George Kliavkoff makes case the Pac-12 can compare with Big Ten in terms of media rights

USC and UCLA’s decision to move to the Big Ten put Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff in a bind. With two of their biggest brands off the board, upcoming negotiations for a new TV deal instantly became more complicated. Some wondered if it would lead the entire conference to collapse. Kliavkoff has now reassured everyone that the Pac-12 is just fine when it comes to their media rights.

Kliavkoff addressed the issue during his opening statement at Pac-12 Media Day. He said maintaining the value of their media rights is of the upmost importance to their board.

“We will continue the work we already started last year to enhance the value of our media rights,” said Kliavkoff. “All of this work will benefit out student-athlete’s ability to continue to compete at the highest level of college athletics”

The decision from the Trojans and Bruins forced the conference’s hands when it came to negotiations. They’ve done what they can and will continue to do so with their current deal running out in 2024. League interest may be down but George Kliavkoff does see a silver lining. The Pac-12 has the benefit of being one of the next conferences to hit the open market. If they can build their value, it will pay off when the Pac-12 is the next conference to get paid.

“We are in the enviable position of being next to market after the Big Ten. We already have significant interest from potential partners including incumbents, new traditional television, and, most important, digital media partners,” Kliavkoff said. “This interest is driven by the strength of our school’s brands and markets and a recognition of our continued leadership position in college football across the western and mountain time zones.”

The moves around George Kliavkoff have shoved him between a rock and a hard place a year into his tenure. With that said, he attacked the matter today from a position of strength. He still believes in the value of his league and knows he can set his schools and athletes up for success in their next deal.

“We are confident in the long term value of our rights. To set expectations, this process will accelerate after the Big Ten deals are concluded and will likely take months to complete. Even with the loss of our LA schools, we still believe that after the current cycle of media rights deals, we will be very well positioned among the Power Five from a revenue per school standpoint. This is critical to ensure our athletic departments have the resources necessary to continue to compete.”