SEC Network Worth Same Amount as NBA, NHL, and MLB's Networks Combined

[NaturalStateReb]

Pretty amazing for a first year.  Doubles the Big 10 Network and dwarfs the Pac-12 Network.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/outkick-the-coverage/the-15-most-valuable-sports-networks-050715

[bigdaddyhawg]

That is awesome!!  Just more for everyone else to be jealous about!

Thanks for sharing this NSR.

[Calling All Hogs]

This is truly amazing. It will be interesting to see how this plays out as the cable/satellite industry declines and streaming TV takes over. I notice the SEC Network has already taken the lead and offers itself as an add on to Sling TV for about $5 a month.

[younghog]

That's HOG...

[WizardofhOgZ]

Travis gets a lot of heat in some quarters, but his writing on this subject has been pretty spot on.  The revenue projections he had in the story linked below - as the SEC Network was preparing to launch - was pretty close to what he reports in his latest article.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/outkick-the-coverage/sec-network-poised-to-be-fifth-most-lucrative-sports-network-in-country-072214

[Hawghiggs]

 Forgive me. But I couldn't find Longhorn Network on that list.  Surely the mighty Longhorns would be on that list.

[ricepig]

Forgive me. But I couldn't find Longhorn Network on that list.  Surely the mighty Longhorns would be on that list.

The are right behind the Lifetime Channel.

[GolfnHog]

 :

The are right behind the Lifetime Channel.

Damm Rice, was it really necessary to insult the "manhater" (Lifetime) chanel  like that? 

[WizardofhOgZ]

Forgive me. But I couldn't find Longhorn Network on that list.  Surely the mighty Longhorns would be on that list.

Here they are . . . "all hat and no cattle" . . . BWA-HA-HA-HA . . .

" . . . it's the worst television programming decision in ESPN history. The Longhorn Network has already cost ESPN tens of millions of dollars, and that cable money pit appears to have no end in sight."

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/outkick-the-coverage/the-longhorn-network-is-all-hat-no-cattle-051115

[atekido]

That is proof behind why the SEC is so big and dominant more times than not.  As a whole no other region in America has as rabid a fan base as the SEC.

[Tequilin' Time]

Hey B1G, that looked like that hurt.   Did that hurt?  man I bet that really hurt.

and the Longhorn network was last seen on a milk jug.

[JackJohnson]

And people everywhere STILL try to throw out scenarios where we leave for the Big 12 bc it is a "geographical fit"     

[jvanhorn]

Pretty amazing for a first year.  Doubles the Big 10 Network and dwarfs the Pac-12 Network.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/outkick-the-coverage/the-15-most-valuable-sports-networks-050715

I get what you are saying but to me MLB only means Fox Sports because that is where you watch the Royals and Cardinals.  Frankly it is the same with SEC for me.  If the Razorbacks have a game on I will watch, but in either case  I don't watch MLB or SEC for entertainment.  Hell, I know as much as a lot of those talking heads.  You can talk, talk, all you want but, sooner or later, two teams are going to take the field and decide things and, in the end, that is all that matter no matter how much you run your mouth.

[Hawghiggs]

Here they are . . . "all hat and no cattle" . . . BWA-HA-HA-HA . . .

" . . . it's the worst television programming decision in ESPN history. The Longhorn Network has already cost ESPN tens of millions of dollars, and that cable money pit appears to have no end in sight."

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/outkick-the-coverage/the-longhorn-network-is-all-hat-no-cattle-051115

Man that is telling. I would love to know if the guaranteed money from ESPN was set in stone or just a projection.  If it is set in stone. You would have to think that ESPN would be behind the seen trying to get UT into a different conference like the ACC or SEC.

[Hogwild]

This means the Longhorn Network, launched to strengthen Texas' competitive stature for a generation to come, actually strengthened its rivals more than it did Texas. The launch of the Longhorn Network was such a disaster that ESPN used it as a road map for what not to do when they launched the SEC Network. The result? The SEC Network was the most successful channel launch in cable history; the Longhorn Network remains the least successful cable launch in ESPN history.

Putting that number in a sports TV context, the Longhorn Network is on pace to do less revenue in 20 years than Mayweather-Pacquiao did in one night of pay-per-view boxing

[ChicoHog]

I can't believe the NBC sports network is that high.  I don't think I've ever watched it.  I watch CBS network, MLB, etc.,  but never the NBC network.  And golf Channel is much higher than I thought.  Probably because the average income of people watching that channel is much higher than others.  I love playing golf but don't enjoy watching it much. 

[PorkSoda]

Man that is telling. I would love to know if the guaranteed money from ESPN was set in stone or just a projection.  If it is set in stone. You would have to think that ESPN would be behind the seen trying to get UT into a different conference like the ACC or SEC.

It will be the death of the Big 12

[SooiecidetillNuttgone]

It will be the death of the Big 12

You're the first to mention it, but you could very well be right.  I have a few friends from my military service that are Big 12 followers, and their hatred for UT went stratospheric after the Longhorns cried and whined around about the network and how revenues would be split.

They wanted to bolt as well, especially after aTm transitioned into the SEC the way it did.

I honestly thought that with aTm, Nebraska, and Mizzou leaving, that the crumbling of the B1G was at hand.   Apparently, their partners in crime, OU, have artificially kept the roof on this pig sty.

Will this escapade continue, or will other schools start shopping?

Hell, for that matter, will the PAC even want UT at this point?  Now that the makeup has come off the crone, will an aging, prima donna cry-baby be worth the exposure (and headache) they'd bring?

[zane]

"But the SEC is overrated....."


Lol

[NaturalStateReb]

You're the first to mention it, but you could very well be right.  I have a few friends from my military service that are Big 12 followers, and their hatred for UT went stratospheric after the Longhorns cried and whined around about the network and how revenues would be split.

They wanted to bolt as well, especially after aTm transitioned into the SEC the way it did.

I honestly thought that with aTm, Nebraska, and Mizzou leaving, that the crumbling of the B1G was at hand.   Apparently, their partners in crime, OU, have artificially kept the roof on this pig sty.

Will this escapade continue, or will other schools start shopping?

Hell, for that matter, will the PAC even want UT at this point?  Now that the makeup has come off the crone, will an aging, prima donna cry-baby be worth the exposure (and headache) they'd bring?

The other schools can shop, but they won't find buyers.  Between the Big 12 grant of rights and their own small markets and fanbases, none of them are valuable enough.  The only one that might have a faint shot is Oklahoma State, but that's pretty doubtful.

[medloh]

Don't know what conference would have any interest in Ok St.  The Pac already said no thanks to a package deal of them and OU a couple years ago, so it seems unlikely anyone would take them alone.

If Texas and OU don't have big national success before the GOR is up, I bet they panic and move on from the B12.

[Exit Pursued by a Boar]

Don't know what conference would have any interest in Ok St.  The Pac already said no thanks to a package deal of them and OU a couple years ago, so it seems unlikely anyone would take them alone.

If Texas and OU don't have big national success before the GOR is up, I bet they panic and move on from the B12.

But it's the Longhorn Network.  What's in this mess for OU? Why does  it enable this madness?

EFBAB

[NaturalStateReb]

Don't know what conference would have any interest in Ok St.  The Pac already said no thanks to a package deal of them and OU a couple years ago, so it seems unlikely anyone would take them alone.

If Texas and OU don't have big national success before the GOR is up, I bet they panic and move on from the B12.

If the Big 12 falls apart, the SEC could have an interest in the Pokes if OU is out of the picture (departing for either the Pac 12 or B1G with Texas), particularly if Oklahoma State could be paired with an eastern team. 

Would they be the SEC's first pick?  Probably not.  But the Cowboys have been fairly successful in the big sports, they make some geographic sense, OKC and Tulsa are good TV markets, and the worry about T. Boone Pickens running everything will be gone since he'll probably be dead by 2025.

[Mick Hogger]

I actually chuckled out loud a few times in that article. The part about how MO and A&M are making more money off the SEC Network than Texas is making off theirs is pure gold.

[Inhogswetrust]

And people everywhere STILL try to throw out scenarios where we leave for the Big 12 bc it is a "geographical fit"     

I never understood it. We are just as much a geographic fit in the SEC.

[colemjh]

The Longhorn Network Is All Hat, No Cattle

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/outkick-the-coverage/the-longhorn-network-is-all-hat-no-cattle-051115

[medloh]

I don't know, but I kind of doubt the SEC would have any interest in Ok St under any circumstances.  They'll want flagship schools with strong academics.  Ok St is neither.  Pickens being dead means smaller donations.  Recent athletic success hasn't helped Boise or UConn find a good home.  Their stadium is smaller than everyone but Vandy.

My guess is they just don't make sense for the SEC even as a tag along with a blue chip.

If the Big 12 falls apart, the SEC could have an interest in the Pokes if OU is out of the picture (departing for either the Pac 12 or B1G with Texas), particularly if Oklahoma State could be paired with an eastern team. 

Would they be the SEC's first pick?  Probably not.  But the Cowboys have been fairly successful in the big sports, they make some geographic sense, OKC and Tulsa are good TV markets, and the worry about T. Boone Pickens running everything will be gone since he'll probably be dead by 2025.

[ricepig]

I don't know, but I kind of doubt the SEC would have any interest in Ok St under any circumstances.  They'll want flagship schools with strong academics.  Ok St is neither.  Pickens being dead means smaller donations.  Recent athletic success hasn't helped Boise or UConn find a good home.  Their stadium is smaller than everyone but Vandy.

My guess is they just don't make sense for the SEC even as a tag along with a blue chip.

Does Boone know he's dead, I saw him on TV the other day......

[NaturalStateReb]

I don't know, but I kind of doubt the SEC would have any interest in Ok St under any circumstances.  They'll want flagship schools with strong academics.  Ok St is neither.  Pickens being dead means smaller donations.  Recent athletic success hasn't helped Boise or UConn find a good home.  Their stadium is smaller than everyone but Vandy.

My guess is they just don't make sense for the SEC even as a tag along with a blue chip.

No doubt that's exactly what the SEC wants.  But just because we want a thing doesn't mean its always going to be available to us.  If the next round of expansion--even assuming there will be another round someday--demands that the league go to 16, we'll have to find the two best available schools.  Geographically, that list is small.  It's easy to imagine a scenario where OSU is on that list.

[BudweiserHog]

I can't believe the NBC sports network is that high.  I don't think I've ever watched it.  I watch CBS network, MLB, etc.,  but never the NBC network.  And golf Channel is much higher than I thought.  Probably because the average income of people watching that channel is much higher than others.  I love playing golf but don't enjoy watching it much.

The English Premier League is probably the fastest growing sport in the US as far as viewership. NBC has exclusive rights to that.

[medloh]

Why would it demand 16?  Nothing can demand the SEC do anything--the SEC is in charge of these things, not some external NCAA committee.

There has to be a concrete financial reason for a conference as strong as the SEC to expand.  It doesn't need stability.  It doesn't need some magic number of teams.  If a team can't increase the the per team paycheck from media deals, they are highly unlikely to be a candidate for SEC expansion.

No doubt that's exactly what the SEC wants.  But just because we want a thing doesn't mean its always going to be available to us.  If the next round of expansion--even assuming there will be another round someday--demands that the league go to 16, we'll have to find the two best available schools.  Geographically, that list is small.  It's easy to imagine a scenario where OSU is on that list.

[Hog N Bama]

The are right behind the Lifetime Channel.

Haha. Has the Longhorn network started showing Fat Guys in the Woods 24/7 yet?

[Hog N Bama]

:
Damm Rice, was it really necessary to insult the "manhater" (Lifetime) chanel  like that? 

+1

[NaturalStateReb]

Why would it demand 16?  Nothing can demand the SEC do anything--the SEC is in charge of these things, not some external NCAA committee.

There has to be a concrete financial reason for a conference as strong as the SEC to expand.  It doesn't need stability.  It doesn't need some magic number of teams.  If a team can't increase the the per team paycheck from media deals, they are highly unlikely to be a candidate for SEC expansion.

The idea that the SEC just controls everything is a pleasant illusion, but it's still an illusion.  The SEC doesn't want to just get on top--it wants to stay there.  If market forces begin to push leagues toward 16 teams, then the SEC will go to 16. 

The SEC doesn't just have to discover value like a miner discovers gold.  Being in the SEC actually creates value.  Consider the latest expansion:  it's inarguably true that Texas A&M and Missouri are worth more (in A&M's case, far, far more) than they were before switching leagues, and the SEC itself is worth much, much more.  The league is more than the sum of its individual parts.

Are there brands worth more than Oklahoma State?  Undoubtedly.  Personally, I think the SEC would rather expand east than west, with North Carolina being the main target.  However, I don't think we're ever going to pry schools like UNC or UVA away from the ACC, and as long as they're there, the ACC will remain viable.  I don't think Texas or Oklahoma have any interest in joining the SEC, and will likely bolt for the Pac-12 or B1G if they have to make a move.

So, the field of potential candidates if the SEC decides to expand starts to narrow quickly.  If the ACC holds together, that list pretty much comes down to Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Baylor, TCU, and Kansas.

[hoghiker]

TAMU and Mizzou did add value to SEC as well as enhance their own value beyond their Big 12 (or whatever) net worth. Texas Shaggy Bevo fans are arguing otherwise but this really isn't disputed by anyone else but to say any team added will "create value" is arguably not true. I don't buy it.

[Boarmonger]

I don't see any value added by Baylor, TCU, Ok State or Kansas.  The SEC is already in Tx so no additional viewers.  The SEC already has KC so what does KU bring?  You might say basketball and there might be some value there but the money train is in football; that seems to be driving everything.  It seems to me that expansion will have to be eastward.  I would love to add KU just from a basketball standpoint and we'd finally get a conference breather in football but I don't know that we'd get much else.

[NaturalStateReb]

I don't see any value added by Baylor, TCU, Ok State or Kansas.  The SEC is already in Tx so no additional viewers.  The SEC already has KC so what does KU bring?  You might say basketball and there might be some value there but the money train is in football; that seems to be driving everything.  It seems to me that expansion will have to be eastward.  I would love to add KU just from a basketball standpoint and we'd finally get a conference breather in football but I don't know that we'd get much else.

The next step won't be about adding households.  The SEC Network is already a national channel, thanks to ESPN.  It's going to be about increasing the brand.  That is, creating meaningful matchups that people want to watch on the SEC Network, both during and after football season.

I think there are arguments and counterarguements for all of these schools.  For instance, with a team like Kansas, you'd get high quality basketball in a league that seriously needs to drive viewership in the offseason, and you'd get yet another flagship school that's an AAU member.  The downside is that you'll get a terrible football program in a place that's a poor cultural fit.

IMO, of the schools I listed above, West Virginia and Oklahoma State bring the greatest likelihood of increasing the brand's value.

[NaturalStateReb]

TAMU and Mizzou did add value to SEC as well as enhance their own value beyond their Big 12 (or whatever) net worth. Texas Shaggy Bevo fans are arguing otherwise but this really isn't disputed by anyone else but to say any team added will "create value" is arguably not true. I don't buy it.

I don't claim that any team will help create value, although I think the ones I listed above have the potential.

[Boarmonger]

The next step won't be about adding households.  The SEC Network is already a national channel, thanks to ESPN.  It's going to be about increasing the brand.  That is, creating meaningful matchups that people want to watch on the SEC Network, both during and after football season.

I think there are arguments and counterarguements for all of these schools.  For instance, with a team like Kansas, you'd get high quality basketball in a league that seriously needs to drive viewership in the offseason, and you'd get yet another flagship school that's an AAU member.  The downside is that you'll get a terrible football program in a place that's a poor cultural fit.

IMO, of the schools I listed above, West Virginia and Oklahoma State bring the greatest likelihood of increasing the brand's value.

I think the key is still to increase value.  Maybe your point to increase the value of the offseason is the key.  I don't see a lot of opportunity to increase value unless we pulled UVA or UNC for football season.  It makes some sense to increase the viewership for basketball and OSU to some degree and KU fit that bill though WVU does as well.  The law of diminishing returns will affect the football side; I don't know how that's going to get much better.  I, for one, would like to see additional focus on basketball.

[NaturalStateReb]

I think the key is still to increase value.  Maybe your point to increase the value of the offseason is the key.  I don't see a lot of opportunity to increase value unless we pulled UVA or UNC for football season.  It makes some sense to increase the viewership for basketball and OSU to some degree and KU fit that bill though WVU does as well.  The law of diminishing returns will affect the football side; I don't know how that's going to get much better.  I, for one, would like to see additional focus on basketball.

UNC would be an absolute home run.  I think the ACC would have to fall apart to get them though. 

Would love to see UNC + just about anybody.  UVA, VT, NC State, Duke, Okie State, WVU, you name it.

[josh_sec33]

If they had thujone from Shaggybevo do a monthly animated recap of the last month of texass sports on the LHN...I'd watch that. That dude is funny. Completely not safe for broadcast cable, but i'd so watch it. or at least DVR it if it's shown at 3 am.