George Kliavkoff came in as a swinging dick, but lately has been left twisting in the wind ($$).
Last July, shortly after USC and UCLA’s defections, the Pac-12 opened negotiations for its next media rights contract, which would take effect with the 2024 football season. Seven months later, there’s still no deal — and people are getting antsy. With good reason.
Three people with knowledge of the discussions said commissioner George Kliavkoff is struggling to find partners willing to pay close to what the league is seeking. Two of those sources said Kliavkoff overpromised his members on how many bidders there would be and what dollar amount they could command — a target north of $40 million per school, according to one league athletic director. Today, it’s uncertain whether the Pac-12 will even be able to exceed the $31.6 million average the Big 12 reportedly landed in a six-year extension with ESPN and Fox it reached last fall.
That’s… not optimal. Basically, it’s the result of Kliavkoff overvaluing his conference’s media rights and the Big 12 getting a jump on him by negotiating their broadcast deal a year ahead of schedule. So where does George go from here?
ESPN remains interested in the Pac-12, particularly in the league’s 10:30 p.m. ET games, but New York Post sports media writer Andrew Marchand reported last fall that the Pac-12 and ESPN were “hundreds of millions apart.”
When Mickey sees your primary value for broadcast fodder is filling late time slots, brother, you ain’t got much to sell. Sure has been a long way down from those heady Alliance days, eh?
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