Massaro quoted, excerpt:
...In CUSA’s most recent media rights negotiations last year, the conference took a staggering 80 percent haircut, with per-school revenue slipping from $1 million a year to $200,000.
With half of its members leaping to the American Athletic Conference over the last few years, CUSA found college TV stalwarts like ESPN and Fox, which have been tightening their own purse strings, showing little interest in its product. The league finally settled on deals with four different channels.
“The revenue is drying up,” ODU’s Selig said. “All the money [from TV] is going to the power five and we’re left with crumbs.”
Sun Belt schools make slightly less from media rights — about $140,000 annually.
“It’s going to take a fiscally dramatic event to get something to happen,” Middle Tennessee State AD Chris Massaro said. “I’m not sure we’ve hit that financial crisis yet. When you hit a crisis, people will put their egos aside.”
The institutional egos Massaro referenced are one of the chief impediments to geographic realignment.....
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2016/11/28/In-Depth/Realignment.aspx
The fix: A common-sense solution...
...In CUSA’s most recent media rights negotiations last year, the conference took a staggering 80 percent haircut, with per-school revenue slipping from $1 million a year to $200,000.
With half of its members leaping to the American Athletic Conference over the last few years, CUSA found college TV stalwarts like ESPN and Fox, which have been tightening their own purse strings, showing little interest in its product. The league finally settled on deals with four different channels.
“The revenue is drying up,” ODU’s Selig said. “All the money [from TV] is going to the power five and we’re left with crumbs.”
Sun Belt schools make slightly less from media rights — about $140,000 annually.
“It’s going to take a fiscally dramatic event to get something to happen,” Middle Tennessee State AD Chris Massaro said. “I’m not sure we’ve hit that financial crisis yet. When you hit a crisis, people will put their egos aside.”
The institutional egos Massaro referenced are one of the chief impediments to geographic realignment.....
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2016/11/28/In-Depth/Realignment.aspx
The fix: A common-sense solution...