ESPN Gets 2nd Part of Big Ten Deal...

[billyjack]

Now that this is in place, I was wondering what the FS1 basketball lineup will look like this coming season?
Back to back Big East/Big Ten games on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday? Saturday doubleheaders?
I don't know/ remember/ feel like looking up the number of B1G games that will be on FS1 each week.
What do you guys think?

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Jour ... g-Ten.aspx

"...ESPN will buy the second half of the Big Ten’s media rights package, ending months of speculation that the two were about to sever their 50-year relationship. [huh? "50-year" relationship??? They're counting ABC being with the B1G since 1966... pretty bogus... anyway...]

ESPN will pay an average of $190 million per year over six years for essentially half the conference’s media rights package, according to several sources close to the talks. Two months ago, Fox Sports agreed to take the other half of the package for an average of $240 million per year. CBS Sports also has told the conference that it will renew its basketball-only package for $10 million per year.

The difference between the two packages is that Fox Sports will carry the Big Ten football championship game every season, which is a strong draw each December. Fox also will have game selection advantages over ESPN, which almost certainly means that the coveted Michigan-Ohio State rivalry will move to Fox most years. Before each season, the networks will pick the weeks where they get first choice of games. Fox will have the first pick every year; ESPN will have the second; Fox will have the third, and so on..."

[stever20]

For this coming season- there's no changes. The contract starts for the 2017-18 season.....

For next season- don't think you'll see anywhere near as many games as you were speculating for the Big Ten. You have to remember last year Big Ten had roughly 5 games a week on ESPN in conference season. So if it's split 50/50, that would be about 3 each for ESPN and FS1. Big Ten has an abnormally high number of OOC games shown with you figure just 11 between the ACC and Big East challenges.

One big thing for basketball- CBS re-upped and will be getting the semifinals/finals like they have been.

[Jet915]

No surprise, nice to see Fox get the top games though.

[stever20]

No surprise, nice to see Fox get the top games though.

I wouldn't necessarily say Fox will get the top game(S).

Fox gets 1st choice of week to get #1 game.
ESPN gets 2nd choice of week to get #1 game.
Fox gets 3rd choice of week to get #1 game.
ESPN gets 4th choice of week to get #1 game.
and so on.

So like this year-
Fox will get 1st choice of week and takes Ohio St/Michigan week...
ESPN will get 2nd choice of week and takes Michigan/Michigan St week.
etc.

So Fox would get 1,3,5,7,9
ESPN would get 2,4,6,8,10

The thing is some weeks, there's not much of a difference between game 1 and game 2. Take September 24 this year. You have Penn St/Michigan and Wisconsin/Michigan St. Not too much of a difference there. Whichever network gets the #1 choice that week won't have much of an advantage over the #2 choice.

[billyjack]

The point is that, all things being equal, Fox is in at least a slightly better position, however minor it may seem... 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9...

[stever20]

The point is that, all things being equal, Fox is in at least a slightly better position, however minor it may seem... 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9...

Oh for sure. But just can't blanket say that Fox is getting the top games because there's going to be 6 weeks where ESPN will get the #1 choice(7 weeks when it's a 14 week regular season which happens once in the 6 years). That's all I was trying to say. Like this year you would expect for Michigan/Michigan St to have been on ABC and not Fox. Also, if Fox always takes the Ohio St/Michigan week- ESPN/ABC would always get the top choice of any other Big Ten game.

Just looking at it- Fox is paying 50 million more for what seems to be a slightly better football package and the Big Ten title game. It doesn't seem like what we've seen that would be worth 50 million dollars per year. What was Fox paying for the Big Ten title game right now? 20 million? Doesn't seem like a whole lot of bang for the buck.

[Westbrook#36]

stever in mid-season form already, impressive.

[Vill]

stever in mid-season form already, impressive.

I was worried we had lost him. Almost glad to have him back.

[NJRedman]

stever in mid-season form already, impressive.

I popped over to the other board to read more about this and Stever was in classic stever form that Fox is F'ed and ESPN got a great deal.

[MUPanther]

Huge for Fox to get the B1G Title Game every season. With FOX/FS1 getting the 1st chance to picks means Ohio State-Michigan should be a FOX/FS1 game.