George Kliavkoff Has a Plan to Save the Pac-12

George Kliavkoff knows the Pac-12’s current situation is do-or-die. 

The conference already ranked last in annual revenue distribution in the Power 5 — a fact he attributed to “a series of decisions that were made” by previous commissioner Larry Scott a decade ago. Last month, the conference found out it will lose its two biggest football brands in 2024: USC and UCLA. 

At media days on Friday, he outlined an aggressive strategy to not only save the conference from dissolution, but also to make it competitive among the Power 5. That strategy focuses on media rights revenue generation and potential expansion.

Media Rights Value

Kliavkoff’s first priority is fortifying the biggest bargaining chip in expansion: a strong media rights deal. Then, of course, he has to execute on negotiations.

• He’ll get creative with new and popular events, citing baseball and softball championships as an early example.
• He’ll consider unique new distribution ideas.
• He’ll try to enhance the quality of play for existing schools.

The conference’s current contract is up in 2024, but Kliavkoff has already been authorized to begin negotiations immediately. 

He considers the conference’s position an “enviable” one: their media rights expire the soonest in the Power 5, after the Big Ten. Once Big Ten negotiations conclude — which reports suggest could happen within the next few weeks — the conference will dive in.

Already, though, Kliavkoff said “we have significant interest” not only from “incumbents,” but potential digital streamers as well. “It’s likely that we will end up with a big digital partner for some of our rights,” Kliavkoff said. “Our rights will be distributed in a way that’s unique and different.

“We are confident in the long-term value of our rights.”

Conference Expansion

Kliavkoff’s final pillar, unsurprisingly, is to “actively” pursue expansion — a chicken-and-the-egg situation. 

If he can add more valuable members to the conference, that could help him with negotiations. But he might need a strong new deal to entice new members.

“We have had significant inbound interest,” Kliavkoff said. The conference is evaluating them on the following criteria: 

• Potential brand and media value
• Athletic prowess
• Academic and cultural fit
• The “effect” on athletes, including geographic and potential travel-related concerns — a clear dig at USC and UCLA.

Kliavkoff declined to talk about specific schools with whom he’s spoken. He said the conference plans to play football games in Los Angeles in the future, but wouldn’t comment on the seemingly good fit of San Diego State, for example.

He did confirm that the Big 12 has made multiple attempts to raid his conference. “I’ve spent the last four weeks trying to defend grenades lobbed at me from every corner of the Big 12. I got tired of it.”

As far as his response to the Big 12 — and newly anointed Commissioner Brett Yormark’s behavior? “We have not decided whether we’re going shopping there or not.”