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Home › Linear Media › Disney › ABC › CBS not renewing SEC deal

CBS not renewing SEC deal

ESPN/ABC likely successor, per Sports Business Daily

by Jon Lewis

6 years ago

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 19: The SEC on CBS bus is parked outside the game between the LSU Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs on October 19, 2019 at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire)

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 19: The SEC on CBS bus is parked outside the game between the LSU Tigers and the Mississippi State Bulldogs on October 19, 2019 at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire)

Lakers-Bucks top NBA game since Opening Night

Ratings: College hoops, NHL, Top Rank, Miscellaneous

Jon Lewis

Jon Lewis has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and main writer of Sports Media Watch. You can contact him here or on the social media websites X (Twitter) or Bluesky.

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Comments 18

Byron Lance Reed says:

6 years ago

Perhaps ESPN will be a little less bias to only one SEC team, BAMA. Gary Danielson’s work has been so pro-Bama for years. It will be nice to get some neutrality for a change.
- Paulsen says:
  
  6 years ago
  
  Don’t be stunned if Gary Danielson makes the move to ESPN in some capacity. He worked there before.
John Poister says:

6 years ago

First of all ABC/ESPN will give the SEC upgrades in time periods. Top games will be in Prime time Either on ESPN air ABC.This shouldn’t have been a surprise. Once the SEC Network was successfully launched–you had to believe that eventually the Saturday afternoon package would go to ABC/ESPN. It’s playing out the same way the FOX-
Big 10 network relationship did– despite the fact that ABC “made” the Big Ten back in the 1960’s and ’70’s. Secondly, CBS and for that matter NBC simply don’t have the ability to give the conferences what they want. Weak cable presence and not enough tonnage from other conferences to surround the primary games. I would also not be surprised if CBS doesn’t bail out of the contract early. Their relationship with the SEC has taken a hit. Ultimately, with the investment that ESPN and Fox have in College games–it’s hard to imagine any other network picking up any major college conferences in the foreseeable future. Finally, CBS will do just fine with golf, College basketball; and their NFL package. CBS will not spend recklessly on rights fees–they will work with who-ever in building the franchise.
northcyde says:

6 years ago

With the merger of Viacom and CBS, I think the new media conglomerate is about to make the play for the NFL’s Monday Night Football. If you’re going to lose the marquee SEC game on Saturday, that’s the most logical move to go after.

The current NFL TV deal ends in 2022.
Esl says:

6 years ago

Any chance CBS goes after the rights for Notre Dame home games? NBC doesn’t seem to be putting the same promotion into the games they used too.
- Schmolik says:
  
  6 years ago
  
  Only an idiot would want Notre Dame football right now. NBC should dump them.
M nice says:

6 years ago

Why the heck isn’t NBC in on all of this negotiation talk. SEC football would make plenty of sense every Saturday night and 3:30 when ND is on the road
Nate Johnson says:

6 years ago

I did not see this coming. This is really sad. I grew up watching the SEC on CBS and it was one of my favorites and still is. I understand the SEC needs to get theirs, but wow it’s stunning that CBS got shut out. I mean I understand CBS Sports has had a history of not maintaining their rights with the NBA, MLB, the NFL in 1994, almost losing the NCAA Tournament until Turner saved them, but it seemed like CBS would be there almost forever with SEC Football. ESPN/ABC won’t be able to replicate what CBS did. ESPN/ABC will rotate broadcasters and won’t have that one broadcasting team calling games every single Saturday at 3:30 eastern. Speaking of 3:30 eastern, ESPN/ABC won’t prioritize all of the marquee games at that time. Some of the marquee games may end up in Primetime to help strengthen Saturday Night Football on ABC. But what matters at the end of the day is the bottomline.

The fact that Miami, FSU, and other teams in the ACC hasn’t competed against Clemson in the 2nd half of the current decade is just one reason to express why ESPN/ABC Live College Football program is taking a huge hit. The Pac-12 has lost tons of steam after Oregon fell off after 2015 season (at least they’re trying to bounce back). The Big 12 is balanced between ESPN/ABC and FOX. The SEC is a safe bet for ESPN/ABC to grow their content and they were willing to pay and their relationship will only continue to thrive due to the B1G Ten relationship with FOX.

My hope for CBS is that College Football will continue to be shown on there. ACC could follow up the SEC in that regards. The Big 12 should entertain the thought and the Pac 12 should consider if they know how to be creative in making it work. Remember this, the SEC in their down years was still a priority for CBS. I don’t see this being the end of College Football on CBS. If they can’t get SEC games, then they’ll be able to show, at minimum, Conference USA, Military games, or the Mountain West games. It won’t be the same, but that is where they’ll be. I also wonder would they consider themselves to get a or some New Year Six Bowls to be able to show the CFP playoffs and premium bowl games. It’s hard to believe that ESPN will monopolize the CFP once the current deals ends. Many outside SEC/ACC land believes ESPN influence the CFP on their rankings, Final Four decisions, and match-ups and the committee has been battling that from the start. FOX can be strong competitors in that regard, CBS may have some interest, but I believe they’ll need to at least have a Power 5 package of some sort to be relevant in the discussions. Too soon to discuss Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson’s future after the 2023 season. This was tough to read and write & it’s even worse that I found out about in the wee hours.
Samuel says:

6 years ago

This is a stunner and really sad. That wonderful theme song will be gone similar to when the NBA on NBC ended. It makes no sense to me though as to why CBS would drop their SEC package. They don’t own any other major college football rights and are coming off one of their most successful seasons ever. You would think it would mean more to CBS than ESPN/ABC to have the SEC package because of their lack of other rights and the fact ESPN already shows everything including the CFP.

About what CBS would do moving forward to replace the SEC package on Saturday afternoons, I actually don’t see much. CBS has always stayed away from acquiring new sports packages for whatever reason (they haven’t shown MLB/NBA/NHL since 1993) and getting the NHL package would mean more than just filling in on Saturdays. The SEC package runs from September through early December and during that period, the only NHL game that’s shown on NBC is the Thanksgiving showdown. So it’s not like CBS would be showing hockey on Saturdays that early in the season. Maybe they simply move one of their lesser “Group of Five” packages into that slot like the Mountain West but I don’t see them replacing the SEC with some other major sports package.
Jeffrey Lewis says:

6 years ago

CBS was paying $55 Million a year for the SEC—-a mega bargain.
$300 M is a high price, but the rating increase this would bring to ABC/Espn would be dynamic.
Hal P says:

6 years ago

I’m confused how ESPN/ABC could give the SEC the same level of exposure that CBS does today. Seems like they have so many other rights — they’re showing so many SEC prime games in prime time slots. What am I missing?
- Paulsen says:
  
  6 years ago
  
  Really only talking about adding one game a week + SEC Championship. Plus ESPN/ABC has a lot of extra room after losing so many Big Ten games to Fox.
  - Hal P says:
    
    6 years ago
    
    Seems like it will be less favorable slots (unlikely to be 3:30pm ET slot every week) and will SEC be on broadcast TV (ABC) every week? I am skeptical.
    - Paulsen says:
      
      6 years ago
      
      Given the money involved — and the high profile of the SEC — I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a 3:30 PM ET game on ABC every week. Not like ABC has a ton of better options in that window.
JH says:

6 years ago

In 1996 the SEC, along with the now the defunk Big East, was one of the building blocks for CBS to get back into the football game when they lost the NFL in 1994. To see the the conference go to another Network would be heartbreaking for CBS. I wonder what will be their back-up plan for Saturday afternoons in the fall.
William Haney says:

6 years ago

Will CBS go after another conference? Will they go another direction for sports? Try to get NASCAR from NBC? I bet the affiliates are not happy. Wonder if they have something up there sleeve? Curious also what NBC and FOX are thinking.
- Paulsen says:
  
  6 years ago
  
  Doubt they would go after NASCAR. Maybe they might be a dark horse for NHL?
- Schmolik says:
  
  6 years ago
  
  If CBS goes after another conference, the only one that makes sense would be the Big Ten. They have the highest college football ratings outside of the SEC and CBS already has deal with the Big Ten to cover men’s college basketball including their conference tournament semifinals and championship game. It wouldn’t be as good as the SEC but the Big Ten certainly could slide into the SEC’s 3:30pm slot each week (they could move Michigan/Ohio State to noon). The problem is I think FOX will try to get first tier Big Ten rights as well. they already own a stake in the Big Ten Network, and they already have first choice of the Big Ten games half the time including Michigan/Ohio State every year. Assuming ESPN/ABC gets the SEC, the Big Ten is the next big prize and we know FOX considers the Big Ten its #1 conference.

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