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Apple Emerging as Media Partner for Pac-12 - Primarily Streaming

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On 8/2/2023 at 8:37 AM, Tandaian said:

Not likely Annie.  NFL Prime video games aren't any shorter than network TV games for the NFL.

Thanks, and drat! 😄

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On 8/2/2023 at 9:01 AM, Wrathis said:

I don't think the argument being made is that we're better off now, I think it's that maybe the sky isn't falling and we aren't doomed or dead on arrival.

Precisely.

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Mr. FishDuck

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The Athletic's, Stewart Mandel, was one of the few national media pundits to attend Pac-12 Media Day. Going back to his Northwestern undergraduate days he has a soft spot for the Pacific Conference and what the Rose Bowl once meant to the B1G and the Pac.

 

His Mailbag today was full of Pac questions, many not surprisingly dealing with the Pac including a critique of Dan Lanning's new contract which Stewart dismissed while noting that the question came from a reader in Seattle. The Athletic site has an inviolate, at least for someone with my rudimentary tech levels, paywall. So forgive the length of this post but I think Stewart's response as to whether a merger of the ACC/Pac and creating a Coast-to-Coast conference would make sense in today's conference realignment game of musical shares.

 

"As streaming services go. Apple+ seems to have a pretty high hit rate. 'Ted Lasso,' 'Severance,' The Morning Show,' and 'Shrinking' (oh, the irony!), all rank among my favorite shows of the past three years. If that's where the Pac-12 lands, it will be in pretty good company. But as of this writing (8/2/23), there was still a decent chance that the (pac-12) logo lands at the bottom of the Pacific."

 

As to the idea of a Coast-to-Coast conference. "Yep, you may be on to something.

 

Although a conference that expands from the Pacific Northwest to South Florida makes no sense geographically, it may be the best option either side has going for it. Note that ACC commissioner Jim Phillips (once a member of the ill-fated Alliance) said at conference media days they've spent considerable time on expansion to see if there is anything that fits. Also, note that there are no value-added expansion candidates in the eastern half of the country. A Memphis or USF would not move the needle.

 

You know who would? Oregon and Washington.

 

These two have to be exploring all possible avenues right now. Like Florida State, Clemson, and Miami, both programs aspire to win national championships but don't have an obvious path to make the money SEC and B1G contenders do. The Big Ten seems less interested in future westward expansion than it did last fall, and joining the B12 would just be further resigning Oregon and Washington to a distant third.

 

Although ESPN is under no obligation to make the ACC richer if it adds more members, the West Coast schools could help boost one particular revenue stream: The ACC Network. Upgrading from nominal out-of-market subscriber fees to considerable in-market fees like the Bay Area (No. 10 in Nielson market size), Seattle (No. 12), and Portland (No. 22) could generate significantly more revenue. Not enough to match the Big Ten/SEC, but enough to close the gap in a meaningful way. 

 

I don't think a full merger of 23 (as of this writing) teams is realistic., but logistically the ACC couldn't just add two West Coast teams. I'm guessing the presidents of Duke, Virginia and North Carolina would love the idea of hobnobbing with Cal and Stanford. Maybe Arizona and ASU would be interested, too, if for no other reason than all that ESPN exposure. 

 

The logistics would be ridiculous, but we're long past the point of geographic sensibilities in realignment. It's all about moola, and right now everyone is just trying to find any possible path to making more of it."

 

Far from a definitive answer but before the $ and logistics are sorted out how there can be a definitive answer? 

 

 

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One thing life has taught me (yeah I'm old) is that wanting something in itself, no matter badly, just doesn't make it so.  I want the Pac? to survive, but even if it does it won't ever be the same again.  This year will be the conference's swan song and ironically this is the best the conference has looked in a decade.  I'll just enjoy it one last time and hope USC and Colorado get the send-off they deserve in Autzen.

 

Granted we don't know the final details of what the new media offer will be, but all indications are that our ceiling (not floor!) is what the B12 already has.  Polish this turd all you want, it appears that we will finish this round of media deals in solid last place.  Can GK pull a rabbit out of the hat?  Will a last-minute savior swoop in with a new offer?  We can wish all we want, but at some point reality has to set in.

 

Arizona/ASU/Utah would be fools not to bail to the B12.  Geography and culture works better for them and from a B12 perspective they'd be at 16 teams approaching super conference status.  This is a win/win for all parties involved and seems inevitable to me.

 

So where does that leave OBD?  We could probably limp through until the next media round with a Pac/MWC hybrid conference but we'd no longer be in a power conference, not even second-tier like the B12 or ACC.  Our brand is strong, the conference not-so-much and really we need both to compete for playoff spots.

 

Beg, borrow, steal, do whatever it takes to get into the B1G or risk dwindling into irrelevance.  I don't like it but I just don't see how we get what we've been striving for all these years by staying in the Pac.

 

 

 

 

Edited by noDucknewby
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Apple is the largest publicly traded company in the world. Apple TV is just a tiny part of that but do you think the Apple TV executives intend to stay small? Not a chance. Apple TV in 4-5 years will be a monster IMHO and our DUCKS will have great exposure. I have Apple TV now and the content and 4K streaming quality are excellent. I say bring it on!

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On 8/2/2023 at 10:44 AM, Santa Rosa Duck said:

Apple is the largest publicly traded company in the world. Apple TV is just a tiny part of that but do you think the Apple TV executives intend to stay small? Not a chance. Apple TV in 4-5 years will be a monster IMHO and our DUCKS will have great exposure. I have Apple TV now and the content and 4K streaming quality are excellent. I say bring it on!

You may be right, but do we really want to wait 4-5 years for that to happen and risk irrelevancy in the meantime?

 

The power brokers for the CFP are ESPN/Fox and the B1G/SEC.  How is Apple going to help us there?  Are we going to see Duck highlights from Apple TV on Sports Center?

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On 8/2/2023 at 1:42 PM, cartm25 said:

Is this not "cable" with a new coat of paint? This is what YouTube TV does . . . "cable" but streamed.

 

Some company is going to have to make this happen, and it won't be for free. Cable swapped out for a new "middle-man"?

 

Unless it "exceeds", this is still a transfer of viewership methods, not an expansion of new viewers.

 

I'm not sure anyone is arguing that streaming isn't coming, but that the "advantage" isn't clear; I would argue nearly non-existent.

Cart, I demur. The advantage isn't clear? It's certainly clear to the folks at Disney. And the #1 company rumored to be in the mix to buy all of or a significant portion of ESPN stock is Apple. 

 

Disney has made it absolutely clear that it wants to jettison ESPN and that if it continues to own ESPN, ESPN sports broadcasts are moving to streaming sooner rather than later. There is no way IMO that the SEC deal with ESPN that commences in 2024 and runs for 10 years will not have a significant number of events streamed. 

 

Peacock is streaming 8 B1G games this season. I expect this number will along with Fox and CBS joining the streaming parade, jump to at least 50% of the broadcasts of B1G inventory before the B1G deal ends 7 years from 2024.

 

I hope that Oregon will not be silly enough to enter into any long-term deal, at least not without an early out with the payment of a marginal exit fee if that. Even a 5-year new deal for the Pac will expire before the ACC, B12, B1G, and SEC deals. So long as Oregon is not locked into a long-term deal what's the downside for Oregon? Going to the B12 for an extra $11M a year even if only the new deal floor of $20M is achieved, is not a viable, long-term option. And I continue to hold out hope that the new Pac deal with have a linear agreement to bridge the gap before streaming becomes the rule and not the exception.

 

I believe that with the changes coming in technology and the delivery of technology, the proposed deal with Apple, as we understand it, will give the Pac-Whatever, the opportunity to close the gap on the ACC, sans its network deal and the B12. Only BYU among the 5 schools added to the B12 to date draws close to 1M viewers on average for football games. TCU is just behind Oregon drawing slightly over 2M viewers on average for football How do you think the TCU powers-that-be feel about giving the newbies an equal share of the proceeds? Adding the schools it has added to date does not assure the B12's survival, far from it.

 

I am 76 years old and I have seen this movie before. New tech being dissed by people vested in the old way of doing things. 

 

You could be absolutely correct in your concern but I believe streaming will eliminate or come close to eliminating, linear broadcasts by 2023.  

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A reasonable B1G invite? Yes, that is what I would like to see happen. And if it is 4 schools and not just Oregon and UW in the mix, this would do much to abate travel; especially, for non-revenue sports.

 

The B12? IMO a non-starter. BTW, when the SEC goes to 20 teams, TCU and OK State are viable candidates for expansion. The B12 deal at $31.7M a year is not, IMO, a long-term viable deal.

 

If you have the faith that I have in the Oregon brand, why the concern about being able to market the brand to a far greater audience without being restricted by limited cable broadcast agreements? 

 

We see the same facts but simply happen to be 180 degrees apart on what the impact of the facts will be. And these are simply the 'facts' known to date in a game of musical chairs that is far from over. 

 

As to what would be acceptable in a revenue share from the B1G? I defer to the people instrumental in the operation of the Athletic Department but in my FWIW opinion, $40M a year with 6 teams on the west coast would warrant a move to a conference that will be one of two standing at the end of the day.

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On 8/2/2023 at 12:31 PM, Jon Joseph said:

As to what would be acceptable in a revenue share from the B1G? I defer to the people instrumental in the operation of the Athletic Department but in my FWIW opinion, $40M a year with 6 teams on the west coast would warrant a move to a conference that will be one of two standing at the end of the day.

Spot on Jon, although IMHO if we could get B1G $ (with escalation to full share) comparable to B12 $ then that's still a huge win for us.

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On 8/2/2023 at 12:31 PM, Jon Joseph said:

when the SEC goes to 20 teams, TCU and OK State are viable candidates for expansion.

Yes, If or when the SEC decides to go to 20 teams, the BIG12 will be raided again.

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I have a friend who already has various streaming packages and cable and has decided that, rather than pay yet one more bill, will listen to Duck games on the radio if they will available only on Apple TV. 😄

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On 8/2/2023 at 3:46 PM, Annie said:

I have a friend who already has various streaming packages and cable and has decided that, rather than pay yet one more bill, will listen to Duck games on the radio if they will available only on Apple TV. 😄

If Our Beloved Ducks rank below the other streaming packages--then that is quite a choice.  This person is not a big fan IMHO, when it is only ten bucks a month for four months of the year?

 

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Mr. FishDuck

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On 8/2/2023 at 4:05 PM, Charles Fischer said:

If Our Beloved Ducks rank below the other streaming packages--then that is quite a choice.  This person is not a big fan IMHO, when it is only ten bucks a month for four months of the year?

 

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She's a big fan, but is currently at a point where she has to count her pennies (long story).

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Sorry, but I don't have sympathy over 40 bucks...not when I put out the crazy amounts I have over the years as a fan and for the benefit of other fans.  When I hear others complain about small costs....I shake my head.

 

They'll miss the Ducks, but make sure they watch, "The Bachelor" and have that station.  Those are the choices people make, thus again--no sympathy here.  If that is their choice--so be it.

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Mr. FishDuck

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They'll also carry basketball supposedly... 

 

And the calculus there is that people will continue to just hold onto it for the basketball. 

 

Also... A ton of people forget to cancel subscriptions. So there is always that population that get it and forget it and pay for the whole year even if they are only barely using it. 

 

They are also trying to use it as a hook for other apple tv stuff. You might like something else apple tv has and keep the sun for a few more months just because you want to keep watching. 

 

But many will be only for 4 months out of a year. 

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Sure, we can debate all this as to "who" is right, but a week from

now--with all that is unforeseen and may happen--we may realize that....

 

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Mr. FishDuck

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This,Forum simply rocks... The passion, diversity of thoughts and range of vision make this such a great place.

 

And its a safe, protected space...

 

The topics of a media deal and expansion has my head spinning and on the verge of a meltdown.

 

Its great to be alive and part of all this speed of light movement evolving around the media deal.

 

GK has said from the beginning, the very beginning that the next PAC media deal would have a substantial streaming presence. We all shared our thoughts on who that would be.

 

Apple put enough out on the table for GK to lay out the vision. Good for them...... They are a forward thinking company and a good partner for the PAC moving into the future.

 

GK also said that he wanted a linear presense. As of today that linear network has not come front and center.

 

Many, myself included, thought ESPN would take PAC After Dark games. So far thats a big no....

 

As is human nature we have Forum members going back and forth about adding or not adding another subscription. Well keep this in mind, you cable subscribers will have to add a subscription if you want all of ESPN's content within a few years. Cord cutters, too.

 

If the PAC takes the offer from Apple we have a choice to subscribe or not.  But the PAC will taken the plunge as a P5 Conference.

 

So here we are, a few days removed and nobody has left the conference, yet....

 

We heard from GK and the CEO Committee that the longer this drags on that the better the options have become for the PAC.

 

i wonder what those options are and are they still on the table as options.

 

The PAC has 3 options, IMHO!

 

Hope to get low ball offer from the BIG but know large money is on the horizon with eventual full shares. They will have to go over/thru tOSU, Michigan, Penn State and USC for one of 3 invites to the CFP....

 

A BIG Western Division could provide less travel. Maybe 2 or 3 games back east each season. Maybe $35-$40 million

 

Or they get an even lower option invite from the little league Big 12 conference for even less money. 

Maybe $31.7 million.Be the Power Brand and make CFP 3 out of 4 years.

 

I they get no invite but go with Apple, keep the PAC's core and roll the dice. Position yourself for the next round of expansion, keep your greatest rivals and make annual CFP appearances. And know that linear broadcasts will be reserved for the big games. And streaming may dominate.

 

I suppose it will be the course that meets Oregons goals.

 

On an average day, I interact with about 75 to hundred people. Most under 30 years old. They are the future.

 

Guess what phone they have? I can tell you its not an Android. If apple chooses to advertise the Pac big time, remember milluons of teenagers are on their I-Phones every minute of everyday.

 

The future snook up fast. Imagine where we be in 5 years.......

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On 8/2/2023 at 8:13 PM, HappyToBeADuck said:

A BIG Western Division could provide less travel. Maybe 2 or 3 games back east each season. Maybe $35-$40 million

I wrote an article about a month ago that I wasn't so sure that the B1G was a good option for Oregon.

 

FISHDUCK.COM

There are a lot of people talking about how getting into the B1G is a must for the Ducks to not be left behind. When the news first...

 

Getting to 5+ regular season games on the west coast does change how that math works. As it stands something that low probably doesn't pencil if there are only 1-2 games on the west coast (away games that is). But making it over half the season then the travel and travel costs really become manageable.

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