I'm lazy so I'm just copying and pasting a post from the FSU board, but I found this interesting. There is a large camp out there that says, what exactly did Swofford do that was so bad? This might answer that question. First let's look at the acc's product in terms of TV viewers:
Football:
SEC: 4,447,000 viewers
B1G: 3,267,000
ACC: 2,650,000
Big 12: 2,347,000
PAC 12: 2,108,000
Big East: 1,884,000
Basketball:
B1G: 1,496,000 viewers
ACC: 1,247,000
SEC: 1,222,000
Big 12: 1,069,000
Big East: 1,049,000
PAC 10: 783,000
Not bad at all. Obviously, other things go into these TV deals, but still, I think this shows that the ACC TV deal should be at least comparable to those of the other major conferences.
So where did the TV negotiations go wrong? It wasn't this recent round. It was the one before...
Copied from FSU board:
In 2010 as I recall the ACC contract was first negotiated in more or less it's current form, Swofford insisted that ESPN partner with Raycom. While other conferences put the Tier 2 rights up for bids the ACC bundled and gave away the store. Without this no bid award, Raycom goes under. Shortly thereafter Swofford's son gets promoted to Marketing Director at Raycom. Nothing technically illegal seems to have happened here but certainly there is a stench of corruption about all this.
So where does Chad Swofford work?
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ch...fford/a/578/8b4
ESPN executive in link below explains how they got the ACC deal: by appeasing Swofford and bringing in Tier three broadcaster Raycom, a company with an outmoded business model and in general a company widely considered to be an inferior quality broadcaster of sports events....that was on-the-brink-of-financial-extinction!
Here's one insider interview of how this happened. In his own words ESPN's negotiator John Skipper asks Swofford what it will take for ESPN to get the deal. Swofford says unequivocally "bring in Raycom". So ESPN gets a cut rate deal and the ACC football schools are dealt a killshot. All in order to save Swofford's son's job...? Read...decide...discuss.
Business Report
Again just thought this was interesting...apologize in advance if you disagree and I wasted your time.
Football:
SEC: 4,447,000 viewers
B1G: 3,267,000
ACC: 2,650,000
Big 12: 2,347,000
PAC 12: 2,108,000
Big East: 1,884,000
Basketball:
B1G: 1,496,000 viewers
ACC: 1,247,000
SEC: 1,222,000
Big 12: 1,069,000
Big East: 1,049,000
PAC 10: 783,000
Not bad at all. Obviously, other things go into these TV deals, but still, I think this shows that the ACC TV deal should be at least comparable to those of the other major conferences.
So where did the TV negotiations go wrong? It wasn't this recent round. It was the one before...
Copied from FSU board:
In 2010 as I recall the ACC contract was first negotiated in more or less it's current form, Swofford insisted that ESPN partner with Raycom. While other conferences put the Tier 2 rights up for bids the ACC bundled and gave away the store. Without this no bid award, Raycom goes under. Shortly thereafter Swofford's son gets promoted to Marketing Director at Raycom. Nothing technically illegal seems to have happened here but certainly there is a stench of corruption about all this.
So where does Chad Swofford work?
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ch...fford/a/578/8b4
ESPN executive in link below explains how they got the ACC deal: by appeasing Swofford and bringing in Tier three broadcaster Raycom, a company with an outmoded business model and in general a company widely considered to be an inferior quality broadcaster of sports events....that was on-the-brink-of-financial-extinction!
Here's one insider interview of how this happened. In his own words ESPN's negotiator John Skipper asks Swofford what it will take for ESPN to get the deal. Swofford says unequivocally "bring in Raycom". So ESPN gets a cut rate deal and the ACC football schools are dealt a killshot. All in order to save Swofford's son's job...? Read...decide...discuss.
Business Report
Again just thought this was interesting...apologize in advance if you disagree and I wasted your time.