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New York Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
ACC's legal settlement with FSU, Clemson reveals ‘super league' escape clause
What happens if enough ACC football programs want to join a super league? That hypothetical — however realistic or unrealistic it may be — is addressed in the settlement agreement that ended the conference's dueling, 17-month litigation with Florida State and Clemson. The 68-page agreement, obtained by The Athletic on Thursday following public-records requests to both schools, also formalizes the conference's withdrawal fees and sheds more insight into how the league will distribute money based on TV viewership. Here's what we learned: Before the settlement, the answer was in dispute and at the heart of the nine-figure litigation between the ACC and two of its premier programs. Florida State had estimated that the cost could exceed $500 million. Under the settlement, the cost to leave in the 2025-26 fiscal year is $165 million and drops by $18 million annually. The figure stays at $75 million from 2030-31 through 2036 (the final year of the contract). Those terms are the same as the ones presented in March when trustees at Clemson and Florida State approved the settlement's framework. Every ACC school and the league signed the agreement in May, and FSU, Clemson and the conference formally dismissed their lawsuits last month. Advertisement Crucially, departing schools keep their future TV rights. If those rights had remained with the ACC, Clemson or Florida State would have added significantly less value to a new conference, such as the SEC or Big Ten. Because TV contracts for the Big Ten, SEC and College Football Playoff are set to expire between 2030 and 2034, the industry is bracing for the next seismic wave of realignment around then. The agreement clarifies the ACC's and its schools' stance before the league's ESPN contract expires in 2036. The ACC's exit deadline also changed. Schools must file a notice to withdraw by June 1 to leave the league 13 months later at the end of the next June. The previous date was Aug. 15. The notable change is with revenue from the league's multimedia contracts. The first 40 percent of that money from sources will be split evenly among the schools. Of the remaining 60 percent, three-quarters will be distributed based on football TV viewership, and one-quarter will be based on men's basketball viewership. Other details were redacted and claimed as trade secrets. The ACC is the first conference to use TV figures as a metric for conference payouts. Clemson estimated that the new model could yield an additional $120 million over a six-year period. That'd be enough to make the Tigers financially competitive with top programs in the SEC or Big Ten. The ACC doesn't expect the change to cause its other programs to lose ground compared to peers in the Big 12. The conference also weighs other payouts based on a team's performance on the football field or basketball court through a success initiative. The agreement specifies that Notre Dame, an ACC member but football independent, is not eligible for the football viewership distribution unless it joins the conference in that sport. Advertisement Clemson and Florida State must both approve of any future changes to the ACC's financial payouts. Officially called an 'option of limited withdrawal,' it's the juiciest part of the agreement and new information, regardless of whether it's feasible. Suppose at least six members want to leave the same sport to join a 'single sport league, conference or other association' alongside other schools. In that case, they'll owe $75 million or 50 percent of the current withdrawal figure (whichever is greater). In practice, that would allow, say, Florida State, Clemson, Miami, North Carolina and a few other top programs to leave for a super league in football while remaining ACC members in basketball, baseball and every other sport. Super league scenarios have been pitched and discussed for months, and the logistics could prove difficult, if not impossible, to overcome. However, the agreement provides a framework for schools to join one. (Photo of Clemson coach Dabo Swinney: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)
The Australian
21-06-2025
- Business
- The Australian
NRL's Pacific plan to pummel AFL in broadcast bonanza
ARL Commission boss Peter V'landys says rugby league's next TV rights deal could span up to 10 years, revealing a Pacific goldmine that will deliver broadcast billions to the NRL. V'landys plans to kick off broadcast negotiations in July after the State of Origin decider and the ARLC chairman says the inclusion of Papua New Guinea will help the code clinch the richest TV rights deal in rugby league history. V'landys will arrive in PNG this Tuesday to ramp-up the NRL's reconnaissance for the 19th team in 2028 and the next step is thrashing out a Pacific-infused broadcast deal that can blow their AFL rivals out of the water. A third network has contacted the ARL Commission to formally express interest. Up to five or six bidders are tipped to enter negotiations as current rights holders Fox and Channel 9 face billion-dollar competition for the most watched code in Australian sport. The NRL's last five-year TV rights deal was worth around $2 billion, including media rights in New Zealand, but V'landys has revealed the sport's next broadcast arrangement may be brokered for a longer term. The NRL's current TV rights deal ends in 2027. The next cycle was tipped to run from 2028-32, but V'landys says he wants to formalise rugby league's new broadcast deal by season's end in a package that could deliver a decade of certainty. That scenario would see the NRL smash their current broadcast haul with a potential fiscal TV rights bonanza of between $3 to $4 billion. 'It could be longer than five years, absolutely,' V'landys said. Asked if the next TV rights deal could be seven to 10 years in duration, he said: 'Yes, it could be. 'We're having some off-the-record talks at the moment, but we plan to start very soon and it will certainly heat up in the next couple of months. 'I definitely want it finalised this year. 'Hopefully that's the case and it's certainly our ambition to do it. 'We want certainty and we know our clubs want certainty. 'Players also want certainty, because if you do a three-or-four year deal or even longer, you know what your revenues are. 'We haven't got to that level of detail yet, but this will be a record deal. 'We have a much more valuable product now, much more valuable.' There are several variables that give V'landys confidence of broking the most lucrative broadcast deal in the code's 117-year history. One factor is the emergence of new media streaming giants, with global tentacles, such as Netflix, Amazon and Paramount. DAZN completed a $3.4 billion purchase of Foxtel in April and V'landys confirmed the world's leading sports entertainment platform will be a major player in upcoming TV rights negotiations. 'Of course they'll be keen,' he said. 'We're the number one sport in Australia. Why wouldn't they be keen? 'I can confirm we've had genuine interest. We are confident there are several parties in the marketplace and I'm confident there will be more to come when we begin talks. 'We will get a lot more dollars now than we have ever gotten because of the hard work done by the players, the clubs and the NRL.' Another significant factor is the expansion drive that will trigger the admission of the Perth Bears to the NRL in 2027 before Papua New Guinea's entry in 2028. V'landys says PNG will not only represent a fresh spectator market, but open a broadcasting gateway that could see the Pacific eventually usurp Australia as the NRL's most lucrative TV rights powerhouse. The NRL is exploring a cut-price Pacific subscription service to monetise the NRL's 19th team and the 10 million-plus Papua New Guinea fans who will back the franchise with unmatched tribalism. 'Papua New Guinea could end up, in 10 or 15 years, to be worth more in broadcast revenue than Australia,' he said. 'With PNG coming in, that is a massive arm that we have never tapped into, not to mention Perth. 'We're the most-watched sport in Australia, so we now should attract substantial offers. 'Our data shows 1.8 million people streamed the Papua New Guinea game against Australia's Prime Ministers XIII, which was an extraordinary number. 'By having a cheap subscription to watch (PNG and NRL games), we could attract millions of new subscribers in the Pacific. 'We're very mindful of pricepoint. We don't want to make it too expensive for rugby league fans to watch and support the game. 'We definitely want to get the most revenue, but at the same time, we don't want to make it unaffordable for our wonderful fans. 'The game has never been in a better place. 'This has been a planned strategy - and it will pay off big time.' Peter Badel Chief Rugby League Writer Peter Badel is a six-time award winning journalist who began as a sports reporter in 1998. A best-selling author, 'Bomber' has covered five Australian cricket tours and has specialised in rugby league for more than two decades. NRL Selwyn Cobbo flew to Sydney for preliminary talks earlier this month in the strongest sign yet that the powerhouse back is on the verge of quitting the Broncos. See which clubs are interested. NRL The might of New Zealand Rugby wants what the NRL has, with Warriors boss Cameron George approached to jump codes to become their next CEO, reveals David Riccio.
New York Times
17-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Premier League extends Middle East TV deal, overseas media rights value up 27%
BeIN Sports has extended its deal for the Premier League's live TV rights in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), boosting the league's overseas media income and stalling Saudi Arabian hopes of creating a domestic rival to the Qatari broadcaster. The new three-year deal runs from next season through until the end of 2027-28 and is worth approximately £550million ($742.3m), a 10 per cent uplift on the previous three-year cycle. Advertisement 'This renewal not only signifies our enduring commitment to providing the highest quality sports content on beIN Sports and reinforces our leading position in the region, but also demonstrates the trust that the Premier League has in us,' said beIN MENA CEO Mohammad Al-Subaie in a press release. BeIN has been the Premier League's media partner in the 24 MENA countries since 2013, a partnership that has benefited both parties despite Saudi attempts to break the Qatari firm's hold over the region. Between 2017 and 2019, a state-backed digital piracy operation called beoutQ stole beIN's feed in Saudi Arabia, and beIN was then banned in the kingdom until late 2021. That dispute was part of a wider diplomatic and economic stand-off between Qatar and its much bigger neighbour. And while relations between the pair have greatly improved, Saudi Arabia is still unhappy that the dominant entertainment and sports group in the Gulf is Qatari, not Saudi. Initially, it seemed that the price of peace for Qatar might be a Saudi takeover of the Doha-based group but arguments over compensation for the beoutQ piracy and the value of beIN meant those talks went nowhere. And more recently, Saudi Arabia appears to have pivoted to a strategy of creating a beIN rival via a joint venture with global sports streaming platform DAZN. The uncertainty created by these moves is probably the main reason why it has taken the Premier League so long to renew its deal with beIN, as an outline agreement was reached two years ago. Whatever the reason, both beIN and the Premier League should be pretty happy with the deal, as the former gets 380 live games a season for its various channels, as well as highlights, interviews and access for its content, while the league gets a small, real-term financial increase at a time when most of its rivals are standing still or retreating. Advertisement Overall, the total value of the Premier League's overseas media rights deals is up 27 per cent, largely thanks to huge increases in its Chinese, Thai and U.S. deals. When combined with the new four-year domestic deals with the BBC, Sky Sports and TNT Sports, the league will earn £12.25billion ($16.55bn) in rights payments over the next three years. 'We look forward to continuing our close collaboration on a variety of content and promotional initiatives, bringing the Premier League even closer to our passionate fans in this important region,' said Premier League chief media officer Paul Molnar. Confirmation of the deal comes only two weeks after the league's clubs were told at their annual general meeting that domestic viewing figures for the competition dipped last season. They will be hoping that was due to an unusual lack of jeopardy at either end of the table, as opposed to evidence of any deeper waning in public interest. (Top image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
