The Pac-12 has already tried to be the visionary conference, the league which did things differently and tried to carve out a different slice of the media universe.

Pac-12 Network was supposed to be revolutionary. We say “supposed to” because it never actually did change the game the way the Pac-12 hoped it would. Yet, at the very start, the idea attached to Pac-12 Network was intriguing and ultimately worth a try. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” as the saying goes.

The Pac-12 fully owned Pac-12 Network, meaning that all of its revenues stayed in house. None were shared by ESPN or Fox or other media partners. This was the Pac-12’s baby, its pride and joy. Internal production, internal management, internal control, internally shared profits with no middlemen or outsiders. The concept seemed great.

It just wasn’t executed well.

In 2018, it was apparent that the original revenue-keeping concept of the Pac-12 Network was not going to work out. The Pac-12’s inability to get on DirecTV limited revenue and essentially undercut the larger plan. It wasn’t worth keeping 100 percent of a much smaller revenue pie, within a context marked by millions of Americans with DirecTV not being able to access Pac-12 Network. That was when the Pac-12 needed to hand the keys to ESPN, share revenue, but gain the visibility it had lacked for several years. Larry Scott said no, and now here we are, with USC and UCLA about to depart for the Big Ten and the Pac-12 wondering how to survive.

Now we have new developments which — if the Pac-12 wants to be creative with a new set of media rights deals — represent an obstacle to George Kliavkoff.

Let’s unpack this story for you:

YOUTUBE TV OUTAGE DURING THE NBA EAST FINALS

NFL FANS AND JOURNALISTS ARE ALREADY WORRIED

TURNER BROADCASTING ISN'T HAPPY -- YOU CAN BE SURE OF THAT

OUTAGE WAS WIDESPREAD

WHAT PEOPLE SAW ON SCREEN

PEOPLE WILL DEMAND REFUNDS, PRICE POINTS COULD BE AFFECTED

THE STAKES ARE HIGH

KEEP IN MIND THAT NETFLIX HAD A RECENT OUTAGE DURING A LIVE SHOW (NOT A SPORTS EVENT)

MEDIA ANALYSTS NOTICED

KLIAVKOFF IN A BIND

Dec 3, 2021; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff speaks before the 2021 Pac-12 Championship Game between the Oregon Ducks and the Utah Utes at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

We don’t have to explain too much at this point. If streaming services can’t reliably deliver live events, the Pac-12 can’t invest too much in this part of the broadcasting and media rights realm. It probably needs a streaming service to diversify its menu of options and add a paying customer to boost revenue, but it can’t make digital or streaming the cornerstone of its whole media rights plan.

Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire