Re: The end of leagues as we know?
Non-profits [universities, hospitals] hire brand consultants at a proportionally higher rate than for-profit business. When it comes to education and medicine people want the best.
No, the majority of market entry consultants in the US work primarily with private companies and corporations.
What we do know is that Notre Dame has said they will not remain in the CCHA
Well, let's be accurate, Notre Dame has not made a decision to leave the CCHA yet...according to ND AD
Jack Swarbrick, it is still in the evaluation phase and no decision has been made.
Jeff Jackson was quoted recently as saying, "it's a possibility".
Conference reaffiliation for Notre Dame’s hockey program is still an evaluation process, though Swarbrick said there are some who want the re-affiliation process to move at a quicker pace.
The schools involved in the breakaway conference have been conducting "due diligence" for the past six months.
They may be conducting evaluations independently, but if you read my post again I stated, "corporate" meaning a "super conference marketing committee". There is obviously no organizational conference structure yet to produce a market feasibility plan for such an endeavor, which is why your impetuous need to validate it as imminent is entirely inaccurate and premature (perhaps even with a little personal bias too).
As I've said before, its not revenue that's driving this deal, its recruiting. DU, UND, BC, Miami and the others want to recruit potential first round draft picks. They believe that they will be at a disadvantage recruiting against the Big 10 schools, unless they form a strong conference.
And again recruiting!? I didn't realize you were that naive. Are you living under a rock? The number one concern among colleges and universities across the nation today is whether escalating costs will cause some of their athletic programs to be financially unsustainable.
Nationwide between 2005 and 2008, athletics spending per athlete increased by 38 percent, while academic spending per student increased by less than 21 percent. In 2008, FBS schools spent on average $84,446 per athlete compared with $13,349 per student. Even more staggering, based upon current trajectories of the top 10 athletics spenders, their average budgets will swell from $98 million in 2009 to $254 million in 2020.
BTN’s rapid financial and geographical growth since it's inception is not just the dawning and apex of an unprecedented quantum leap in the professionalization and commercialization of NCAA college sports in general. It's a media network model that's essentially designed to facilitate a hi-tech “land grab” which 1) can effectively generate a new conference revenue gravy train, and 2) strategically expand the conference footprint beyond regional boundaries.
Its financial success demonstrates that the development of a proprietary media network as a substantial revenue stream and leveraging mechanism against corporate sports media moguls is not just a contingency plan, it’s the "in vogue" option to reaping a substantial ROI.
That's one of the reasons why the Pac-12 Network recently got a deal worth $250 million annually to distribute their athletic content over multiple networks (ESPN/ABC and FOX), and thus quadrupling their previous deal. Others will follow to see how they can get their slice of the pie, like UND:
The reason for the move would be for UND to align itself with schools that have similar philosophies about their hockey programs and are willing to invest in them and create new media opportunities.
And Notre Dame:
In addition to considering the impact on the nation’s Division I programs, Swarbrick brought up three points of consideration when evaluating a conference move: Maximizing television exposure, finding a cultural fit for the program and for the school and mechanical issues such as travel and scheduling.
There will be a Notre Dame Network, but people sort of envision that in traditional terms of something dramatic and new. You’ll sort of grow into it as you produce more and more digital programming and distribute it more broadly, and we’re committed to that.
Notre Dame's launch of their own proprietary network will allow them to terminate their current media partnership with NBC in 2015 and accrue all subsequent network revenue. If Notre Dame does realign, it will most likely be with HE which would also expand their network subscriber database:
...Notre Dame should be expansion target numbers 1, 2 and 3 for Bertagna. It's a slam dunk for the conference to bring the Irish east, as the similarities between Notre Dame and the 10 Hockey East members are numerous. It would also strengthen the conference and help Bertagna negotiate a better TV package for the next cycle.
