BTN starting to cash in (AND EXPANSION TALK)

[mauricxe]

The BTN just inked a deal in the NYC/NJ markets.

awfulannouncing.com/2014/big-ten-network-hits-the-nyc-jackpot-worth-tens-of-millions-of-dollars.html

this article estimates that the BTN will get at least 48M dollars or 3.4M per B1G school. not bad. this is just the start. they still have to sign deals with " Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and the rest of the I-95 corridor that BTN will look to expand into."

nice job delaney.

also read:
sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/pete_thamel/11/18/big-ten-expansion-tv-money/


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got two questions for you guys.

1) The B1G wants to add 2 more teams. which two would you add? Ground rules are no adding bama/usc/etc. it has to be realistic. ND is on the table as is Texas and OU....although I doubt that would happen. I've been hearing that possible candidates are UVA, UNC, UConn, GT, and Kansas.


2) If you could go back into a time machine when we had an 11 team conference, which 3 teams would you add? How about the 5 teams you would add (thinking 16)? Consider national brands, geography, footprint (monies ofc), domino effects, and you can use whatever time frame you want i.e. immediate adds or close to what we have now.

check out:
thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/19/the-geography-of-college-football-fans-and-realignment-chaos/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1

[mauricxe]

if i could add two more schools...i would pick:

1) either vtech or UVA. vtech has more fans and is more competitive. They arent the academic powerhouse that is UVA but that doesn't bother me too much. I'm more concerned with adding a competitive school, in a great football recruiting bed, and is very popular in their state/surrounding area. i'm leaning more towards vtech.

2) UNC. basketball blue blood + carolina markets + national markets = win. that has to help the BTN profile just a tad.


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adding 5 schools, i would take:

vtech, rutgers, unc, maryland, and gtech.

contiguous additions all the way down the coast, and into the south. we could hold our title game in the georgia dome hahahaha. f**k you SEC. it's a shame we can't pick up gtech now. we don't have any contiguous states.

say what you want about rutgers but they have the largest share of fans in nyc. take a look at that there tv deal. it's no joke. they really bring the market for the conference.

adding schools like vtech, rutgers, and unc would be at the top of the list. the other two schools can be whoever. hell, they could even swing west and keep nebraska and pickup missouri. Or they could take a school like syracuse for more eastern expansion.

[WANG]

Yep, as crappy as the schools are, the expansion was (and will always be) about the money.

To answer your questions:

1) Texas and GT. Texas is still a powerhouse school (regardless of their current state) and the market is IMMENSE. GT would get the southeastern market that the B1G hasn't really tapped yet, and they are a decent football school as well.

2) If I could pick ANY 3 for the initial expansion, I would personally go after Texas, ND, and an east coast school that isn't horrible (VT or UVA probably). Nebraska still wasn't a bad addition though.

[mauricxe]

Texas and ND bring a load of tradition. obviously the texas market is huge and their recruiting grounds might open up a bit more.

I would take Vtech of the two you picked. They also cover D.C. given their popularity in the area.

[WANG]

May 20, 2014 15:42:21 GMT -5 mauricxe said:

Texas and ND bring a load of tradition. obviously the texas market is huge and their recruiting grounds might open up a bit more.

I would take Vtech of the two you picked. They also cover D.C. given their popularity in the area.

Texas is a perfect blend of competitiveness and market size.

ND just seems to be a good fit, and although I don't know if they would add anything to the footprint, it might add something to the subscription.

[mauricxe]

ND's national appeal would add selling power for the BTN. for example, after Rutgers, they are the most popular college football team in new york. National appeal was one of the goals with the Nebraska add.

[victor2111]

Agreed with UNC & VT.

Pittsburgh wouldn't be bad. Add in-state rivalry with PSU. Usually a very solid BB program. FB program has been decent some years. Ohio State can beat Mark May school and make him cry even more.

[WANG]

May 20, 2014 18:37:09 GMT -5 victor2111 said:

Agreed with UNC & VT.

Pittsburgh wouldn't be bad. Add in-state rivalry with PSU. Usually a very solid BB program. FB program has been decent some years. Ohio State can beat Mark May school and make him cry even more.

Only issue with Pitt is that they don't add anything to the footprint and wouldn't increase the national sub rate either.

[ohstatefan]

May 20, 2014 16:02:06 GMT -5 WANG said:

May 20, 2014 15:42:21 GMT -5 mauricxe said:

Texas and ND bring a load of tradition. obviously the texas market is huge and their recruiting grounds might open up a bit more.

I would take Vtech of the two you picked. They also cover D.C. given their popularity in the area.

Texas is a perfect blend of competitiveness and market size.

ND just seems to be a good fit, and although I don't know if they would add anything to the footprint, it might add something to the subscription.

I think there are lots of reasons for the Big Ten to want Texas and ND. I just don't see them wanting to join the Big Ten. Both enjoy a certain amount of control/power in their current arrangements, which seems more important to them than 1/16th of the Big Ten pie.

[WANG]

Oh, completely agree. I still believe that Texas MAY jump on board at some point, but no shot at ND.

This was simply a "if you could pick any team" scenario (excluding complete pipe dreams like SEC schools or PAC schools).

[mauricxe]

some more links:

www.barkingcarnival.com/2014/5/20/5734416/big-ten-network-gets-new-york-city-pot-of-gold

The Big 10 now covers 30% of the population with its TV markets and has almost 5 million alumni stretched out across the country as well. Delaney now expects the Big 10 to distribute more than $40 million a year to each and every Big 10 team in TV revenue by 2017. Maryland should see almost $100 million more over the next six years than it would have in the ACC.

I read an article, can't find it again, but it said that we have millions of subscribers in cali, texas, and florida....that's exactly where you want them.