FOOTBALL Television Packages Announced For Conference USA

[SpaceRaider]

CUSA

Television Packages Announced For Conference USA


...An ESPN network will televise its 12th consecutive C-USA Football Championship game in 2016 and 2017. Additionally, ESPN will provide season-long coverage of the league, airing five regular-season football games this season and in 2017 across its networks.

CBS Sports Network will continue to provide a variety of marquee Conference USA events, airing the 2017 C-USA Men’s Basketball Championship title game for the first time, as well as the Women’s Basketball Championship game. In addition, CBS Sports Network will carry six football and six men’s basketball contests during the regular-season.


American Sports Network (ASN) returns for its third season as a Conference USA partner. ASN is a division of Sinclair Networks Group, owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country with 173 television stations it owns, operates and/or provides services to in 81 markets, broadcasting 483 channels, including pending transactions. The terms of the agreement guarantees ASN will showcase a minimum of 15 regular-season football games, 13 regular-season men’s basketball games and two women’s basketball games per season. Furthermore, it has the option to select additional inventory up to 15 football, 42 men’s basketball, three women’s basketball and 10 Olympic sport events and conference championships. This January, ASN launched a 24/7 channel in nine markets and is currently found within 20 markets.

Conference USA becomes the first collegiate conference to partner with beIN SPORTS, a global leader in sports content distribution and the No. 1 growing Nielsen-rated cable network in the United States above all networks. With 45 million subscribers, beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS en Español are proud to be the fastest growing independent sports cable network in the business. beIN SPORTS also plans to expand its multiplatform offerings, live programming and studio shows to further cultivate interactivity of fan favorites, in their language of choice, and more fervently reflect their commitment to North American sports fans. The multi-year deal consists of 10 football games, 10 men’s and 10 women’s basketball games, 12 baseball and 12 softball games, 10 men’s and 10 women’s soccer matches and ten (10) women’s volleyball games.

“We are proud to expand our U.S. coverage and provide our viewers with the best in sports programming,” said Yousef Al-Obaidly, Deputy CEO of beIN Media Group. “Our partnership with Conference USA is a first for our network entering the U.S. college sports arena, reflecting our commitment to American sports fans.”

The complete C-USA football television schedule will be announced next week.....

 

[SpaceRaider]

CONFERENCE USA FOOTBALL ON ESPN
Thursday, Sept. 1, Indiana at Florida International, 7:30 p.m. ESPNU

Friday, Sept. 16, Baylor at Rice, 8 p.m., ESPN

Friday, Sept. 16 Arizona State at Texas-San Antonio, 9:30 p.m., ESPN2

Friday, Nov. 25, Louisiana Tech at Southern Mississippi, time TBA, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPU

Saturday, Nov. 26, Western Kentucky at Marshall, time TBA, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPU

Saturday, Dec. 3, Conference USA championship game, time TBA, ESPN or ESPN2

 

[SpaceRaider]

excerpt from ODU beatwriter's article

...ASN will be the primary network for C-USA football and basketball. ASN is obligated to carry 15 football, 13 men's basketball and two women's basketball games, but has the option to pick up 15 more football, 43 men's basketball and three women's basketball games, as well as ten so-called Olympic sports games, such as baseball and soccer.

ASN, which broadcasts of 481 channels in 81 markets, including WTVZ-TV in Hampton Roads, televised most ODU football games last season.

ASN launched 24-hour sports channels in 20 markets since January, and all Conference USA games televised by the network should be seen on those channels. It isn't known if or when a 24-hour ASN sports channel will be available in Hampton Roads.

beIN Sports will also televise ten football games, as well as a host of basketball, baseball and soccer games.

The league's full football television schedule won't be released until next week.

Each Conference USA school already televises most of its home sports events digitally, but those games only reach a niche audience. ODU broadcast video of every sports event, from wrestling matches to baseball games, on its digital network – more than 200 games in all.

Now, many of those games are expected to move to ESPN3.

ESPN will send consultants to all 14 C-USA schools to help upgrade television production. The schools will be expected to pay production costs.

C-USA's TV contracts with Fox Sports, the CBS Sports Network and the American Sports Network all expire at the end of June. League officials attempted to re-negotiate deals with all three networks, but talks broke down with Fox Sports.

Rights fees paid to the league are expected to drop significantly from the $14 million per year guaranteed by Fox and CBS Sports five years ago to perhaps $5 million. Media outlets report that CBS Sports rights fees alone dropped from $7 million to $1 million.

Although the league will receive less revenue, Conference USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod vowed during a recent trip to Norfolk that the school's TV profile would increase markedly. And that appears to be the case.

“We explored a number of traditional, digital and additional outlets during the negotiation process,” MacLeod was quoted as saying in a news release. “Our interests are aligned and we are very excited about the potential of these partnerships. All parties will reap the benefits of these agreements.”

MacLeod said in Norfolk that she expected to sign short-term deals with three or four networks. The announcement would seem to indicate that the deal with ESPN is for two years....

 

[blueraiderJT]

Every other G5 conference will be facing the same drop in revenue. We were the first and I feel we got an improvement in coverage. Digital should be better too.

 

[dukewayne]

Digital. That's what I would like to know more about. If this mention of ESPN3 turns out to be true for all of C-USA, I will find that pleasing. Although it hurts that the overall contracts are decreased $$$, a C-USA fan would have tons to watch on ESPN3.

For the conference, gotta win! Get wins. Sustain success. Build better schedules with success, people will want to pay more for your sports. Gotta win.

 

[SpaceRaider]

Every other G5 conference will be facing the same drop in revenue. We were the first and I feel we got an improvement in coverage. Digital should be better too.

Interesting article from BYU's point of view and the impact that cusa's tv deal may ultimately have for Independence, Big XII expansion re upcoming tv deals for P5 conferences and BYU.

What Conference USA's new TV deal may tell us about conference expansion

 

[blueraiderJT]

Right but the bigger point that wasn't made is that ESPN just reported a new loss of subscribers and are bleeding money. When they go, all of the other networks go with them. All of the G5's are gonna feel this pain in the near future. While our money wasn't as good, our coverage got better.

Also, he named 3 teams that are no longer in the CUSA. Those 3 teams usually suck worse than most of the teams in CUSA. WKU, MT, LaTech, Marshall, and USM are teams that no one wants to play right now. We will make the league better with time. CUSA changed not because it wanted to but because the P5's cherry picked and destroyed the Big East.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

I think a tightening on budgets makes people/departments not get comfortable and think about how to attract fans. This is good for the fans.

The bubble is contracting a bit.

 

[Blueraider_Mike]

I think a tightening on budgets makes people/departments not get comfortable and think about how to attract fans. This is good for the fans.

The bubble is contracting a bit.

This is TBD, so far what I have noticed from out school is they are squeezing the same folks for more cash. We must grow the fan base.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

...they are squeezing the same folks for more cash.

they are gonna have to do better than that. I agree...grow fans.