Notre Dame and NBC renew football partnership through 2025.

[Lou_C]

Won't some of the NBC-broadcast ND home games have to be against ACC teams? Have ESPN and NBC cut a deal, perhaps?

Really, what this contract really ends is the prospect of ND joining as a full member with equal revenue sharing.

This is accurate. And this was even more of a pipe dream than ND joining for football. I've been following this for years, and I never expected that Notre Dame would share all revenue equally as part of the ACC. I've always expected they were going to need concessions, up to and including the right to monetize their home games on NBC.

The best we can hope for is an arrangement like the Big 12 where at least the rules are the same, even if the outcomes aren't. Technically, anyone in the Big 12 can start their own Longhorn Network, even though they can't in reality. All they can do is get the best they can with the same rules. And they do to a varying degree.

My speculation is that ND would have to be allowed to "buy out" by forfeiting a portion of ACC revenue distribution to retain the rights to broadcast on NBC and take money from NBC. As long as every other school had the same rights, I dont' have a problem with it. Nobody would be able to get the same deal as Notre Dame, and probably nobody but a few would be able to turn it into anything more that what they're getting already. But as long as we all had the option, I wouldn't complain about it.

It would be extremely complicated, and it's so fanciful it's not worth travelling too far down that road. But there were always going to have to be concessions/arrangements to accomodate ND.

 

[Todd Gack]

We can sell more season tickets with Notre Dame on the schedule and since season tickets are cheap it helps SU get more people to other games. C'mon you are better than that and you know what my point was.

If you're only buying season tickets because Syracuse is playing Notre Dame, it seems to me your greater interest is in Notre Dame, not Syracuse (i.e., you're not buying tickets for games you don't care about).

 

[dasher]

Listen, Dasher I don't want to debate you as I like your posts and if you disagree with me fine, but I am giving my opinion. I don't WANT TO BE RIGHT, but I am a realist and don't sugarcoat my feelings if they are negative I am sorry, but my opinions have some sense in them.

Alsacs, you misunderstand me. I don't disagree with you. I don't agree with you. I am just saying not enough info yet. Arb says we need to wait just a little longer. Okay by me. I just want to wait until things play out/.

 

[GoSU96]

Tell me champ do you think the ACC network will be carried nationally on most cable providers basic tier like BTN, Pac-12 or the upcoming SEC network, and if you do you must have a lot of faith in ESPN cramming 2 new networks down cable companies throats.

I have no idea, and here's the thing, neither do you. You however jump to conclusions without all the facts at first blush.

 

[cuseinchina]

Perhaps the lack of carriage issue is why we keep hearing about the 'digital option' for the ACC network. With internet-enable TVs rapidly penetrating the market it might not be such a bad way to go.

 

[Alsacs]

I have no idea, and here's the thing, neither do you. You however jump to conclusions without all the facts at first blush.

Again no where I have said I am 100% right I have said numerous posts what I am saying is my opinion, but my opinion has some basis supporting it. I am not going to be positive if the outlook is negative. I am not negative person for the hell of it instead I am a realist and tell it the way I see it. Without Notre Dame football on ESPN in my opinion, again in my opinion the ACC network will be a lot more difficult to be successful and will need ESPN willing to cram 2 new college networks down cable subscribers throats and risk ESPNU losing value. Does this sound better? No where I am saying my opinion is a lock to happen, but what I am saying has facts supporting it. Without ESPN cramming the ACC network on cable the network is likely to lose a lot of money and will fail unless as cuseinchina said the digital content online saves it.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

I think you have it right.

Once again Notre Dame is all for Notre Dame.

Hard to root for such a selfish organization - truly selfish - the Golden Dome should be the photo next to the word in the Oxford Dictionary.

Yuck.

You might as well hang a picture of the Carrier Dome next to the Golden Dome.

Because Syracuse was only thinking of its' own self-interests when it abandoned the BE and accepted the ACC offer.

It's a good thing that Cantor and Gross weren't thinking of poor UConn and USF when they made that truely selfish decision.

 

[Chris02M]

Tell me champ do you think the ACC network will be carried nationally on most cable providers basic tier like BTN, Pac-12 or the upcoming SEC network, and if you do you must have a lot of faith in ESPN cramming 2 new networks down cable companies throats.

BTN,PAC 12 NETWORK AND SEC NETWORK WONT /ARENT ON BASIC EXCEPT IN THE FOOTPRINT OF THE SAID CONFERENCE

 

[Alsacs]

BTN,PAC 12 NETWORK AND SEC NETWORK WONT /ARENT ON BASIC EXCEPT IN THE FOOTPRINT OF THE SAID CONFERENCE

BTN is on DirecTV nationally, and while its not official yet because of the tragedy in Boston, but the SEC deal will likely be national. I don't know that yet but when the SEC deal comes out we will find out if DirecTV will put SEC network like BTN.

 

[GoSU96]

Again no where I have said I am 100% right I have said numerous posts what I am saying is my opinion, but my opinion has some basis supporting it. I am not going to be positive if the outlook is negative. I am not negative person for the hell of it instead I am a realist and tell it the way I see it. Without Notre Dame football on ESPN in my opinion, again in my opinion the ACC network will be a lot more difficult to be successful and will need ESPN willing to cram 2 new college networks down cable subscribers throats and risk ESPNU losing value. Does this sound better? No where I am saying my opinion is a lock to happen, but what I am saying has facts supporting it. Without ESPN cramming the ACC network on cable the network is likely to lose a lot of money and will fail unless as cuseinchina said the digital content online saves it.

Here is your first statement.

"Realistically Notre Dame just killed any chance for an ACC network to be successful."

That's a conclusion built on nothing but your speculation about what ESPN is willing or not willing to do because ND is not a 100% content partner.

Pretty slender foundation to build that first statement on. You don't have any idea how costs and risks would be allocated, you have no idea what business model is, or what the market analysis is telling the parties.

 

[GoSU96]

BTN is on DirecTV nationally, and while its not official yet because of the tragedy in Boston, but the SEC deal will likely be national. I don't know that yet but when the SEC deal comes out we will find out if DirecTV will put SEC network like BTN.

Direct TV isn't cable.

 

[chakka3421]

Actually the more important question to ask is where does SU sit in all of this and conference realignment - the recent success in both Football and Basketball leaves me with good feelings about SU's future when the dust finally settles.

We do get a lot of eyeballs when we win (Pinstripe Bowl & Final Four especially).

 

[Alsacs]

Actually the more important question to ask is where does SU sit in all of this and conference realignment - the recent success in both Football and Basketball leaves me with good feelings about SU's future when the dust finally settles.

We do get a lot of eyeballs when we win (Pinstripe Bowl & Final Four especially).

Syracuse brand is strong, and as we continue improving on the gridiron it will get better. Doug Marrone helped fix the ship and for that we fans are thankful that our football program is on the proper trajectory, our basketball team will be fine because of the Dome and playing in front of all those fans. In the conference realignment world we are in a better position than we have ever been, but that is as long as the ACC can keep Florida State and North Carolina happy. As long as the money is close enough for those schools to be happy the conference will be fine.

 

[Btstimpy]

...and it basically indicates that Notre Dame is not going to any conference all in for football any time soon... However, the 5 games a year with ACC teams is 42% of Notre Dame's football games a year and 62% of a full ACC team...The ACC received a $$$ kick of over $1,000,000 per team per year and still has the rights to all other ND sports for Network content if it chooses to have a network...it is going to happen...there will be additional benefit of having Notre Dame as an associate football team...be patient...it is going to surprise and be good...I am confident.

Now you have my imagination running wild. I speculate that it is going to involve something to do with the Big XII and/or Texas. The ACC/Big XII Alliance thing has already been floated out there with no details around it.

 

[rrlbees]

If someone doesn't go to Dome games because SU plays one marquee game a year at the MetLife they're an idiot.

Well its a fact because a lot of fans look at it as selling the program out and not putting together top notch dome schedules like we used too. Perception means a lot.

Sent using my Commodore 64

 

[Todd Gack]

Well its a fact because a lot of fans look at it as selling the program out and not putting together top notch dome schedules like we used too. Perception means a lot.

Sent using my Commodore 64

Ballpark the number of fans who are not going to attend any games and/or buy season tickets because they can't see Notre Dame in the Dome. I'd venture that the money made by playing at MetLife -- not to mention the accompanying benefits like playing nearer to NJ recruits -- is more than that would be made off them. Either way, there is certainly nothing laudable about their "fandom."

 

[IthacaMatt]

...and it basically indicates that Notre Dame is not going to any conference all in for football any time soon... However, the 5 games a year with ACC teams is 42% of Notre Dame's football games a year and 62% of a full ACC team...The ACC received a $$$ kick of over $1,000,000 per team per year and still has the rights to all other ND sports for Network content if it chooses to have a network...it is going to happen...there will be additional benefit of having Notre Dame as an associate football team...be patient...it is going to surprise and be good...I am confident.

I'm sorry, but it's Big East Redux. All the same problems, and eventually all the same instability

 

[IthacaMatt]

Well its a fact because a lot of fans look at it as selling the program out and not putting together top notch dome schedules like we used too. Perception means a lot.

Sent using my Commodore 64

If the tickets for the Giants Stadium game was in the ticket package, or available as an option at a reasonable price as an add-on, then that would be fine.

The issue becomes, "what games are you offering the fan at the Dome"? You can say all you want, but it impacts ticket sales. We ought to see an extra 5,000 a year based on playing ACC teams just in terms of brand name quality. Good teams in the Dome make lifelong memories. It's how you hook fans, not by playing against Buffalo and Stony Brook and South Florida and UConn and Cincinnati. Faceless bland no-name programs.

At the end of the day, moving 1 game a year to a marquee location isn't that bad when you've got other appealing home games to offer. Now that we're in the ACC, we are assured of a top 10 team like Florida State every other year. Clemson isn't as big a name up here as they think they are nationally, but still that's an appealing game. Pitt and BC are still there for stability and tradition. We will play Va Tech or Miami every other year or so. This was obviously a much bigger issue when we had such a crappy home schedule as we did before the lifeboat arrived.

And the team is turning the corner on getting quality athletes again, and getting truly competitive. I think we are pretty well suited for the upcoming season, even with all the change that's taken place. The thing I'm most concerned about is losing the 2 breaking and entering knuckleheads who got kicked off the team. Geez, that's real ghetto of them to do that to their neighbors, first of all, but damn, we could have been very deep on the D line, and now , well we can still be good, but we won't be as deep, and a few guys will be asked to step up more than we planned on. So that's to worry about.

I'm happy the Okie kid Allen is coming in at QB and that Hunt has gained separation on Handsome Charlie. Allen is pretty damn handsome himself, too, but who knows, maybe we wind up with a "handsome off" for second place behind Terrell when we break summer camp on Labor Day?

 

[rocklloyd]

Ballpark the number of fans who are not going to attend any games and/or buy season tickets because they can't see Notre Dame in the Dome. I'd venture that the money made by playing at MetLife -- not to mention the accompanying benefits like playing nearer to NJ recruits -- is more than that would be made off them. Either way, there is certainly nothing laudable about their "fandom."

I totally agree that MetLife was net positive for the program financially. However the issue is the 20k fairweathers we need to fill the dome. They''re fragile and use the MetLife USC game as an excuse to not renew seasons. Out of 5 people I polled at work. 3 renewed tickets last year and 2 were pissed at the scheduling. All 5 of them are what I consider fairweathers. Winning fixes all of this. We're getting closer.

 

[Alsacs]

Ballpark the number of fans who are not going to attend any games and/or buy season tickets because they can't see Notre Dame in the Dome. I'd venture that the money made by playing at MetLife -- not to mention the accompanying benefits like playing nearer to NJ recruits -- is more than that would be made off them. Either way, there is certainly nothing laudable about their "fandom."

LOL you realize the game at Metlife was a failure last year there weren't 40k at that stadium. If we are going to play home games in Metlife then move the whole university down there. The benefit of playing games in Metlife isn't that much now because we have ACC TV money coming in so we don't need that paycheck as much now. Name 1 NJ we signed in this 2013 class that we can point to the games in NJ. The people in favor of the Metlife games are the NYC/NJ crowd and while I don't mind an occasional game at Metlife these ND games a joke and don't need to played the Penn State game this year is awesome. If Notre Dame was on the home schedule we would get more people interested in going to games at the Dome. SU basketball gets more local support than SU football and the reason why is because SU basketball has a winning brand behind it until SU football has a winning brand we need whatever we can to get people to go to the Dome, and a Notre Dame game in Syracuse would help.
Note: I have no problem playing an ACC Atlantic division game at Metlife or playing neutral site games there I just think its stupid to move premium home opponent to Metlife.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I totally agree that MetLife was net positive for the program financially. However the issue is the 20k fairweathers we need to fill the dome. They''re fragile and use the MetLife USC game as an excuse to not renew seasons. Out of 5 people I pulled at work. 3 renewed tickets last year and 2 were pissed at the scheduling. All 5 of them are what I consider fairweathers. Winning fixes all of this. We're getting closer.

You're right. If we start winning and string together a few consecutive bowl seasons, we can make the Dome a good place on Saturdays again. It's not that far away.

 

[IthacaMatt]

LOL you realize the game at Metlife was a failure last year there weren't 40k at that stadium. If we are going to play home games in Metlife then move the whole university down there. The benefit of playing games in Metlife isn't that much now because we have ACC TV money coming in so we don't need that paycheck as much now. Name 1 NJ we signed in this 2013 class that we can point to the games in NJ. The people in favor of the Metlife games are the NYC/NJ crowd and while I don't mind an occasional game at Metlife these ND games a joke and don't need to played the Penn State game this year is awesome. If Notre Dame was on the home schedule we would get more people interested in going to games at the Dome. SU basketball gets more local support than SU football and the reason why is because SU basketball has a winning brand behind it until SU football has a winning brand we need whatever we can to get people to go to the Dome, and a Notre Dame game in Syracuse would help.
Note: I have no problem playing an ACC Atlantic division game at Metlife or playing neutral site games there I just think its stupid to move premium home opponent to Metlife.

There was a very solid turnout when they came here, the atmosphere was great, and we kicked their tails. Historic win in a very dark period. I loved when we beat them out there too, when Art got all those sacks, IIRC. That's how memories are made.

 

[Todd Gack]

LOL you realize the game at Metlife was a failure last year there weren't 40k at that stadium. If we are going to play home games in Metlife then move the whole university down there. The benefit of playing games in Metlife isn't that much now because we have ACC TV money coming in so we don't need that paycheck as much now. Name 1 NJ we signed in this 2013 class that we can point to the games in NJ. The people in favor of the Metlife games are the NYC/NJ crowd and while I don't mind an occasional game at Metlife these ND games a joke and don't need to played the Penn State game this year is awesome. If Notre Dame was on the home schedule we would get more people interested in going to games at the Dome. SU basketball gets more local support than SU football and the reason why is because SU basketball has a winning brand behind it until SU football has a winning brand we need whatever we can to get people to go to the Dome, and a Notre Dame game in Syracuse would help.
Note: I have no problem playing an ACC Atlantic division game at Metlife or playing neutral site games there I just think its stupid to move premium home opponent to Metlife.

A few questions:

Was it a failure financially? And can a program have too much money?

Where did I say the payoff in playing in NJ would be immediate or unfailing? (We didn't sign Mike Hart either.)

What makes you think ND would've agreed to play in the Dome this time around? Are we better playing them on their terms or not at all (and replacing them with Arizona State ... the locals won't complain about that (yes, I'm being sarcastic))? To say it's better to play them is a totally valid point of view.

Re-read the Donnie Webb article from 2009 announcing the series -- http://blog.syracuse.com/orangefootball/2009/08/syracuse_will_play_usc_notre_d.html -- Gross relays that he understands the concerns expressed here, and still determined it was worth it. That's good enough for me.

 

[arbitragegls]

At least let us know whether the folks in the ACC were aware that in the end ND was going to re-sign with NBC. They could not have not seen that coming, right? Surely any talk of an ACC network could not have reasonably expected to include ND home games and/or the rights to re-broadcast those home games and would have only included ABC/ESPN's rights to ND away games. Is this incorrect?

Correct...
This was not a surprise to either ACC or ESPN....note that the ESPN $$$ for upping the TV rights for ACC came first...and the thought this could be the case with ND going to NBC...so the following was based on NBC getting the ND home contract:
...remember that the projection for Notre Dame dollar increase to ACC was going to be between $1-$2 million per team...it was based on 5 or 6 games...the 3-2 or 2-3 games considered ACC home games will be paid for by ESPN and would easily be played/replayed on an ACC Network...TV rights belong to ESPN and or ESPN/ACC network.
What is of note, is that the ACC contract with ESPN ends in 2025; Notre Dame contract ends with NBC in 2025 and the New BCS contract comes up again in 2025...it appears to be a date of demarcation...Notre Dame is in as an associate of ACC and is proving it is willing to keep its 5 game a year schedule...all other sports sans hockey are in the ACC...all these sports will be part of the ACC TV contract...and therefore could be available for the ACC Network. I hold strong that the network will come to fruition.

 

[bnoro]

I'm sorry, but it's Big East Redux. All the same problems, and eventually all the same instability

Huh? So having one associate member is the same as having 8 associate members with equal voting rights? Genius...