SEC schools reportedly getting more than $30 million each
SEC schools are reportedly receiving an approximately 30 percent increase in revenue from 2013-2014.
According to ESPN, SEC schools are set to get $31.07 million apiece from the conference. The last payout was approximately $21 million.
The SEC actually made a record $455 million in total revenue based on the revenue-sharing plan for the 2014-15 fiscal year, which ends Aug. 1. However, $20 million was retained by institutions that participated in bowl games last season.
By comparison, the Big Ten distributed $338.9 million during the 2013-14 fiscal year, according to IRS filings, the most recent data available.
The money from the conference comes from the SEC Network, bowl games, the football championship game, the SEC basketball tournament and more, including other TV contracts. The Big Ten and Pac-12, with their own television networks, have a similar setup.
The reason for the difference in payouts between the SEC and Big Ten is television. The SEC recently signed a contract extension with ESPN which started in 2014. The Big Ten’s current television contracts expire in 2016-2017, so when the conference signs an extension with current partners or new ones (Fox Sports 1 could be a candidate), its payout to schools is likely to increase to a number in line with the SEC’s.
ESPN also reported the Big 12 is distributing a pool of over $250 million to its teams, meaning schools are geting approximately $6 million less than SEC teams are. That’s pretty good given the Big 12’s lack of a television network.
It’s also important to point out that revenue numbers aren’t going to keep climbing as quickly as the SEC’s did. While SEC and Big Ten schools could be pocketing over $40 million each per year very soon, their payouts are likely to stabilize in that range and increase incrementally from there. While live sports are some of the most valuable television products and will continue to be so, $1 billion in conference revenue isn’t a threshold that will be crossed soon without a lot more income streams.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
