Colorado State University Athletics
Parker Pleased With Mountain West Media Rights Deal
1/9/2020 5:39:00 PM | RamWire
Joe Parker was one of five sitting athletic directors on league's television committee.
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – As part of the Mountain West television committee with four other athletic directors, Colorado State's Joe Parker said the focus of the group remained consistent since discussions started as far back as five years ago.
With Wednesday's announcement CBS Sports will remain a primary partner in a new six-year media rights agreement, with FOX Sports joining the package, Parker could not be happier about what it means for Colorado State and the conference.
"I think we landed in a very comfortable place with two very well-known media-broadcast companies," Parker said. "I like the involvement with FOX. They are making big investments in collegiate football, and I'm glad we're part of the portfolio to be with them. We're a partner that I think they're going to spend some time promoting and building awareness and telling our stories to fan bases so they understand who we are as a league."
Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said the length of the agreement was important, as not to extend too far out with an ever-changing landscape in broadcast possibilities. The $270 million contract extends a partnership with CBS Sports which began in 2005, and FOX Sports fills the secondary role long occupied by ESPN, which has been connected to the conference on and off (absent the Mountain West Network era) since the creation of the Mountain West in 1999.
"The deals will provide the conference with greater exposure and significantly increased revenue," Thompson said. "The most importantly, it strategically positions us for the next negotiations."
A key component is none of the primary providers in the agreement are using a subscription component, as it also comes with a price tag for the schools for picking up the production costs of those telecasts. Parker felt the aspect was important for the Colorado State fan base and conference wide.
"I like the fact that all of our broadcasts will be linear," he said. "None of our primary content will go behind a paywall, so that's not something any of our fans will have to experience. When you look to some other leagues, that's not the case."
A third tier of negotiations for other contests is ongoing, Thompson said, and those could include paywalls. In the past, those contracts have been picked up by regional networks and non-linear providers.
In football, CBS will air 23 games on CBS or CBS Sports Network, with a minimum of three games annually on CBS. It has a window limiting Friday games to just five, not including special dates (zero week, Labor Day weekend and Thanksgiving week). There will be 10 additional games available for the network.
FOX will carry the MW Championship game on FOX or FS1, which can be played either on Friday or Saturday. In the regular season, it will carry 16 to 23 games, with a minimum of seven games annually on FOX or FS1. It also carries the same five-game Friday window.
Parker noted game times will not change much, but CBS will not kickoff a game later than 8 p.m. locally, FOX no later than 7:45 p.m.
In basketball, CBS will air 32 games, including the championship game, which will be played on the main network. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be shown on CBS Sports Network. A minimum of two regular-season games will be on CBS, with 10 additional games available to them.
FOX networks will carry from 16-32 games, with a minimum of 12 annually on FOX or FS1. The remaining games will be on FS1 or FS2.
Between the two, Mountain West games will be on most nights of the week.
In the end, Parker said the initial conversations remained consistent through the process, bringing the Mountain West a more lucrative deal in the end.
"We always said control of kick times is what we wanted to see first and foremost," Parker said. "After that, we always said awareness and revenue. I feel really good about where we've landed. The financials for the entire league are much, much better than they were before."
With Wednesday's announcement CBS Sports will remain a primary partner in a new six-year media rights agreement, with FOX Sports joining the package, Parker could not be happier about what it means for Colorado State and the conference.
"I think we landed in a very comfortable place with two very well-known media-broadcast companies," Parker said. "I like the involvement with FOX. They are making big investments in collegiate football, and I'm glad we're part of the portfolio to be with them. We're a partner that I think they're going to spend some time promoting and building awareness and telling our stories to fan bases so they understand who we are as a league."
Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said the length of the agreement was important, as not to extend too far out with an ever-changing landscape in broadcast possibilities. The $270 million contract extends a partnership with CBS Sports which began in 2005, and FOX Sports fills the secondary role long occupied by ESPN, which has been connected to the conference on and off (absent the Mountain West Network era) since the creation of the Mountain West in 1999.
"The deals will provide the conference with greater exposure and significantly increased revenue," Thompson said. "The most importantly, it strategically positions us for the next negotiations."
A key component is none of the primary providers in the agreement are using a subscription component, as it also comes with a price tag for the schools for picking up the production costs of those telecasts. Parker felt the aspect was important for the Colorado State fan base and conference wide.
"I like the fact that all of our broadcasts will be linear," he said. "None of our primary content will go behind a paywall, so that's not something any of our fans will have to experience. When you look to some other leagues, that's not the case."
A third tier of negotiations for other contests is ongoing, Thompson said, and those could include paywalls. In the past, those contracts have been picked up by regional networks and non-linear providers.
In football, CBS will air 23 games on CBS or CBS Sports Network, with a minimum of three games annually on CBS. It has a window limiting Friday games to just five, not including special dates (zero week, Labor Day weekend and Thanksgiving week). There will be 10 additional games available for the network.
FOX will carry the MW Championship game on FOX or FS1, which can be played either on Friday or Saturday. In the regular season, it will carry 16 to 23 games, with a minimum of seven games annually on FOX or FS1. It also carries the same five-game Friday window.
Parker noted game times will not change much, but CBS will not kickoff a game later than 8 p.m. locally, FOX no later than 7:45 p.m.
In basketball, CBS will air 32 games, including the championship game, which will be played on the main network. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be shown on CBS Sports Network. A minimum of two regular-season games will be on CBS, with 10 additional games available to them.
FOX networks will carry from 16-32 games, with a minimum of 12 annually on FOX or FS1. The remaining games will be on FS1 or FS2.
Between the two, Mountain West games will be on most nights of the week.
In the end, Parker said the initial conversations remained consistent through the process, bringing the Mountain West a more lucrative deal in the end.
"We always said control of kick times is what we wanted to see first and foremost," Parker said. "After that, we always said awareness and revenue. I feel really good about where we've landed. The financials for the entire league are much, much better than they were before."
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