A huge opportunity for NBC

[pf9]

Since 1991, NBC has been televising Notre Dame's home games. In the first 15 years of this partnership, NBC had at least one bowl game on their FBS schedule too, including some major bowls in the first five years. But ND is all that NBC has had since the 2006 season. When NBC began televising ND games, the Irish were only three years removed from their last national title. But now the drought is at 31 years, longest among all collective P5 conference memberships if ND is considered its own conference, and 16 years longer than the second-longest such drought, the Pac-12.

Though NBC gained a sister cable sports network, Versus (now NBCSN), in 2011, the channel had already lost its share of Big 12 rights, and would lose its share of Pac-12 rights after 2011, leaving ND as the only P5 school on NBC.

NBC, understandably, has been frustrated at the fact that ND has not won a title since beginning their partnership with the network, and it is possible that push will come to shove in 2025 and NBC may drop ND if they don't win a national title by then.

But, they could keep ND regardless if something huge happens for the 2024 season.

CBS will end its relationship with the SEC, arguably the best CFB conference, after the 2023 season, which I'm kind of disappointed about since I wanted CBS to expand its relationship with the SEC by putting games on CBSSN as that network's first P5 rights.

But it also opens the door for NBC to win the SEC rights once held by CBS. Given ND's lack of a title for over three decades, they'd jump at the chance to air SEC games too.

I think NBC has been wanting to add more P5 rights for some time. When a new Big Ten TV deal was in the works to start in 2017, I'm willing to bet that NBC fought hard to get some of these rights, given Ohio State had just won a national title in 2014, but, much to NBC's frustration, ultimately lost to ESPN/ABC and Fox Sports.

I think if NBC gets the SEC game of the week package, they'll keep ND regardless of when they win their next national title. If not, they'll decide they'd rather have no CFB than a team who has the longest collective title drought among all P5 conferences.

So, I'm hoping NBC lands the SEC. ND should too, for their sake.

Edited February 23, 2020 by pf9

[AlexGreen#20]

I feel like pulling 2.3 million views regardless of opponent or quality of their team is impressive. There's a whole bunch of old white people in the Midwest who love them some mediocre Irish football. 

Is it even more profitable for NBC to sign the bigger contract for what would probably be somewhat similar viewership on a week to week basis?

[pf9]

If NBC were to land the SEC, all of ND's home games could be moved to night to accommodate the SEC games. And in at least some of the weeks ND is on the road, NBC could air some primetime SEC games. This is one of the rights CBS doesn't have in their current SEC contract, right now they can only televise one SEC game at night. The other right that CBS doesn't have that NBC could potentially get is first pick in weeks one and two. This was a remnant of when CBS normally televised the tennis US Open these weeks. CBS can right now only sub-license during the first two weeks, which has denied them such games as Clemson-Texas A&M in 2018 (Clemson had not appeared on CBS in the regular season since 1989), which ultimately denied CBS the ability to have televised the eventual national champion for 2018 at least once, something that would have occurred had Alabama won the title game that year (they were on CBS multiple times).

I'm surprised about CBS breaking up with the SEC, because I felt if they had continued past 2023, they could get the aforementioned rights that they do not have now. So now NBC potentially has the ability to gain these rights.

But of course, this could set up CBS getting a share of rights to the Big 12 when that conference's TV rights are up for grabs in a few years. It's very likely another ViacomCBS network would also be involved in CBS's potential Big 12 rights. The Paramount Network would definitely be involved, gaining the Big 12's RSN package but also some of the games that currently air on the ESPN cable networks. A few games could also air on CBS Sports Network, finally giving that network some P5 rights.

[pf9]

Now that I think of it, NBC should televise SEC games at night in all the weeks ND is on the road or has a bye week, which would give NBC 6-7 additional SEC games in addition to the late afternoon games (and occasional noon games like CBS is televising now). NBC would also televise Arkansas-Missouri on Black Friday afternoon, and they could air an SEC game in primetime on Black Friday, which could end up being an annual Black Friday primetime telecast of Oklahoma-Oklahoma State if those two join the SEC.

I still expect WarnerMedia to gain a share of the SEC's cable rights, through airing games on TNT and taking over operations of the SEC Network.

Edited February 23, 2020 by pf9

[naptownskinsfan]

I can't see Disney giving up control of the SEC Network and their 70 million subscribers.  

[pf9]

Charlotte, the market where the SEC Network is currently headquartered, is "barely" an SEC market - the NC counties aren't within the SEC footprint, but the SC counties are, but none of them contain USC which is in the Columbia market. In fact Charlotte is much more strongly associated with the ACC, who stages their football title game among other championships in the city.

On the other hand, if WarnerMedia were to take over the SEC Network, they'd probably move the network's operations to Atlanta, which is fully entrenched as an SEC market - the city hosts several SEC championships including football, and Athens, the location of UGA, is also in the Atlanta market. I'm sure this would be what the SEC wants.

Edited February 24, 2020 by pf9