The Pacific-12 Conference officially agreed on a 12-year media rights deal with Fox Network and ESPN on Wednesday, according to a press release from the University athletic department.
The agreement, which begins in 2012, ensures that every conference football and basketball game will be televised, in no small part because of the creation of a brand new Pac-12 Network that will cover “up to 350 live events, ancillary sports and academic programming.” The network is also set to launch in fall 2012.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205146795@@
“We congratulate Larry Scott and his team for delivering on a grand scale for our conference, our university, our student-athletes and fans,” Oregon athletic director Rob Mullens said in a statement. “The new agreements dramatically increase our national exposure while providing a solid, long-term financial foundation to help ensure we remain self-sufficient.”
Indeed, Oregon officials claim that the financial windfall will allow the athletic department to continue to fund itself without outside assistance. For the first time in conference history, according to the Pac-12’s new release, each school will share media revenue equally.
Though the terms of the deal remain undisclosed, The Register-Guard’s George Schroeder reported that Oregon would pocket around $21 million per year.
The partnership with ESPN and Fox, meanwhile, will allow for more national exposure from two of the nation’s largest broadcasters.
“We are especially delighted to be strengthening and expanding our relationship with ESPN and Fox Sports,” Scott said in the Pac-12 news release. “With this agreement, we will deliver our events over two broadcast networks and at least five premier national cable platforms.”
Pac-12 media deal will net Oregon athletic department $21 million a year
Daily Emerald
May 3, 2011