Mountain West is set to receive media-rights deal more lucrative than former Big East
Boise State Broncos coach Chris Petersen (left) and cornerback Jamar Taylor (5) hoist the 2012 Maaco Bowl trophy after the game against the Washington Huskies at Sam Boyd Stadium. Boise State defeated Washington 28-26. (Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports)
The Mountain West already has a media deal in place with CBS Sports, but with certain games now being sold separately to ESPN, the conference’s total media revenue is expected to exceed $20 million annually.
According to CBS Sports, the media network holds the broadcasting rights to Mountain West football and basketball games. However, back in December, CBS agreed to release a certain amount of inventory to the conference. The Mountain West could then go ahead and sell that inventory to the highest bidder.
As expected, ESPN was that highest bidder, and the MWC will be broadcasting its expected conference title game on The Worldwide Leader in Sports. In total, the league sold 22 of its games over the next seven years to ESPN, six of which being Boise State tilts.
Thus, Boise’s decision to remain in the Mountain West, instead of bolting for the Big East, proved to be the financial windfall everyone expected.
Under the new broadcasting deal, the MWC will pay individual schools up to $300,000 for nationally televised games. The pricing makes the league as competitive as any other big-time football conference and should provide more than simply dollar signs to keep members happy. The nationwide exposure should help bring in bigger recruits, higher ticket sales and more booster money , thus enabling these programs to compete against the nation’s very best.
Should that happen, the Mountain West will be able to negotiate an even bigger TV deal in 2020.
