If ESPN’s Burke Magnus were to hold a college conference call today, he would focus more on covering the competition than worrying about market size.
That’s a change from a decade ago, when the New York and Washington, D.C., television markets were the size of the Big Ten’s expansion with Maryland and Rutgers.
In 2012, when the expansion was announced, the conference would gain significant revenue by expanding its cable channel, BTN, into those two major television markets.
Today, market size appears to be playing a much smaller role in these types of decisions, as the college conference channel market has matured and the cord-cutting trend continues.
The future addition of UCLA and USC puts the Big Ten in the market for Los Angeles, but also adds another big competition.getty images
Last week, Magnus, ESPN’s president of programming and original content, joined the podcast I host with Andrew Marchand. With college sports in the midst of such a chaotic time, we asked him what he would do if he ran a college conference.
“It’s a combination of a lot of things,” he said. “College sports, obviously, based on what’s happened in the Big Ten, it’s still very healthy from a television and media perspective.”
He offered seven ideas that he would carry forward if he were in the commissioner’s seat.
Stabilizing membership
Communication is key here. Magnus would work to ensure that all schools realize that they have a shared purpose.
“Everybody’s situation is a little different,” he said. “While the Pac-12 is clearly considering trying to replace UCLA and USC, maybe the Big 12 is happy with their membership. This may interest you : Digital lottery is similar to the next major sports sponsorship category. It’s not a realignment or acquisition of new members, necessarily.”
Focus on rivalries
People are focusing too much on market size, Magnus said. But market size doesn’t resonate as much in college sports as it does in professional sports.
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“The time we spend thinking about market size pales in comparison to the time we spend thinking about competition,” Magnus said. “In university sports, they are rivalries. They are traditions. Brands are what really bring audiences together.”
Expand the College Football Playoff
Magnus said he was stunned when the CFP announced earlier this year that it would remain at four teams until 2025. See the article : Jones Garden brings fresh food, people along to Staunton.
“It was so well thought out,” Magnus said. “It wasn’t anyone’s idea. It was a sub-committee of commissioners who created it, with different interests, large conferences, small conferences or medium-level conferences.’
Magnus said he sees no downside to a CFP expansion.
“There’s a lot of revenue coming in from a television standpoint, so it would help everybody across the company,” he said.
Rework the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
Magnus: “I would think about what the next version of the men’s basketball tournament could be like. While that is good, I think it could be even better.”
Make more money from women’s sports
Conferences can do more to monetize women’s sports, Magnus said. “[It’s] right around the corner, if it’s not here already.”
Make sponsorship more national
College football, in particular, is the second most popular televised sport in the country behind the NFL. Magnus said the sponsorship around those games should better reflect that reputation.
“Sales and sponsorships at the conference level still tend to be regional rather than national brands,” he said. “National brands can miss the boat on that, which is another big source of revenue.”
Figure out NIL
Magnus had no concrete ideas about how the name, image, and likeness should be developed. But he said congresses and universities need to address some of the problems associated with it.
“I feel like it might get more confusing before it gets better,” he said. “But at the end of the day, I think it’s a good idea for student-athletes to be able to share some of the commercial aspects of intercollegiate athletics. You can’t do a billion dollar TV deal on the one hand and suggest it’s not a commercial enterprise on the other. The truth, of course, is in the middle of that dynamic.”
John Ourand can be reached at jourand@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @Ourand_SBJ and read his weekly newsletter and listen to his weekly podcast.
