The Power of Television (and Texas)

Young adults my age can think of many times that they have listened to their parents reminisce about "back in the day" when "there was one college football game on television each week," and who knows, maybe it was even "in black and white!" But those days are in the distant past with the new age of television contracts that are the new "in thing" of college athletics. The Big Ten paved the way in 2007 with their Big Ten Network affiliating itself with FOX to create programming both in the form of events as well as programming affiliated with the conference members. Most recently the Pac-12 has had interest in joining the party that has become all the rage. Schools have even gone so far as to make individual agreements with networks to exclusively televise games. These networks are fantastic revenue builders and can bring an end to athletic programs ending the year in the red. 

The most recent addition to the party is the University of Texas. The new Longhorn Network is the first of its kind, melding extensive coverage of athletic events and original programming debuting in August. Notre Dame started it with its agreement with NBC to televise games, and at the state’s motto says UT “did it bigger.” The Longhorns’ athletics department is consistently the most lucrative athletics department in the nation so naturally they wanted to make that profit bigger, and this network is a huge idea with huge benefits. Not only does it get every single UT sport out there, but it brings awareness to the entire school. They took the mold of the Big Ten Network coupling games with original programming. This is a great thing not only for the athletics department, but also the entire school as well. It is a great way to allow for prospective students all around the world to have to potential to see this network. Recruits can learn about the school and become familiar with the idea of playing in Austin, and let’s be honest who would not love playing every game on television?

While UT is taking the individual route, conferences are making the move to have television deals with networks to exclusively televise games throughout the season. This is a fantastic revenue builder for all of the teams in a conference, but it also is great for the strength of the conference to share the revenue of the contract with all of the teams to create a great level of parity. We see this with the NFL, and it creates perhaps the most even league of the “big four.” While the conference networks are a great idea for conferences, the individual network, if feasible, is the way to go. 

As I said earlier, Texas is the top revenue-generating athletic department in the country, which is why they can sustain their own television network. But what Texas can do, a lot of other big universities could do as well. You can add the Floridas, the Michigans, the Ohio States and the USCs to the list of teams that could benefit greatly from their own television networks. Another way to approach it is from a growth stand point. Take a good football school like Iowa for instance. They have a solid athletics program, but nothing like Texas or Florida, but they could profit greatly with a network that can create a wide footprint with loyal fans. It can create a following of some sort that can bring recognition to the university. Another example would be someone like a TCU or a Boise State, a team that is trying to break through and make a name for itself. If they were to create a network to rival the Longhorn Network then that could be the big step they need to break through. 

Overall, in the age of the new television network craze, it is a good and profitable idea to jump of board. Keep in mind though there are many avenues to take and many reasons to get involved. Schools should get involved for the right reasons, and get involved to substantiate themselves and big time players both on and off the field.