"topdecktiger"No, you are wrong. The scenario you laid out is completely inaccurate.
ESPN has a television contract with the SEC to carry a certain number of games per season on ABC, ESPN and the various ESPN channels. CBS also has a contract with the SEC to carry certain games and they have the pick of the top game each week. The inventory NOT included in this contract is left over for the SEC network. It's really not hard to understand and there is no reason for you trying to spin the facts other than--you are wrong and know it.
No, see that's wrong. All the SEC's inventory is included in the ESPN contract (aside from the CBS game). The SEC does not have a separate contract for their network. They have only one contract with ESPN, and all the inventory is included in that one contract. The SEC's inventory is not split into two separate piles, where one group only goes to ESPN and the other group only goes to SECN. All the SEC's inventory (again save the CBS game) is in one pile, and ESPN can put any game on any platform.
B: ESPN signed a deal with the SEC in 2013 which created the SEC network. Their previous deal did not include either the inventory from SEC schools tier 3 deals, or the inventory Missouri and Texas A&M brought to the table. With that new inventory, ESPN is able to have enough to keep a certain amount of SEC product on their networks, and still put a certain amount of product on the SEC network. That is how it is done.
Here's a quote from ESPN's John Skipper from 2013
"We have between six and 13 more games to pick from each week," ESPN President John Skipper said.
It doesn't matter if its "in two separate piles" or not--the point is that there is now inventory there to put on their network that did NOT exist prior to that. The 45 games are NOT from their pre existing agreements.
ESPN has CONTRACTED ACC games A (ESPN), B(ESPN2), C (ESPNU), and D(ESPN News) every week that fit into a number of slots that ESPN MUST BY CONTRACT put on each of these platforms.
What you are fabricating is that the ACC can TAKE games from ESPN from B(ESPN2), C (ESPNU), and D(ESPN News) every week and put them on an ACC Network-- because ESPN already owns them.
No, again you are completely wrong. If a games goes on an ACC network, that game is not TAKEN from ESPN. ESPN would own the ACC network. The ACC network would be one of ESPN's channels, just like ESPNU. Let's take a football game between North Carolina and Georgia Tech. Right now, ESPN can put that game on any platform: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, or ESPNNews. If the ACC had a network, that ESPN would have the same options for this UNC/GT game: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNNews, or an ACCN. This is EXACTLY how the SECN works now. ESPN can take any SEC game it owns, and put it on any platform: ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNNews, or SECN.
B: No its not exactly how the SEC network works right now. You are getting caught up in selections. Selections isn't the issue --it is INVENTORY. The additional game inventory of the ACC is with Raycom and FOX now-NOT ESPN. So if ESPN takes a game off of their networks and moves it to the ACCN--they now have a hole in their schedule where that ACC game was on one of their platforms. With the SEC there is NO hole, because there is more than enough inventory to put on all the games they can on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU etc. With the ACC--unless the rights come back from Raycom--that eliminates a game ESPN had to put on those platforms that they must fill with someone else's product--AND they are moving said game to point A to point B with no gain--and probably a financial loss since it will be distributed to fewer homes on an ACC network.
What you are ignoring in this fabricated premise is that if ESPN moves the games B(ESPN2), C (ESPNU), and D(ESPN News) every week to the ACC network--its the same exact product for them. They aren't getting anything new for putting them on the ACC network that they didn't already get
No, this is again inaccurate. ESPN gets to charge cable providers for an additional subscription fee for an ACC network. They don't get to do that now. The subscription fee for the network would be additional income for ESPN. Again, this is exactly how both the SECN and LHN work.
B: Yes, they'll charge a subscription fee for an ACC network--but now they've taken games they were monetizing OFF their primary platforms and moved them to fewer viewers(and payers) on an ACC network. Where does the money that they made for those games on ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN News go? That's right-it doesn't exist for ESPN anymore. They SHIFTED inventory with your premise, they havent ADDED anything. And now, ESPN must fill all the holes created on ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN News with someone else's inventory that THEY MUST PAY FOR. Which means ESPN loses money.
ESPN would now have holes to fill on ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN News every week. So they would have to pay someone else for inventory to fill those holes and would lose money while the ACC gained ACC network money.
No, this is again false. ESPN already has more inventory than they can broadcast. You can realistically only broadcast 3 games on one particular platform: a noon game, an afternoon game, and a night game. Even with ESPN's several channels, that's only 15-20 games at best. Plus, you are forgetting that ESPN has other contracts, such as MLB or NASCAR, that they also televise on Saturdays, so ESPN is not exhausting its inventory of games. Also, by your logic, ESPN had the same problem with the SECN. That took away 2 or 3 games a week that they could have put on other platforms, yet ESPN still went ahead with the network anyway.
B: It's not false at all. ESPN does not already have more ACC inventory than they can broadcast. Everything they didn't want or didn't have space for they licensed to Raycom. If you are claiming otherwise lets look it up. Tell us--what 30 plus football games from the ACC did ESPN NOT put on one of their platforms or was not on the Raycom or FOX package? Can't wait for this answer.
In reality, the games the ACC has that are the added inventory of expanding to 14 are now carried by RAYCOM (Swoffords son's company) and FOX which aquired the rights from Raycom. Raycom owns the rights to 31 football games and 60 men’s basketball games. Raycom sublicensed 17 football games and 25 basketball games to Fox, which puts the games on its rsn's. No negotiations are underway or expected to get those rights back.
No, again you are wrong. Every ACC game ESPN owns can be put on the network. That's again because a network is just another ESPN channel, like ESPNU. Since ESPN owns all of these channels, they can put any content on any channel. You are also wrong about the negotiations. Just this week, Dan Radakovich was interviewed, and he said that the ACC has a consulting firm that is negotiating the network.
B: So you are claiming that ESPN hasn't sold the rights to 31 football games and 60 men's basketball games to Raycom who then sublicensed some of those to FOX? You are actually claiming this? WOW.
You don't understand inventory so you shouldn't discuss it. The ACC only has a certain number of games available to put on tv. Right now all of their games are on one of the ESPN platforms or the Raycom sindicated package or a FOX rsn. There is NO additional inventory. If ESPN takes a game from ESPN or ESPN2 or ESPNU or wherever, and instead puts it on the ACC network--then they have created a hole on ESPN2 or ESPN2 or ESPNU. They won't have made any money off of that and in fact will probably LOSE money since now they must fill that network slot with someone else's inventory they must pay another conference for.
The ONLY way the ACC is getting a network is if they get back the inventory from Raycom and FOX and no one is negotiating any such thing. Dan Radakovich -Clemson's AD said they hope they get a really good update about an ACC network in their spring meetings and there is a sense of urgency in the conference as they worry about falling behind other conferences. Doesn't sound like much in the works still.