George Kliavkoff remarks suggest Pac-12 media rights deal is essentially done
This is exhausting.
The Pac-12, still not in possession of a media rights deal or a signed grant of rights from the 10 schools that will be members after USC and UCLA leave for the Big Ten, is lingering in limbo.
Fans, journalists and other stakeholders in the college sports industry want to see the Pac-12 land the plane and arrive at a place of clarity and finality on all of the issues swirling around the conference since June 30, 2022, when the USC-UCLA bombshell hit the headlines.
Friday morning at Pac-12 media day, Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff made his long-awaited public appearance and remarks after months of radio silence. Kliavkoff, buried in negotiations and understandably not wanting to comment at all until a deal was done (or at least close to done), has kept an appropriately low profile for a long time. However, media day is meant for presenting a strong public face and a healthy, robust image to the wider world and the larger college sports community.
It would seem natural to want to announce a media rights deal, especially if the results are great. That would create positive buzz and brighten the mood for all the coaches and players assembled in Las Vegas, not to mention other coaches and athletes in the entire conference.
To be clear, if outside industry forces (ESPN needing to negotiate an equity-sharing agreement with Comcast, Apple or Amazon) need to run their course for a few more weeks before the Pac-12 can sign and finalize its pending deals, fine. Everyone can understand that. Kliavkoff could have said something to that effect (even without being overly direct about it).
Instead, Kliavkoff said this:
George Kliavkoff: "We are not announcing the TV deal today on purpose because I want the focus to be on football."
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) July 21, 2023
Here was the follow-up:
Wait. So the deal is done? #Pac12's George Kliavkoff is asked to clarify.
"I think you're reading too much into that." https://t.co/7evJLDUlT3
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) July 21, 2023
A reasonable person would indeed infer that Kliavkoff’s remarks point to the completion — or near-completion — of a media rights deal, and that the Pac-12 is simply waiting for the right time to make that particular announcement. Yet, Kliavkoff chose to be more ambiguous, not less.
It’s obviously frustrating for a lot of people, and it allows outside observers to continue to wonder what is truly going on behind the scenes. Pac-12 media day offered the possibility of getting more clarity on everything. While one could say Kliavkoff’s remarks added clarity (a deal seems to be almost certainly on the horizon at this point), they haven’t lifted the veil and given all of us a true understanding of what’s going on.
That’s what we all wanted. We’ll obviously have to wait a little longer to get the fuller story on this prolonged saga, which still has more chapters left to be written.
