(06-02-2018 11:38 PM)JRsec Wrote: (06-02-2018 09:55 PM)10thMountain Wrote: I think what you're going to see is entities like Amazon and Netflix making direct deals with say the Top 30 NCAA FB/MBB properties ala Nike and Under Armour
Meanwhile, the days of schools like Texas Tech and Baylor getting to sit at the big boy table due to politics and flukes of history are numbered
And I think you are wrong. Amazon and Netflix will sublet games from the networks because they don't have the production capabilities. TV is not going away as it relates to cable and dish. Amazon and Netflix will purchase the right to stream games, maybe even game on a network channel. We will earn more money as conferences, but conferences aren't going away. The presidents don't want to be responsible for contracts, the A.D.'s & Presidents hired contract attorney's as commissioners so they never would have to fool with it. Donors and alums want familiar games that have been played for decades and can be persuaded to have better OOC games and maybe even another conference game for a price.
What's more is the Big 10 and SEC are worth more as a unit than they are severely.
Not even in your lifetime will you see what that dumb ass Okie article predict come true and the so called Amazon exec was most strangely unnamed. Where I come from we call that B.S..
Corporate structures like the major conferences aren't going away. Streaming isn't going to completely replace cable. And institutions like Universities will act in their self interest, but their self interest is in not going it alone.
The bold is the only portion I'd slightly disagree on.
They don't have the production capabilities in 2018, but I don't think we can assume they'll never have them.
If the AT&T/Time Warner deal goes through then that will be another set of production studios moving into the hands of a distributor. In other words, I think it's a strategy for long term survival. It's also a set of studios that contain a solid sports broadcasting division in Turner.
When AT&T acquired DirecTV, they started offering their own streaming service in DirecTV Now. It has sports channels and the execs are now talking about offering a sports-less service in the event the deal goes through. It's probably a cynical ploy on their part, but either way they are trying to appeal to a large number of consumers by touching a lot of different bases.
I think there's a pattern here though...
Comcast buys NBC and Universal Studios....distributor buys production capacity.
AT&T tries to buy Time Warner...distributor tries to buy production capacity.
Disney tries to buy 21st Century Fox...content creator and production studio tries to add to their portfolio of content and production capacity. No distributor involved unless you count BAMTech, but their infrastructure is purely internet based.
What do Amazon and Netflix do assuming they want to get more involved in sports? Both entities already have production capacity for creative content, but sports broadcasting divisions could be easily acquired. Fox is out there and maybe CBS too.
The pattern seems to be two-fold. 1) No one is buying into the current distribution method of cable and satellite. Some of the larger companies have been merging(AT&T buying DirecTV while Charter bought Time Warner Cable), but no one is buying into this distribution method that wasn't already in it. 2) Some of the current distributors are buying into content creation, but everyone is trying to take advantage of how the internet and streaming technology have affected the market.
Amazon is so stinking rich in large part due to their online retail. That's really all they were until a few years ago so they've actually progressed quite quickly into the content creation and distribution industry. I don't think their lack of sports broadcasting infrastructure in the here and now is necessarily an indicator that they won't seek out that capacity in the future. It might not be in time to bid on the Big Ten in 6 years, but I think it's only a matter of time.
Netflix says they don't want to get into sports, but there's no guarantee they won't change their mind especially if their direct competitors all get involved.
I think Facebook and Twitter are behind the curve though because their business model relies on social media interaction rather than content creation in any way. Facebook has plenty of money, but their platform really isn't conducive to investing big time into sports.
The one I might watch is Google. They're filthy rich and have one of the most robust and pervasive footprints on the internet not to mention already one of the most recognizable brands. They invested in Android which low and behold became much more than an operating system for smart phones. They're now in the streaming business with YouTube TV so it's no huge jump from where they are to sports broadcasting or at least greater content creation.
I just wouldn't bet on cable companies being dominant in the market in the future. I'm not sure how long it's going to take, but everyone seems to be moving away from dependency on the old infrastructure.