TV Revenue?

[GOAPPS37]

With all of these mid week games this year, does anyone know the financial impact these games have on our athletic program? Does the tv revenue go to only the two schools playing or is it split among the conference members? It must be significant or we wouldn't be playing these games......correct? Does APP even have a say as to whether or not they want to play a mid week game? Yes, I understand the exposure is great for recruiting but I would like to know a ballpark figure to the amount of dollars going to APP. So many questions because I am clueless in this topic.

[AppStateNews]

My understanding is TV revenue is split by all conference members. The conference has a contract with ESPN that requires X amount of games on the networks. The conference more or less picks the games they want on TV and work with ESPN on schedule. The teams do have somewhat of an input, but not really. The teams agree to it when accepting the invite to the conference.

For example, the Marshall game was known it was more than likely going to be moved to Thursday when the schedule first came out. However, they released the schedule with it being on a Saturday in hopes the athletic department's plea top the conference/ESPN to keep it on Saturday would work. It obviously did not work and was flexed to Thursday.

It is certainly a downside to being good in a G5 conference. It's a good problem to have when a lot of your games are on week nights. It means ESPN knows it will draw a lot of eye balls because it's usually two good programs.

[WXAPP]

The argument of "exposure" is garbage these days. Too many platforms to see teams play. Football should be on Saturday's.. period.

[mike87]

I don't know about the financial implications but not having App football on a Saturday in the fall has sucked a$$. I try not to complain about much with the admin but I think Yosef should hear it from us on this one. As WX said above. Football should be on Saturdays.. .

[AppSt94]

I don't know about the financial implications but not having App football on a Saturday in the fall has sucked a$$. I try not to complain about much with the admin but I think Yosef should hear it from us on this one. As WX said above. Football should be on Saturdays.. .

I understand your frustration. Weeknight games are hard. But we don’t have much, if any control over the selection process. I know Doug hates them and I am sure Chancellor Everts would prefer to not cancel classes for them, but what are they supposed to do?

[bigdaddyg]

I am a numbers guy and I’d have to see a balance sheet because these numbers just don’t add up to me. The TV contract can’t be that much $ and if we have to share with the conference schools that have zero appeal that’s crap. We also lose out on lots of ticket gate and concession revenue not to mention an inevitable drop in interest in general. Most alumni outside of probably an hour or so distance from Boone aren’t going to drive up for a Tuesday or Wednesday game. Those oddball weeknight games also screw up normal routines. You end up with no Saturday games for like 2 weeks straight because of the gaps. Outside of CCU what conference opponents bring any fans to KBS? By the same token how many App fans can realistically travel to Texas, Alabama or even Georgia for any game?

[ASU3432Mi]

And what about the economic impact to High Country businesses when we play on a weeknight as opposed to a traditional Saturday game?

[mike87]

I don't know about the financial implications but not having App football on a Saturday in the fall has sucked a$$. I try not to complain about much with the admin but I think Yosef should hear it from us on this one. As WX said above. Football should be on Saturdays.. .

I understand your frustration. Weeknight games are hard. But we don’t have much, if any control over the selection process. I know Doug hates them and I am sure Chancellor Everts would prefer to not cancel classes for them, but what are they supposed to do?

Suppose we could not show up. But you might say we tried that last week.

Don't know the answer but voicing our concerns wouldn't hurt on this one.

[AppSt94]

I am a numbers guy and I’d have to see a balance sheet because these numbers just don’t add up to me. The TV contract can’t be that much $ and if we have to share with the conference schools that have zero appeal that’s crap. We also lose out on lots of ticket gate and concession revenue not to mention an inevitable drop in interest in general. Most alumni outside of probably an hour or so distance from Boone aren’t going to drive up for a Tuesday or Wednesday game. Those oddball weeknight games also screw up normal routines. You end up with no Saturday games for like 2 weeks straight because of the gaps. Outside of CCU what conference opponents bring any fans to KBS? By the same token how many App fans can realistically travel to Texas, Alabama or even Georgia for any game?

To your first point about sharing with conference mates. That, by in large is what broke up the old Southwest Conference and recently, the BigXII shifts. Texas and Oklahoma created the revenue stream for the others and they got tired of it. I can imagine that it will only be a matter of time before the grousing starts about Vandy being an equal partner. The AAC divides their money based on merit akin to what you are saying. Would you be OK with say a Memphis and possibly a USF getting more money than APP if that were the deal? I get your point, but the only two ways to get our games on Saturdays only, is to become mediocre, of join a conference that’s not associated with ESPN.

[hapapp]

The argument of "exposure" is garbage these days. Too many platforms to see teams play. Football should be on Saturday's.. period.

I'm not arguing in favor of midweek games but there is exposure by playing a midweek game that one would not get on ESPN+ on the weekend. The only folks likely watching Plus broadcasts are the fans of the two schools. A midweek game with little or no competition on one of the ESPN networks will catch the eyes of football fans looking for something to watch. Now, I'm not sure that is a justification for said games and the numbers are likely not that significant but they would dwarf anything on Plus.

[/\PP ST/\TE GRAD 09]

I've said for years the exposure argument was complete crap. I'd be curious to know what players we currently have are a result of seeing App State play on a Wednesday night game. The counter argument to mine in the past has just been, "Well if you like Saturday only football then you should cheer for Western". I love college football, but find it hard to sit and watch a non App State G5 v.s. G5 game during the week. Even if nothing else is on that night.

App State loses game day revenue by having these played during the week, meanwhile Texas State and ULM get part of the television revenue.

[AppStateNews]

I am a numbers guy and I’d have to see a balance sheet because these numbers just don’t add up to me. The TV contract can’t be that much $ and if we have to share with the conference schools that have zero appeal that’s crap. We also lose out on lots of ticket gate and concession revenue not to mention an inevitable drop in interest in general. Most alumni outside of probably an hour or so distance from Boone aren’t going to drive up for a Tuesday or Wednesday game. Those oddball weeknight games also screw up normal routines. You end up with no Saturday games for like 2 weeks straight because of the gaps. Outside of CCU what conference opponents bring any fans to KBS? By the same token how many App fans can realistically travel to Texas, Alabama or even Georgia for any game?

Thing is, the conference splits ALL money and the reason it benefits smaller programs like App to be in a conference. We split TV revenue, bowl game payouts, NCAA money, etc. We can't just not get that money. That is our lifeline as a department.

I'd rather be playing on Tuesday and Wednesday nights on ESPN than on Facebook Live like Conference USA has.

[mike87]

The "eyeball's on" argument is for recruiting. So what's better for recruiting, watching App play on a Tuesday night in Lafayette or coming to a packed Saturday at The Rock? I see no benefit in weeknight games for a program that sells out like we do on Saturday. I get the conference affiliation and revenue splitting but it seems we have a disproportionately high number of weeknight games. If we are the lead program of the conference we should have a little more sway in dictating our game schedule.

[BambooRdApp]

On ESPN family of networks
ECU
Miami
LaLa
CCU
You do not think this helps with recruiting. Damn straight it does. If we "sell out" on Saturdays, the recruits get exposure to App GameDay experience at other Saturday game days.

Sure, from a personal perspective, I would like 100% of games on Saturday. That is not going to happen until we have contract with major network that takes this position for our league. That is not going to happen.

ESPN wants App on weekdays as we are a great program and is a good draw in that we have above avg attendance at the game and, more importantly, we have a great program (notwithstanding last Tuesday).

[bigdaddyg]

I would have to see some sort of player questionnaire results before I buy that recruiting deal. How many average 18 year old high school football playing kids are actually tuning in to watch App or any good G5 school play a game much less during the week. I would bet that most have other teenage stuff going on. I believe that argument is wishful thinking at best. We get recruits based on coaching relationships, visits to Boone, opportunities to play and just pure luck sometimes. I’m sure that on occasion a few guys might watch us play but I just don’t think it matters. Half the time these weeknight games are played in front of 8k to maybe 20k fans at best. Is that really a recruiting advantage? Come play for us and you can go to GSU on a Thursday night and play in front of 6,000 fans! How about come to the Rock and play in front of 32,000 on a beautiful Saturday afternoon!

[t4pizza]

I really don't think early mid week games get many eyeballs. Football fans are used to games on Thursday and Friday nights but not Tuesday and Wednesday. When we played Marshall on Thursday night, there was talk about it on all the college football talk shows that I listen to both before and some mentions after the game. I didn't hear a single comment about our Tuesday night game against Ull. Also, not one of the college football fans that I know saw our game last Tuesday and none even realized a college game was on. That actually was nice for me because it meant none of them saw the embarrassment that the game was. Anyway, I don't think games on Tuesdays and Wednesday nights do anything positive for us and there are clearly numerous negatives. That being said, we are in a conference that has a contractual relationship with ESPN so it doesn't matter what we say because we have to do what they say regardless of whether it benefits our program or not.

[AppSt94]

I would have to see some sort of player questionnaire results before I buy that recruiting deal. How many average 18 year old high school football playing kids are actually tuning in to watch App or any good G5 school play a game much less during the week. I would bet that most have other teenage stuff going on. I believe that argument is wishful thinking at best. We get recruits based on coaching relationships, visits to Boone, opportunities to play and just pure luck sometimes. I’m sure that on occasion a few guys might watch us play but I just don’t think it matters. Half the time these weeknight games are played in front of 8k to maybe 20k fans at best. Is that really a recruiting advantage? Come play for us and you can go to GSU on a Thursday night and play in front of 6,000 fans! How about come to the Rock and play in front of 32,000 on a beautiful Saturday afternoon!

There is an advantage in telling a recruit that we play games in front of national audiences. Believe it or not, kids like hearing that they have a chance to play on the mothership. Is it going to sway a kid? Hard to tell.

[goapps93]

The "eyeball's on" argument is for recruiting. So what's better for recruiting, watching App play on a Tuesday night in Lafayette or coming to a packed Saturday at The Rock? I see no benefit in weeknight games for a program that sells out like we do on Saturday. I get the conference affiliation and revenue splitting but it seems we have a disproportionately high number of weeknight games. If we are the lead program of the conference we should have a little more sway in dictating our game schedule.

I agree that a packed Saturday at The Rock is more beneficial for recruiting. Obviously OUR recruits are not going to Lafayette on a Tuesday and I hope we're not bringing recruits to The Rock on weeknight games, which should be impossible anyway with their practice and school schedules. However, a kid knowing he's going to be seen by however many eyes on ESPN/ESPN2 on a weeknight is a beneficial recruiting tool as well. Kids always have family and friends who can't come to Boone or an opponents venue who would love to see them play. Until we (App or the Sun Belt) are able to demand prime slots on ESPN/ESPN2 or any other major network on Saturdays, weeknights are a good alternative. I personally know people, both affiliated with App and not, who watch our games during the week who would not, for various reasons, on Saturdays.

[AppSt94]

Given the fact they we have been playing weeknight games for a few years now, and given the steady improvement in recruiting over the same time period; it doesn’t appear that one has an adverse affect over the other. IMO.

[ah59396]

I've said for years the exposure argument was complete crap. I'd be curious to know what players we currently have are a result of seeing App State play on a Wednesday night game. The counter argument to mine in the past has just been, "Well if you like Saturday only football then you should cheer for Western". I love college football, but find it hard to sit and watch a non App State G5 v.s. G5 game during the week. Even if nothing else is on that night.

App State loses game day revenue by having these played during the week, meanwhile Texas State and ULM get part of the television revenue.

It’s absolutely crap. The MAC has had weeknight games for like 20 years. Does anyone here feel that Central Michigan is a stronger brand than Middle Tennessee State? Has all of Bowling Green’s ESPN exposure helped elevate their brand over Rice, Tulsa, Nevada or Troy?

Not in my eyes and I watch a TON of college football. In fact when I think MAC I think “empty stadiums”, mostly due to so many Wednesday night games. That’s the brand they’ve created for themselves.