A Jersey Guy says Mike Aresco is the new commissioner.

[Paisa el Toro]

I do like that the Big East went outside the box

It's do or die. I hope this guy's hire gives the Big East the kickout it needs after the almost three-count its suffered from all the defections.

[bulls phanatic]

Agree. We needed an outsider and hopefully this is a win for the conference. Hopefully b/w him and the new consultant team we can land a nice TV deal. He needs to be proactive and keep this conference relevant if we can get a nice TV deal.

[Mama_Bull]

Greg Auman â€@gregauman

USF President Judy Genshaft quoted in Big East announcement of CBS' Mike Aresco as new commissioner: "He has a great vision for our future."

10:54 AM - 14 Aug 12 via Twitter for iPhone ·

[BullFan98]

If this guy doesn't make us money he is a failure.

I doubt that he would have taken the job, if he didn't already know that he would be successful. With his TV background, he's one of the few people with the requisite expertise who could properly evaluate the value of the Big East.

Well said.

[BullFan98]

CBS would pay huge money for BE basketball and with his connections, I see a big tv deal in our future. If ESPN wants us, they will have to pay huge. Get ready cable providers, you will be forking over more of your revenue to keep ESPN in your lineup.

[tampatony]

Another article from Dodd at CBSSports... Looks like a good deal and can't wait to find out what happens over the next 4 months.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/dennis-dodd/19794041/big-east-hits-a-home-run-with-cbs-aresco

[Mama_Bull]

Big East gets serious about TV efforts

August, 14, 2012

Aug 14

2:41

PM ET

By Kristi Dosh | ESPN.com

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In May 2011, the Big East turned down a TV broadcast rights deal from ESPN reportedly worth $11 million per school -- annually. Rights fees for conferences had been on the rise, and conference leaders were sure waiting for a better offer would pay off in a big way.

That was before the Big East lost Pitt and Syracuse to the ACC. Before TCU announced it was joining the Big 12 instead of officially becoming a Big East member. And before West Virginia left the conference to join TCU.

True, the Big East has since added Central Florida, Houston, Memphis and SMU as full members, along with football-only members Boise State, San Diego State and Navy. But safety isn’t in numbers -- it’s in the revenue provided by the most lucrative TV deal possible.

Today’s announcement that CBS executive vice president Mike Aresco will become the commissioner of the conference confirms the Big East is making television a priority. Aresco has led programming for CBS since 1996, handling such negotiations as the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and the 15-year SEC contract.

Jeff Schemmel, former athletic director at San Diego State and current managing director of the College Division at JMI Sports, said Aresco’s hiring makes perfect sense.

“Hiring a television executive is not that surprising, since the next television contract for the Big East will be the most critical factor in determining the future viability of the conference, particularly as to whether the schools coming to the league in the next few years will feel they've made a good decision," he said.

Other conferences are controlling their own financial destinies by signing long-term deals and starting conference networks. The <a href="http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/7910112/atlantic-coast-conference-espn-extend-rights-deal-2026-27" target="_blank">ACC recently signed a 15-year, $3.6 billion contract extension with ESPN. The Big 12 inked a $1.2 billion contract with Fox for the conference’s second-tier rights last year. ESPN and Fox partnered for a historic joint deal with the Pac-12 last year worth $3 billion over 15 years.

Some conferences have taken things even further. The Big Ten owns a 49 percent stake in Big Ten Network, which guarantees the conference annual rights fees in addition to a share in the profits. The Pac-12 wholly owns the new Pac-12 Networks launching Wednesday and controls all of the broadcasting, digital and sponsorship rights for all of its members. Although it will receive no revenue until the networks are profitable, it also will not have to share with anyone when it does one day reap its rewards.

To remain competitive with those other conferences both on and off the field, the Big East will need to secure a long-term deal this fall. Tom Stultz, managing director of the media division of JMI Sports and former managing director of IMG College’s multimedia rights business, said it is tough to predict how the loss of Syracuse, Pitt and West Virginia will impact the Big East’s next television contract.

“The one thing that’s changed since then though is the NBC/Comcast merger,†Stultz said. “That’s the wildcard in all this. Do they really want to dive in?â€

“There are some really compelling parts to the[big East’s] offering,†Stultz said. “You have the northeast corridor. There has to be some media players that want to get into the college space and who want to send a signal they’re here and ready to play.â€

Neal Pilson, former president of CBS Sports, is optimistic about the Big East’s outlook.

“If the Big East schools hang together, I believe they can secure a new TV deal equal to or better than the last offer from ESPN, because the media competition for their rights will be intense.â€

Stultz said Aresco is an “incredible†hire.

Aresco will be working closely with Bevilacqua Helfant Ventures, which is the conference’s lead negotiator for a new television contract this fall. ESPN has an exclusive 60-day negotiating window beginning Sept. 1. Should no deal be reached, the conference can take its rights out on the open market.

Chris Bevilacqua has a long history in college sports television. He was a founder of CSTV, which started the Mountain West’s conference channel, the first channel devoted to a single conference. The historic partnership between ESPN and Fox was his brainchild as well, an idea he presented while he served as a consultant to the Pac-12. He also represented the Pac-12 and the Rose Bowl during recent negotiations which resulted in an $80 million annual rights fee, 167 percent higher than the previous contract.

http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/dollars/post/_/id/1003/big-east-gets-serious-about-tv-efforts

[Matt]

maybe he can bring another person from CBS Sports over to the Big East. Like Brett McMurphy? haha. Brett could be the official Big East Press Manager or something?

[slick1ru2]

With this move I am now thinking that the Big East may be headed eventually to its own network, partially owned by with either CBS or NBC or maybe even Fox. With all the school departure money, the Big East is flush with cash for infrastructure setup.

Edited August 14, 2012 by slick1ru2

[Mama_Bull]

August, 14, 2012

Aug 14

3:00

PM ET

By Andrea Adelson | ESPN.com

Today, the Big East officially enters a new era.

All those adjectives used to describe the Big East? You know 'em too well. Too passive. Too reactionary. Too old school.

Throw them in the trash, along with all those jokes about the Big Least.

[+] Enlarge

Cal Sport Media via AP Images

The Big East made a bold move with the hire of Mike Aresco, tasked with delivering a lucrative television deal for the newly reconfigured league.

The Big East proved itself forward thinking and visionary on Monday when it hired CBS executive Mike Aresco as its new commissioner. This is a bold move, made to ensure this conference not only survives into the future -- but thrives into the future.

Nearly one year ago, the Big East was left for dead when Syracuse, Pitt, TCU and West Virginia decided to leave. Remaining members went to their contacts and dialed out for help, hoping a lifeline would save them from what West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck called a "sinking ship."

Then-commissioner John Marinatto did his best to calm the waters, inviting in some of the better teams outside the automatic qualifying conferences. Temple joins this year; Boise State, San Diego State, UCF, SMU, Houston and Memphis next year; Navy in 2015.

At that point, the Big East had little choice but to invite in the best of the rest in order to actually field a football conference. Marinatto was blamed for not being a visionary leader, for not anticipating the stunning departures, for being completely unprepared to handle a second wave of realignment that gutted the fabric of the Big East.

So he resigned, a mutual decision designed to ensure the Big East move forward with somebody who could steer the league during the most critical stage in its history. No. 1 on the commissioner wish list – somebody with a television background. Why? The Big East enters make-or-break television negotiations in September, negotiations that the league has been eagerly anticipating for over two years.

Marinatto used to say it was a huge benefit to the Big East that it had last dibs at securing its TV media rights deal, because it could sit back, examine and analyze all the rich deals that have preceded it. The Big East saw how the Pac-12 used its leverage to secure an eye-popping deal. The Big East saw the value the ACC got.

But does the Big East truly benefit? Ever since turning down a reported deal from ESPN last May, there has been much speculation about what the new television deal the Big East gets will be worth. With a completely reconfigured lineup, there are countless educated guesses but no real answers.

Now that the Big East has hired Aresco, perhaps those answers become clearer. Aresco has an extensive college programming background. He was the architect of the groundbreaking billion-dollar deal the SEC received from CBS a few years ago. He led the billion-dollar TV rights deal between CBS and the NCAA for the men’s basketball tournament.

Before working at CBS, he had his hand in college sports programming at ESPN. This is a man not only with contacts in the television world, but contacts across every conference in the college world. He has a sparkling resume, a reputation that has earned him nothing but raves from the colleagues who have sat across from him at the bargaining table.

Couple his hire with the announcement that noted sports media business guru Chris Bevilacqua will help steer the upcoming TV negotiations, and you see the Big East finally gets it. The Big East clearly and truly understands its future hinges on what happens with this TV rights deal. And it clearly and truly understands the role television plays in the marketplace.

Let’s face it. Television has changed the face of college football. These multi-billion dollar deals have made conferences grow richer and stronger; programs grow richer and stronger. But they also have set off the ground-shaking realignment that has caused upheaval over the last three years. No conference has felt that more than the Big East.

But now the Big East has its shot to make everything right, with a man who has made a living negotiating television rights deals.

After all the darkness, there is now hope.

A new day truly has arrived for the Big East.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/35217/big-east-wins-the-day-with-aresco-hire