-12 deal would pay each member school in the low $20 million range per year. He also said that the deal is heavily streaming-oriented and that Apple is the company most likely to walk away with the conference’s rights. It’s unclear if games would stream on Apple TV+, or if the company would create a new streaming platform like it did with MLS Season Pass to house Pac-12 contests.
Apple would have the ability to license certain games to ESPN to boost revenue, and the deal would include escalators that would send more money to the Pac-12 if it hit specific ratings benchmarks, brought a certain number of subscribers to the platform, etc. It’s certainly not the deal that Pac-12 member schools thought they would get when the conference let its exclusive negotiating window with Fox and ESPN lapse.
Apple was first reported as having interest in the Pac-12’s broadcast rights in February, and in April whispers began to surface that the conference would not find a partner willing to show more than half its games on linear TV. The ad revenue available on broadcast and cable means that conferences and leagues would always prefer to show a majority of games via that traditional mediums, but it appears that simply might not be possible for the Pac-12.
A deal of this caliber might induce another school to leave the Pac-12. The conference is already facing defections from UCLA and USC, which will be leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. The Colorado Buffaloes are also departing for the Big 12, and Arizona has reportedly been waiting for details on the Pac-12’s next media deal before determining whether or not it will stay. Big 12 sources told Sports Illustrated this week that Arizona, Arizona State and Utah remain priorities for the conference to acquire. Arizona’s Board of Regents is set to have a previously unannounced meeting today, but no agenda has been officially given.
Big 12 schools are getting around $31.7 million per year in the new agreement that the conference inked with Fox and ESPN in October. Big Ten schools could see as much as $80-$100 million each from the massive deal it signed with CBS, Fox and NBC last summer.
It could be a very busy week for the Pac-12 if its new media deal is ready to be presented to member schools. The presentation could start a chain reaction that sees another school leave the conference, but it could also give fans details on how they’ll be able to stream their favorite Pac-12 team without a cable or satellite subscription on Apple TV+.
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is a subscription video streaming service for $9.99 a month that includes high-quality original shows and movies including Best Picture winner “CODA,” popular sitcom “Ted Lasso,” and dramas like “The Morning Show” and “Severance.” Apple TV+ is also home to MLB baseball games on Friday nights and MLS Season Pass.