As summarized by Ty & Dan at The Solid Verbal:
The conference's record $7+ billion media deal, which starts THIS FALL, was never actually finalized! It's almost inconceivable, yet totally on-brand for a sport with nobody actually in charge.
Link to Source
As Thamel states it:
Nearly three months before the season kicks off and those TV deals begin, the Big Ten does not have completed longform contracts, which include the fine print details. Instead, Petitti is engaged in significant "horse trading," according to multiple sources, to get the NBC primetime deal finished and figure out what the network calls "outstanding issues" in order to uphold as much value as possible.
"These deals aren't done, and they aren't what they were represented to be from the standpoint of the NBC deal and the availability of all members to participate in November games in primetime," said an industry source.
Interviews with nearly a dozen sources in and around the Big Ten and the college sports industry paint a picture of Petitti sprinting to navigate details left unresolved from his predecessor.
TL;DR:
- Schools will have to pay Fox $40m because they own the B10 championship game, which has been promised to NBC
- Schools will have to pay $25m to pay Fox back for lost 2020 football game inventory (I don't entirely understand this one)
- Basketball Coaches are pissed about being broadcasted on Peacock
- Football Coaches/ADs are pissed about being forced to play at night
There's about zero chance this deal falls through, but just a painful pain in the ass for the B10, Fox, and NBC. For the rest of us, this is just hilarious.
Comments
As funny as it is, I wish the ACC had this problem
No, you just wish the ACC had networks throwing $7B at us.
Live look at the B1G schools coming to these realizations....
Peacock, I don't blame them for being pissed. Nobody is going to watch those games.
The B1G isn't a team known for night games except for a few teams and now it sounds like they going to have one a week.
Waiting till they find out it isn't actually 7b...
I have never understood the Big Tens obsession with nooners. Night games at Lane were some of the best games.
It's cold up there
Isn't that what alcohol is for?
So I can assume their coaches are wimps who can't stand a little cold?
it probably has more to do with the fans....
So their fans are wimps? Confirmed based on my experience at the first VT -game at Notre Dame where we had snow showers and gusty winds- Hokie fans were fine!
Also proof of how hardy our fans are- the VT UVA game in 2016(I believe?) where temp at kickoff was 26, end of game 20, and 20-30 mph winds most of the game! Thank God for rum! n(Side note- lesson learned- drinking water on a drunk stomach is fine(actually good to help avoid hangover) ; drinking ICE COLD water on drunk stomach, NOT SO GOOD (evidenced by getting sick out the passenger window at 75mph down Christiansburg mountain on the way home- froze to the side of the car too!)
I mean I'd like to think all VT fans are great cold weather fans but after the cold rainy Duke game, at Duke, where we only won because Duke missed three FGs my wife stood firm that she will not be attending games in person any more. I dont actually blame her either, it was miserable.
My friend and I were at that game I think- I KNOW we were at the hurricane Matthew game at UNC! Not as cold but definitely wet! Best part were the three NC State fans who came in in the second half after watching their own home game against Notre Dame JUST to watch UNC lose LOL !!
I thought my wife was going to climb over the counter after the poor ND concession stand worker told her they were out of hot chocolate at halftime. I had airplane bottles in my boots and was doing fine, she was not happy with the cold.
Remember everyone huddling in the bathrooms at halftime because it had heat.
This deal leaves a lot of ESPN and abc time slots open that the ACC should get pieces of.
Until next year when the SEC takes over ABC.
And we still have to guarantee a minimize number of games to the freaking RSNs.
Isn't that what Duke, Syracuse, BC, and Wake Forest are for?
Pretty obvious the B1G used the law offices of Lionel Hutz to get this across the line
Uh oh! Big Tens dead in the water! Everyone spread the word. I hear the ACC is in talks to poach Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan in addition to Notre Dame