B1G on Fox has possibilities and risks

Fox Sports' prospective union with the Big Ten was set in motion a decade ago when it helped create and jointly operate the Big Ten Network.

In 2011, Fox picked up another slice of the Big Ten in 2011 by televising its annual championship game for $28 million (in 2013), according to figures obtained by The Gazette via the Freedom of Information Act. Fox senior vice president of programming Mike Mulvihill told The Gazette before the 2013 Iowa-Iowa State game, 'when the time comes, we will certainly be an active participant in next round of Big Ten rights talks.”

So when Mulvihill declined to comment about negotiations through a spokeswoman last fall, it appeared Fox was engaged in direct conversations with the Big Ten. SportsBusiness Daily reported Tuesday that Fox was willing to pay $250 million annually to televise half of the Big Ten's primary football and basketball package beginning in 2017. The deal would shift 25 football games and 50 basketball games annually to Fox and FS1.

The scenario is mutually beneficial. Obviously, the money is important for the Big Ten. It also diversifies the league's inventory and becomes an additional promotional vehicle for BTN, of which Fox owns 51 percent. If it wants to approach ESPN's college sports coverage, Fox needs Big Ten legitimacy. Grabbing a piece of the Big Ten would give Fox similar credibility as it earned in 1994 when the network snagged the NFL's NFC package away from CBS.

But through market penetration and name recognition (along with top-shelf on-air talent and production) ESPN has distanced itself as the kings of college football coverage. Sure, CBS airs the top SEC game of the week and NBC broadcasts Notre Dame home games. But ESPN has College Game Day, the College Football Playoff and a brand on multiple platforms that no sports entity can match. Currently any game (football or basketball) that airs on an ESPN network would more than quintuple the viewership of the same game airing on FS1. It's dangerous for any league to willingly leave that cover.

But ABC/ESPN can't ignore the Big Ten, either. According to recent U.S. Census figures, the Big Ten footprint includes or borders four of top seven metropolitan markets, eight of the top 19 and 12 of the top 29. Big Ten teams appeared in three of the four most-watched regular-season college football games in 2015, including No. 1 Michigan State-Ohio State. On Thanksgiving weekend, Iowa-Nebraska posted ABC's highest-rated Black Friday game in 10 years, and Ohio State-Michigan followed with the highest-rated early-afternoon Saturday game in 18 years. Among 2015 regular-season games, the Big Ten owned three of the top five games on the ever-growing WatchESPN app.

With its current contract expiring after the 2016-17 sports seasons, the Big Ten's market timing is perfect. If the league re-ups with ABC/ESPN for the other half of its rights package for the same price, that could give the Big Ten $500 million a year to disburse. If ESPN balks, CBS, NBC or Turner Sports (all of which have multiple channels) could make a strong play. Either way, a new deal could earn valuable exposure across two major families of networks and still show games on BTN, of which the league owns 49 percent.

In basketball, a few more early-season, non-conference games might end up on television. In football, maybe that includes a second game on Black Friday or more games scattered around Labor Day Weekend. I'd also encourage a few teams to consider shifting early-season non-conference games to Friday nights, but I digress.

Another possibility could be alterations to viewing windows. For roughly two generations, television networks and the leagues have shoehorned most football games into an 11 a.m./2:30 p.m./7 p.m. Central zone time frame. The 11 a.m. start is cumbersome for fans. It's also a recruiting disadvantage for football programs.

'If you want to get players to your game, it's hard to get them there at noon,” Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer said back in 2013.

A perfect scenario would be introduce two viewing windows for Fox/FS1: 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. CT and 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT. Still keep the 11 a.m. CT/noon ET for a game or two but push most of the games to midafternoon or evening starts. That's what the fans want at the stadium and on their couches. Early-afternoon kickoffs is what they had before television changed the rules.

As for the game choices, let Fox and ABC/ESPN alternate selections every week with Fox's family with two games, ESPN's family with two or three games and BTN with the rest. Let's use Oct. 1 and Nov. 5 as examples with the network and rankings. (Yes, Ohio State is the Big Ten's king of television.)

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OCTOBER 1 (Fox has first pick)

Purdue at Maryland, 11 a.m. CT (ESPN2-7)

Michigan State at Indiana, 1:30 p.m. CT (FS1-3)

Northwestern at Iowa, 2:30 p.m. CT (ESPN-4)

Minnesota at Penn State, 2:30 p.m. CT (BTN-6)

Wisconsin at Michigan, 5 p.m. CT (FOX-1)

Rutgers at Ohio State, 7 p.m. CT (ABC-2)

Illinois at Nebraska, 7 p.m. CT (BTN-5)

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NOVEMBER 5 (ABC has first pick)

Indiana at Rutgers, 11 a.m. (BTN-6/7)

Michigan State at Illinois, 11 a.m. (ESPN-5)

Wisconsin at Northwestern, 1:30 p.m. CT (FS1-4)

Nebraska at Ohio State, 2:30 p.m. CT (ABC-1)

Iowa at Penn State, 5 p.m. CT (FOX-2)

Maryland at Michigan, 7 p.m. CT (ESPN-3)

Purdue at Minnesota, 7 p.m. CT (BTN-6/7)

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The possibilities are intriguing of a B1G-Fox marriage, as are the risks. So is it really different from any other union?

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com