(08-22-2014 10:18 AM)adcorbett Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 04:31 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 10:49 AM)monarchoptimist Wrote:  NBC-Sports could be an option as well. That is the point for CUSA's next TV deal--there should be multiple suitors and options. A modest bump, better exposure and multiple ways to view the content should be an attainable goal for CUSA.

Good luck with that. The Comcast/NBCSN track record (except for NFL and Olympics) is to bid low and acquire content at the lowest price possible. If there's another bidder involved, NBCSN won't participate in bidding up the price; they'll just walk away.

That's not entirely true. Comcast was the one who had the highest bid for the PAC 12. You know that working arrangement that Fox and ESPN have with the PAC 12 and they later extended to the Big 12? Where do you think that deal came from? It was because NBC put out a blockbuster bid for the PAC 12 that was so high, neither ESPN nor Fox could afford to match on their own (or didn't want to commit that much). But because they wanted to shut Comcast out the market, they teamed up to put together a bid to keep Comcast out. They also had a seriously high bid for the ACC deal back in 2008, and forced ESPN to up their bid to keep the ACC, in what then was a monster deal prior to the SEC deal (note for clarification this one was NBC making the offer prior to Comcast being a part of the company).

So NBC will shell out money for the right deal. They just don't do it often.

The ESPN-Fox deal for the Pac-12 came about because Comcast initially made the highest bid and the Pac wanted something higher, so they approached ESPN and Fox and asked them to consider bidding jointly. Once ESPN and Fox anted up with their joint bid, Comcast quickly folded. They don't get into high-priced bidding wars unless it's for NFL or Olympics.

Quote:Comcast's Brian Roberts told CNBC that his company did not land rights to the Pac-10's TV package because it was "financially disciplined."

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journ...ac-10.aspx