Apple TV

[ALUF]

I saw Apple TV as the leader for the landing spot of the tv deal. I think this is very frustrating and makes me even more on the side of Utah leaving for the big xii or another P5. I know a lot of people don’t like the idea of leaving the Pac-12 but this is for the best. We can’t seriously think other teams like Washington and Oregon are ok with this can we??

[Ted Lasso]

Apple TV isn’t ideal but as long as we can keep watching college football, I don’t really care what platform it’s on.

[ALUF]

Right, but I just think this will ultimately be the jugular for the Pac. Oregon and Washington don’t want streaming and I’ve heard the same sentiments from the AZ schools. So what are we doing with Apple TV? I will personally get Apple TV or whatever service Utah is tied to the hip with but how many casual football fans are gonna be watching pac football now that it will be in Apple TV? Just apple users.

[dystopiamembrane]

Casual fans make the sport, I know. Eyes equal dollars and that’s what we should be thinking about. But, casual fans don’t matter to me. I prefer the esoteric myself. I don’t enjoy that every Tom, Dick, and Mary flashes the U when they see a Utah sticker on my bicycle. Screw em.

[Central Coast Ute]

How many casual football fans have been watching it on the PAC12 network. We can’t control it. It will be fine.

[NashvilleUte]

Apple TV would be great for me, but if the nation isn’t watching, we’re totally losing.

[chinngiskhaan]

If Apple TV allows us to be competitive financially I’m fine with it regardless of how accessible it is to casual viewers. If we win the Pac12 we’ll get a spot in the playoff regardless of whether people watched our conference games or not. If we make the playoff consistently we will stay relevant. Money is the #1 factor in whether or not we stay competitive nationally. Eyeballs on screens don’t win football games, but money (indirectly) does.

The one positive to signing with Apple TV would be that it may give us a leg up in the future, and at this point, taking that bet might be the only chance the PAC has at being competitive with the B1G and SEC down the road (we aren’t competitive with them right now and won’t be unless streaming live sports becomes the norm, and the PAC gets special treatment for being at early adopter)

[ALUF]

I agree with all this, I am just not believing that Apple TV will get the Pac-12 the money relative to any of the other P5. At the end of the day though it’s about the cfp and winning in general like you said. Thankfully I’m confident in utahs ability to do those things.

[UteBoysDad]

The original problem that I have always heard with the PAC-12’s current deal was the lack of access to watching the games. Pac-12 network was not on Directv, so much harder to get that network. I pay around $40 a month to have Slingtv solely to watch the Utes football and basketball then cancel. And from what I read-and this is purely conjecture as no one knows at this point what a deal with Apple might look like-you would need to subscribe to Apple and then subscribe to a season pass, similar to what they’ll do with the MLS rights they now have. Seems like a lot of barriers to watching Pac-12 games especially for future recruits who want to be on tv. So beyond the money aspect it may make Pac 12 schools less competitive when future recruits can grow up watching Big 10, SEC and Big 12 games every Saturday by channel surfing Fox, ESPN and the networks.

[Central Coast Ute]

Apple TV won’t be the only network. Pac12 will make more than the BIG 12, if you’re worried about being competitive with the other p5’s

[UteFanatic]

Nobody knows anything about the TV deal yet. The NY Post article today was lacking detail, likely on purpose, by whoever the source was.

All we know is that ongoing discussions with ESPN, Amazon, and Apple are happening. Which basically means we have learned nothing new that we haven’t already known for several months now. 

I can guarantee if the media deal looked bad, was streaming only, or both – there would have been defectors to the Big12 already. That hasn’t happened yet, so it’s a pretty good indicator that people in the know are confident that a TV deal similar in value to the Big12 is likely coming and there will still be linear exposure.

 

[Brettski]

[krindor]

I don’t know that the report was AppleTV as the leader so much as “firmly in the mix”

Clearly AppleTV doesn’t have the same distribution as FOX, ESPN, or even Amazon, but more deep-pocketed suitors is always a good thing. If the PAC ends up with Apple, it’ll be because they paid enough of a premium to be worth the distribution concerns.

As far as I’m concerned, this is good news – Apple being a serious suitor is better than Apple not being involved/interested 

[NashvilleUte]

It’s unfortunate that ALUF got so many down votes for his read on this topic. I think he’s spot on. Let’s be clear, I’m definitely NOT a fan of the idea of the Big12 being our best landing spot nor being in the same conference as TDS (that thought is just so depressing), but I want what’s best for the team and what’s best for our recruiting and competitive future. As much as I loathe saying this, going to the Big12 is our best bet. Maybe the PAC will piece together a ridiculous streaming strategy and get us a Big12 level payout, but let me be clear, matching the Big12 financially would NOT be a win if the majority of our conference’s games are on streaming only. A short term win, yes, but long term it would be catastrophic. Even more so than PAC12 After Dark was a short term win to get more cash but has screwed us in national viewership and relevance. A largely streaming plan would be SO MUCH worse. Maybe streaming is the future, let’s revisit it then. The top recruits want to be seen on TV now. They don’t care about the future after they’re gone. They care about being part of a relevant program now that is competitive, that their friends and family can easily watch and that gives them as much national exposure as possible. Even now the PAC as a whole is failing in all of those areas. Whatever we think of the Big12, TCU was in the national championship game and the Big12’s basketball will eat the PAC’s lunch.
On the bright side, the Big12 will reduce our late night games and being in the same conference as TDS will mean that we don’t need to waste a non-conference game on them anymore. Especially if it will mean that we can play more P5 non-conference games without also having to play TDS and making our schedule too difficult. Plus, maybe we can start playing Utah State again? That was always a more enjoyable rivalry then the soul crushing charade with TDS has become.
I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t see the future of the PAC as anything more than a glorified MWC.

[NashvilleUte]

By the way, since I moved out east to Nashville I have a better understanding of the “East Coast bias”. Aside from other people like me who are from the west, no one I talk to pays attention to any PAC games. They’re mostly done watching games for the day and getting their families ready for bed by the time we start playing.

Most people know that I’m a big fan and occasionally ask what time our game is on. Almost always it’s “oh wow, that’s too late” and/or, “I’ll check the score and the highlights afterward, good luck!” I’ll always watch but even for me, it’s not as enjoyable when it’s so late and I’m tired and I know I’ll be tired the next day from getting to bed late.

If we still have to sign up for a majority of late nights to stay on the networks, let’s swallow our pride and head to the Big12. Who knows, maybe it will be better? (Aside from rejoining TDS, there’s very little positive spin on that one…)

[UteFanatic]

My totally uninformed opinion is that the four corner schools won’t reach out to the Big12 while Oregon and Washington are still in the conference. Doesn’t look like the Big10 is calling, so their options are limited. Some Big12 honks think they’ll go to the Big12, but I don’t see that happening. I think they’d go Independent before they associated themselves with Big12 schools. Or, try to reach out to the ACC and sign onto their existing GOR.

You bring up an interesting point about viewership issues with west coast college football teams. There may be a viewpoint that it doesn’t matter where the Pac12 TV deal lands, it’s always going to have viewership issues, so they might as well go where the money is.

If Apple is willing to essentially overpay for the Pac12 in order to gain the Pac12 Network infrastructure and monetize it, than the conference would be fools not to listen to their offer. Apple is one of the richest and most influential companies on the planet. And if the Pac12 was their product, you know they’d heavily promote it. That is not a bad thing.

At the end of the day, I just want to watch Utah play and make a few playoff runs under the 12 team format. If Utah makes the move to the Big12, I wouldn’t care. Just give me Utah football.

[NashvilleUte]

I understand your point about the four corners not going anywhere while Oregon and Washington are still around; however, I’m increasingly wondering if the delay in getting a deal done is because Oregon/Washington are refusing to sign a long term grant of rights so they can leave for the B10 whenever they get invited. That sort of flexibility would obviously hurt the media contract which would also explain the rumors that the numbers are coming in lower than hoped for.

If the end result is a lower payout primarily due to Oregon/Washington’s grant of rights issue, then I could see the four corners leaving regardless of Oregon/Washington. In fact, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that’s Oregon/Washington’s plan. Several articles have speculated that if the PAC collapsed, the B10 would then pickup Oregon/Washington.

The only way Oregon/Washington go to the B12 is if it guarantees a larger payout than the PAC can get while also allowing them a flexible grant of rights. I think this is why the four corners + Oregon/Washington haven’t already moved together. It’s the grant of rights again.

As time goes on without a deal, the likelihood of the four corners leaving for the B12 regardless of Oregon/Washington increases.

All of this is my pure speculation and like you, all I care about is watching some Utah football, but I am concerned about us getting stuck in a bad situation in a conference drifting toward irrelevance…

[UteFanatic]

I have a hard time believing the narrative about UW/UO refusing to sign a GOR. I get the logic behind the speculation, but at the end of the day they will have to sign a GOR somewhere not named the B1G. It just doesn’t seem likely they would kneecap themselves financially in the hope that one day the B1G comes calling. 

I would be absolutely shocked if the Big12 offered UW/UO a special exception to the GOR. This is a conference that has been under the thumb of UT/OU for a long, long time and are fed up with diva teams, special treatment, and being abandoned as teams jump to better conferences. 

I agree that the longer this drags out, the more likely it is that a school (or pair of schools), reaches out to the Big12. But it just seems like that would have already happened if the Pac12 situation was as dire as the media mouthpieces are saying it is. I’m honestly skeptical of every person reporting on this. Even the more reputable guys have been incredibly loose with facts and their articles/podcasts are filled with opinion and speculation. For example, I listened to Marchand and Ourand’s (pretty reputable duo in the sports news biz) YouTube video today, and every single they said was prefaced with “I think…” or “it’s likely…” 

I think Utah will be fine. If the Pac12 stays together, it means UW/UO will have signed a GOR and that probably means a decent TV deal and everyone hunkers down this media cycle. If the Pac12 doesn’t stay together, it means UW/UO found a way out (B1G at a reduced rate, ACC, Indepedent), and the four corner schools will be welcomed into the Big12 with open arms.

There is a nightmare scenario for Utah out there, albeit it’s pretty unlikely: if UW/UO ask to join the Big12. This would be incredibly sketchy territory for Utah because that means the Big12 may not invite any other teams and hang out at 14 in the hope that they can nab some ACC leftovers next decade when their GOR expires. If the Big12 took additional Pac12 schools, it would likely be Arizona/ASU and they stand pat at 16, same number as the SEC and B1G.

We better hope that UW/UO don’t bolt, because the Big12 would need to take 4 additional Pac12 schools for Utah to be included. And I’m very doubtful they would expand to 18 if they added the jewels of the Pac12 already. Hell, they might not go past 14. Fortunately, this is probably the least likely scenario.

[NashvilleUte]

Yeah, I really don’t see the likelihood of Oregon/Washington going to the B12. They’d have to be pretty desperate to associate themselves with that crowd. The faculty for sure would go into full meltdown mode. Similarly the B12 would have to be pretty desperate to invite them in to be the full drama replacements for TX/OU.

I certainly hope the PAC can work things out, but I’m sure Utah will end up fine.

Time to move on until some REAL news beyond constant speculation finally arrives…

[UteFanatic]

A glorified MWC, LOL. Reminder that it has the two biggest brands in the Pac12 and Big12 combined (Oregon and Washington). This is a salvageable conference, so let’s just see what the TV deal actually is before jumping into full-on meltdown mode over horribly sourced and vague articles. The histrionics and hyperbole is getting ridiculous. 

It’s also important to note that whatever deal is finalized, it’s short term anyway. The future of CFB and the power balance is going to change dramatically in the future. When the ACC deal expires, the P2 conferences will soak up all remaining teams with value, and whatever conferences are left will be signing deals worth less than a 1/3 of what the B1G and SEC will get. At that point, I wouldn’t even be sure to see them break off from the NCAA and form their own league.

At that point, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pac12, Big12, and ACC merge to form the “best of the rest” at some point in the future and compete at a lower level to the P2 (a la FCS and FBS).

Honestly, the state of CFB and potential scenarios just sucks for anyone not in the B1G or SEC. That’s the real issue here.

[NashvilleUte]

Apologies if I wasn’t clear. I definitely didn’t mean that the PAC as it is today is a glorified MWC. Only that as the top teams leave and are ultimately replaced by current G5 teams that the PAC would become a glorified MWC. But unless the PAC pulls a rabbit out of its hat soon, I think that’s where this will lead.

[UteFanatic]

No worries. I apologize as well, I can see that my tone was unecessarily aggressive. That was not my intent.

I 100% agree that if more teams leave that is where the conference is headed. But as long as UW/UO remain, it’s still a respectable league. Just gotta get a TV deal done.

[dystopiamembrane]

I don’t even know what Apple TV is.

[PlainsUte]

Me neither, can I get it on my Android TV?  Sounds like watching sports on an iphone.  

[dystopiamembrane]

I watch sports on my phone at the bar.

[dystopiamembrane]

Prop it up on the c**ktail accoutrements box.

[RedRocks]

A quick internet search would help you with that one.

[dystopiamembrane]

Oooh…it’s like the Netflix. I use Netflix from my cable. Perfect. I can push a button and say Apple TV, I bet.

[Trailgoat]

Agree, however, Utah has no where to go. Apple, Prime, whatever network is only a stop gap for the next 5-6 years or sooner before the entire system blows up consolidating into a 40 team super conference (or some variation) divided by regions run by Fox, ESPN, and NBC. What does this all mean for Utah, who knows? IMO, the current instability is a final, consolidation money grab as College football attendance and TV viewership continue to decline. The declining youth participation in football, college game attendance and TV college football viewership numbers is significant.

[UteHorn21]

This guy gets it. The Pac-12 is in pretty rough territory because all of the schools involved heavily relied on Southern California to thrive/survive. The mistake the underdog schools continue to make is limiting/making life hard for the blueblood and breadwinner of their conference. A lot of you get probably say f*ck USC and tbh a huge reason for the predicament that you’re in is because of that attitude towards the most important brand of the conference. The Big 12 made this same mistake.

People can pretend in their mind all they want, but Utah and USC are not equals in the grand scheme of college athletics. A lot of folks take that as a dig rather than just the way it is. So they fight it and do everything they can to “beat the Trojans” special uniforms, night games on Friday night, etc. This constant energy and the constant hurdles placed in front of the Trojans got old so they got TF out.

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