The $EC has no equal

[burleytog]

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2008/08/espn_sec_reach_15year_225_bill.html

ESPN and the Southeastern Conference have reached a 15-year deal for all of the conference's TV rights beyond those taken by CBS, according to two Raycom Sports executives.

The SportsBusiness Journal, citing industry sources, placed the deal at $2.25 billion over the next 15 years, about $150 million a year. The deal eliminates discussion about an SEC network and ends Raycom Sports' relationship with the SEC since 1986.

Combined with a 15-year, $55 million a year agreement with CBS, the SEC will bring in an average of $205 million annually in media rights from 2009-10 through 2025, according to the SportsBusiness Journal. That nearly triples the SEC's current amount of $70 million per year.

Each school received about $5.3 million in 2007-08 from TV revenue. The new deal is projected to increase the number to as much as $15 million per school. ESPN's package includes the SEC basketball tournament championship, which was previously shown on CBS, and is expected to have more regular-season basketball games.

Distribution will be an important element of this deal. ESPN and Comcast are working on an agreement that would initially put ESPNU in approximately 7 million Comcast homes and potentially put ESPNU on 14 million homes on Comcast, the SportsBusiness Journal reported. Some SEC programming would go to ESPNU, which is currently in 25 million homes and could reach 40 million with the deal.

The SEC declined to comment before an afternoon news conference today. SEC Commissioner Mike Slive notified Raycom Sports of the decision on Sunday. Raycom has shown SEC basketball since 1986 and SEC football since 1992.

"It's disappointing," said Ken Haines, CEO of Raycom Sports. "In the new economics, there's a lot of money involved. We'll be exploring alternative ways we may be able to stay involved with the SEC, but quite honestly, it's too soon right now to really know. We had hoped it wouldn't end this way."

[roadwarrior]

Man, I hope the Big Twelve can make a deal like that!

8-)

[burleytog]

Man, I hope the Big Twelve can make a deal like that!

8-)

No one outside of the grain belt wants to watch the Little 12.

[AnthonyRSS]

^^^^Agree.

SEC for lyfe, dawg.  

w00t

[Hookemdown.]

Man, I hope the Big Twelve can make a deal like that!

8-)

Seriously!  Fox SW is pathetic.

[Muddy]

The SEC does overwhelmingly, as a confrence dominate in both talent and viewer interest when it comes to big time college football

 In the next 5 years the BIG EAST will do the same in college basketball. The new programs have settled in and the schedueling still has a bit of a tune up. but this conference already uis showing signs of sending very many teams into the tournament in March. 5 more years and they will be the dominant college hoops conference

[Catt]

The Big East, Big 10, Big 12, & PAC 10 can talk about the illustrious past but the SEC is the now & the future.

[Muddy]

Hey Tom: I do not know a 1/100th about college football than you do, but I do know college hoops. I went to St Johns, a mecca of College football. The Sec had 2 teams in the top 25 last year, the Big East had 6, the most of any conference, With the new editions to the conference it is going to become more and more dominant.

This was the fear that some of the other confrences stated during the realignment of 3 years ago. The BIG EAST has and remains a very powerful force in Div I NCAA Mwens Hoops, the past and current records speak for themselves.

 It is sad to say, but with the new administration at St.Johns who are really puttting both an excellent Basketball program and a great baseball program way on the back burners, that St.Johns may be a thing of the past. The Big East on the other hand has remained a dominant force and just got a whole lot stronger.

[Catt]

The SEC has a long way to go in college hoops but in football it's all about the SEC despite all the hype about USC & OSU. Face the facts the last two years everyone in the nation had OSU as the undisputed #1 team in the nation going into the BCS championship game only to be completely blown out by SEC teams. Why?

[Grey Wolf]

It is all about the money , isn't it ?

[Catt]

It is all about the money , isn't it ?

That's right & OSU rode it for years  

[TheBeast]

Face the facts the last two years everyone in the nation had OSU as the undisputed #1 team in the nation going into the BCS championship game only to be completely blown out by SEC teams. Why?

Because the little-11 and slac-10 are jokes.  

At least with this deal we will get most of the games in HD now.   Raycom has the chitiest picture.

[roadwarrior]

Face the facts the last two years everyone in the nation had OSU as the undisputed #1 team in the nation going into the BCS championship game only to be completely blown out by SEC teams.

Why?

Got lucky?  

As I remember, Alabama used to have a football program, too.  

No doubt the SEC is a premier conference, but over the years other

programs have been just as strong (Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas).

Sports dominance comes in cycles, enjoy yours while it lasts.

 8-)

[Grey Wolf]

It is all about the money , isn't it ?

That's right & OSU rode it for years

Yeah , it's still a shame , I don't give a crap whose doing it.

[TheBeast]

Face the facts the last two years everyone in the nation had OSU as the undisputed #1 team in the nation going into the BCS championship game only to be completely blown out by SEC teams.

Why?

Got lucky?

Luck had nothing to do with it, they got absolutely owned in both games.  

Sports dominance comes in cycles, enjoy yours while it lasts.

Name a time when the SEC, (which this is a conference discusion) wasn't in the national picture unlike every other conference.

[WIII-60]

Face the facts the last two years everyone in the nation had OSU as the undisputed #1 team in the nation going into the BCS championship game only to be completely blown out by SEC teams.

Why?

Got lucky?  

As I remember, Alabama used to have a football program, too.  

No doubt the SEC is a premier conference, but over the years other

programs have been just as strong (Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas).

Sports dominance comes in cycles, enjoy yours while it lasts.

 8-)

Well said. Being a fan means you did absolutely nothing in the way of contributing to a win or loss.

Best of luck.

[roadwarrior]

Name a time when the SEC wasn't in the national picture unlike every other conference.

Throughout the '70s, Alabama represented for the SEC, but for the most part,

the conference was an also-ran:

http://www.collegefootballpoll.com/polls_1936_present_e.html

And then there was "The Game of the Century":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_Nebraska_vs._Oklahoma_football_game

Two decades later, one of my favorite bowl games of all time was the

1998 Orange Bowl.  Nebraka clobbered the SEC Champion Volunteers

and captured their third National Title in four seasons:

http://www.createspace.com/205400

8-)

[TheBeast]

Did you somehow forget that Alabama was part of the   SEC.   Which just validates my point, that the SEC is allways in the national picture.      

Even your "game of the century" year had Alabama #2 at the end which still puts the SEC in the national picture.

Try agian.

[roadwarrior]

In 1971, Big 8 teams finished 1, 2 and 3 in the AP Poll. As I recall, Alabama tried to sneak into the National Championship by refusing to play the Big 8 Champion, Nebraska Cornhuskers.

_____________________________________

How 'bout a compromise? Let's focus on this year.

Less than 10% of our members had been born in 1971...

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex

8-)

[TheBeast]

And again you validate my point that the SEC is allways in the national picture, remember Alabama is and was an SEC school.

You still haven't taken the SEC out of the equation. No matter which school it is Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Auburn one of them was in the national picture (top 4) thorughout the 70's except for 1976 when the top finishing SEC team was Georgia at #10.

Two decades later, one of my favorite bowl games of all time was the

1998 Orange Bowl.  Nebraka clobbered the SEC Champion Volunteers

and captured their third National Title in four seasons:

Wrong again, that game was in 1997.  The mighty VOLS won their 6th national championship in 1998, putting them one ahead of Nebraska in NC's.  

[AnthonyRSS]

I can't believe the guy from Memphis is putting down the SEC.  

TV will always be about money.  More money being brought in by SEC teams= better coverage.  No one needs to get pissy about it.  Money DOES run the world, after all.

Anthony

[roadwarrior]

1998:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Orange_Bowl

8-)

[KU_Bassmaster.]

http://www.rauzulusstreet.com/football/college/collegechampionship.htm

I didn't do the numbers, but just at a quick glance it looks pretty cyclical to me

[TheBeast]

1997 season

[Grey Wolf]

Now children it's only a game.