beIN Sports to broadcast 10 C-USA football games (Update)
Update: 5/24 - 4:50 p.m.
beIN Sports announced further details about its deal with Conference USA. The network said in a release it will broadcast 10 Conference USA football games this upcoming season.
Additionally, the network will broadcast "10 men's basketball games, 10 women's basketball games, 12 baseball games, 12 softball games, 10 men's soccer matches, 10 women's soccer matches and 10 volleyball matches" featuring C-USA schools.
"We are very excited about the potential of this partnership with beIN SPORTS," C-USA commissioner Judy MacLeod said in a release. "We are impressed with their quality production and the rapid growth of the network, and we are honored to be their first collegiate conference to build relationships among the fans of our sports."
Original story: 5/17 - 5:30 p.m.
Conference USA’s new television deal reportedly spans four networks, but its value is expected to significantly decline.
Chuck Landon of the Huntington Herald-Dispatch broke down the situation in a weekend column, becoming the latest to report that ESPN has re-entered the picture – for a mere five games. The league parted ways with ESPN back in 2011, opting for a five-year deal with Fox Sports instead. But now, Landon reports, Fox “has pulled completely out.”
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That does not leave many appealing options, and the league, Landon wrote, is “desperate.”
So where will C-USA turn? From the Herald-Dispatch:
ESPN will get its pick of the first five C-USA games. Marshall University is expected to appear in one of those games. Then, CBS Sports Network will receive the second five choices.
The league's third television partner is the American Sports Network, which is expected to televise 15 to 20 games. There is also a fourth television partner, according to sources, that hasn't been announced. What also hasn't been announced is some games will be played on Thursday and Friday nights.
It was revealed Monday that the fourth network involved is beIN Sports, a cable network that normally focuses on soccer (Spain’s La Liga and Italy’s Serie A, specifically). The network reportedly revealed the news in a presentation with advertisers on Monday and later confirmed via press release.
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In its release, the network, which reportedly averaged “just 15,000 total-day viewers” during this year’s first quarter, says college basketball is also involved. The release does not specifically mention Conference USA.
Additional first-time-ever properties of U.S. College Football and Basketball were also announced helping to amplify beIN SPORTS’ domestic offerings. Both will be available on the English Channel and streamed live on beIN SPORTS CONNECT starting this Fall. Moreover, to align with our college sports programming, the network will be launching a Radio/TV show that will embrace the social nature of sports and engage fans thru Social TV.
As for C-USA’s contract as a whole, Landon reported it’s slated to be $7 million “at the most,” a significant reduction in allocated money from previous years.
From the Herald-Dispatch:
At the most, C-USA's new television contract could be worth $7 million. That would lead to revenue distribution of $538,400 per school. At the worst, C-USA's new pact could be in the neighborhood of $5.5 million. Divide that 13 ways and it calculates to $423,000 per school.
Either way, it's a far cry from the $1.1 million Marshall and each of the other C-USA schools had been receiving annually.
That creates a real financial crunch for everyone. Yet, C-USA commissioner Judy MacLeod says although television revenue will decrease, the number of televised league games will increase. I think she meant that as a positive, but I hope MacLeod realizes this means the value of a C-USA football game has plummeted.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
