• Loading stock data...
Monday, October 7, 2024
The Best Employers in Sports survey is now open! Take the survey

Pac-12 Media Rights Take Center Stage

  • The Pac-12 will need a new commissioner to renegotiate its expiring media rights contracts.
  • The conference announced Commissioner Larry Scott will step down in June.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Pac-12 will need a new commissioner to renegotiate its expiring media rights contracts.

Yesterday, the conference announced Commissioner Larry Scott will step down in June — a year before his contract was set to expire. The media deals expire in 2024.

“Now is a good time to bring in a new leader who will help us develop our go-forward strategy,” Pac-12 Executive Committee Chair Michael Schill said in a statement. “At one point, our television agreement was the most lucrative in the nation.” 

Pac-12 schools each received around $29 million in conference distributions in 2018, recent tax filings show. That’s about the same as what most ACC schools received. 

But the Pac-12 trails three of its Power 5 peers in conference distributions, which largely consist of media rights revenue.

  • Most Big 12 schools received $33-36 million, most SEC schools got $42-$45 million, and most Big Ten schools notched more than $53 million.
  • The SEC recently signed a blockbuster deal with ESPN, reported to top $300 million a year, which could increase yearly payouts by $20 million per school.

Deals with the Big Ten and Big 12 will expire in 2023 and 2025, respectively. 

In his 11-year tenure, Scott — who has made more than $40 million in salary — led the Pac-12 through expansion, the launch of the Pac-12 Networks and a reported $3 billion media rights deal with ESPN and FOX.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Vandy Trying to Cash In on Upset

Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia is looking for new NIL deals.

Vandy, Arkansas Fined After Upsets

The two schools’ fanbases ran onto the fields after games ended.
OSU QB Terrelle Pryor

Terrelle Pryor Sues Ohio State As Group of Athletes Seeking NIL Back-Pay Grows

Reggie Bush, Michigan players, and NC State’s basketball team sued this year.

NBA Renews Push to Dismiss TNT Sports Media-Rights Lawsuit

The NBA cited a 51-year-old case involving the league itself.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

FIFA Business Model Threatened; Inside IRONMAN Racing

0:00

Featured Today

A DraftKings sign

A DraftKings Exec Left for Fanatics. Then the Bitter Legal Battle Began

Mike Hermalyn has been sidelined at Fanatics for nine months now.
opinion
October 6, 2024

Where Is the Dang Game? Fragmentation Has Hit Fever Pitch

A correction is coming in the increasingly confusing landscape of live sports.
October 5, 2024

MLB Gets the Shohei Ohtani Postseason Treatment. The Value Is Immense

The Japanese superstar finally makes his playoff debut Saturday.
The Cal mascot, Oski
October 2, 2024

How the Calgorithm Turned College Football Twitter Into Real Life

“College GameDay” makes its first trip to Berkeley on Saturday.
Sep 16, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Sacramento State Hornets running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver (25) celebrates after a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports
October 2, 2024

Sacramento State Raised $35 Million in One Day for Its NIL Collective

The so-called Sac-12 announced it had raised $35 million in NIL for the university.
Former Iowa basketball player Jordan Bohannon
October 4, 2024

‘Sour Grapes’: Lawyers Battle Over Landmark Settlement to Pay College Athletes

The House settlement, arguably already on the rocks, faces another objection.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
October 1, 2024

Conference Realignment Continues

The Pac-12 and Mountain West keep making moves.
Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Anton Watson
October 1, 2024

Pac-12, Mountain West Continue to Load Up With Gonzaga, UTEP Moves

The conferences, now rivals, have been at the center of the most recent wave.
September 27, 2024

Pac-12, Mountain West Eye Expansion As Realignment Enters Next Phase

The conferences have been fighting each other for members.
September 27, 2024

UNLV Rebuffs Gambling Exec’s Offer To Pay Spurned QB $100K

UNLV lost its starting quarterback earlier this week in an NIL dispute.