12 Schools conference including ECU
Deal could increase UTEP's revenues
Darren Hunt
El Paso Times
Conference USA announced a new television agreement with ESPN and College Sports Television this week that's expected to help double the UTEP athletic department's annual revenues when the school joins the changing 12-team league next season.
The
six-year deal reportedly is worth a combined
$11.3 million per year, the same figure paid by ESPN under its previous deal with the league. CUSA Commissioner Britton Banowsky said "it would be safe to say our financial goals as a conference have been met."
The upcoming exit of many of the league's top basketball schools, including Louisville, Marquette and Cincinnati, was expected to affect renegotiations with ESPN.
While the chances for national exposure on ESPN will be fewer in the new package, the addition of CSTV as a partner is expected to make up for that in terms of exposures and league revenues.
"It was a good day when we decided to make the move to CUSA," UTEP associate athletic director Mack Rhoades said of the school's decision in April to leave the WAC after 37 years as a member. "And certainly this TV agreement reaffirms that decision."
ESPN has agreed to televise 10 regular season football games and the league championship game on ESPN or ESPN2 through the 2010-11 season. In addition, six regular season men's basketball games and the league tournament final will appear, as well as three regular season women's basketball games and the league tournament final.
CSTV, the first all-college 24-hour sports network, was launched nearly two years ago and already has forged a new deal with the Mountain West Conference. CSTV has agreed to air up to 65 CUSA regular season football games per season, officials said. An extensive package of regular season men's and women's basketball games will also be available, along with games in several other sports.
UTEP athletic director Bob Stull said the new TV agreement provides the basis for annual projected revenues of $1.2 million per school in CUSA. By comparison, he said, the WAC provided approximately $600,000 to $700,000 annually. Concern about UTEP's move to CUSA focused on the potential financial hit the league would take in its new TV deal.
"There is definitely a huge difference in TV contracts (between CUSA and the WAC)," said Stull, who pointed out that the expected decline in CUSA revenues was not realized despite the change in league membership. "This deal completely eliminated the financial hit. It recaptured the finances."
The WAC's annual television deal was estimated at $1 million per year, compared to more than 10 times that in CUSA, including many more exposure opportunities via the combined deal with CSTV.
"The WAC has had a similar amount of national exposures, but the difference in revenue is big," Stull said.
A concern for El Pasoans is that CSTV's network is not available locally on Time Warner Cable. TWC Spokesperson Caroline Garland expects that to change.
"I'm sure it would be considered and is probably already being looked at at the corporate level," Garland said. "It's certainly something we would want to offer here, because our goal is to be the source for local sports."
Banowsky said UTEP's sudden emergence in football and basketball proved a key bargaining tool for the league in its new TV deal.
"UTEP having such a wonderful year in football was very helpful," Banowsky said. "The year Mike Price had there frankly helped. Obviously, this league has a tremendous asset out in El Paso."
Darren Hunt may be reached at dhunt@elpasotimes.com; 546-6168.
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