BTN - Third Tier Rights - Etc....

[NittPicker]

Realignment talk and a new media deal in a couple years has gotten me wondering. I'm certainly not close to being a media expert so some things have been bouncing around in my head.

1) How much will a conference network be worth in a couple years? Who needs the SECN when ESPN will be acting as their de facto network? Aside from football Saturdays and a few other Penn State events, I never watch BTN. Replays of old games can be interesting for only so long.

2) Will a first tier media deal give more freedom to the conference and member schools to shop other tiers elsewhere? Would the conference allow it? For example, what if a Penn State channel was created for streaming devices? I'd be willing to pay a few bucks a month to watch Penn State events. It wouldn't be a Penn State channel per se but rather an outlet for content which isn't otherwise being shown. PSU tried a satellite service a few decades ago when we were still independent but it wasn't accessible to most people due to equipment costs. Now with an internet connection and a Roku or similar device, you'd be good to go.

I have other off beat thoughts about the situation which are too far in the weeds to mention. I'm just curious about how a fast changing media landscape will look three or four years from now.

 

[BobPSU92]

Realignment talk and a new media deal in a couple years

A huge concern just surfaced in my small mind. Sandy may no longer be leadering PSU athletics by then. Who will make sure we get the best deal possible? 😢

 

[Roar More]

In a single set-up, some ort of arrangement would have to be worked out for away games. This where a conference network is easier to navigate.

 

[fairfaxlion2]

1) How much will a conference network be worth in a couple years? Who needs the SECN when ESPN will be acting as their de facto network?

A better question is what will ESPN be worth, or will it even exist. They aren't running a business model that is viable. Cable subscribers are going away, and ESPN+ streaming isn't even coming close to picking up the slack. They have about 10-15 million subscribers to the ESPN+ service. Compare it with other streaming services: Peacock has about 50 million, Disney+ has over 100 million, Netflix has over 200 million. Combine that with ESPN's love of overpaying for content by 2-3x and they are going to end up needing well over 100 million streaming subscribers. or they will be forced to ask ESPN+ subscribers to pay a ridiculous amount of money per month and will price themselves out of business. It's pretty likely that Disney+ is cross-subsidizing ESPN+ at this point. Not sure how long the parent company will put up with that

NBC and Fox are just sitting and waiting to grab the content at bargain prices when ESPN implodes

 

[Art]

Realignment talk and a new media deal in a couple years has gotten me wondering. I'm certainly not close to being a media expert so some things have been bouncing around in my head.

1) How much will a conference network be worth in a couple years? Who needs the SECN when ESPN will be acting as their de facto network? Aside from football Saturdays and a few other Penn State events, I never watch BTN. Replays of old games can be interesting for only so long.

2) Will a first tier media deal give more freedom to the conference and member schools to shop other tiers elsewhere? Would the conference allow it? For example, what if a Penn State channel was created for streaming devices? I'd be willing to pay a few bucks a month to watch Penn State events. It wouldn't be a Penn State channel per se but rather an outlet for content which isn't otherwise being shown. PSU tried a satellite service a few decades ago when we were still independent but it wasn't accessible to most people due to equipment costs. Now with an internet connection and a Roku or similar device, you'd be good to go.

I have other off beat thoughts about the situation which are too far in the weeds to mention. I'm just curious about how a fast changing media landscape will look three or four years from now.

SECN is a means for ESPN to differentiate the price it pays to the conference for top tier games and the garbage.
They also make it easier for the content provider to negotiate channel placement with cable operators.