The issue is the business model, and the information shared here will be limited to what’s relevant to that discussion.
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One of the industry sources I turned to for context made three points after seeing the data:
1. “An advertising model associated with Olympic sports is not viable.The ratings are non-existent. No one is watching.”
2. “When a football team is on (the Pac-12 Networks) in its home market, it gets a very impressive share. The Pac-12 absolutely has leverage over the cable provider in those instances. The problem is the best games are on Fox and ESPN — and for good reason.”
3. “It was prudent of the conference to have the best (football) games on ESPN and Fox, because of greater reach. You could put them on the Pac-12 Networks, and that (leverage) might help you add distribution. But your brand will suffer because it won’t be as visible.”