Pac-12 Networks launched in 2012 as a Pac-12 Conference media company that promised a lot of programming: seven television channels that eventually produced about 850 live events per year with the help of about 150 full-time employees.
But now it’s all over. The Pac-12 networks will finally go off the air Sunday night at the age of 12 due to complications stemming from a pesky national outbreak: the restructuring of college football.
“Pac-12 Networks will end its signal for its seven linear television channels on June 30 at midnight,” the league said in an email Thursday. “We will no longer broadcast or program these seven linear television channels.”
The murder of the chains had been planned for months. Yet as they disappear from cable channels on Monday, their deaths continue to serve as a stark reminder of the remnants of realignment and the uncertainty that still hangs over what remains of the “Conference of Champions.” Here’s a breakdown:
What will happen to those Pac-12 channels?
They will no longer be there: neither the main Pac-12 Network channel nor the six regionalized channels, such as Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Arizona.
“The networks will go dark at 11:59 p.m. PST (Sunday),” cable and internet company Cox Communications said in an email Thursday. “Channel numbers will remain active for 2 weeks with a screen informing customers that the network is no longer operational.”
Charter Communications also recently sent a notice to its customers saying that Pac-12 channels would be taken off the air. But the notice also reminded customers that some former Pac-12 teams will soon appear on the Big Ten Network or the Atlantic Coast Conference Network.
Why did Pac-12 Networks die?
The causes were several. The networks never got the distribution they wanted, which limited their exposure to viewers, especially after failing to reach a deal with DirecTV. The main Pac-12 network only had an average of 12.4 million subscribers in 2023, compared to 46.4 million for the Southeastern Conference Network and 43.8 million for the Big Ten Network, according to estimates provided to KeynoteUSA Sports by S&P Global Market Intelligence.
This was due to lack of demand. Cable providers only paid an average of 14 cents per subscriber per month for the Pac-12 Network, well below the 97 cents per subscriber per month for the SEC Network and 77 cents for the Big Ten Network, according to estimates from S&P Global Market Intelligence.
The 12 Pac-12 universities that own Pac-12 Networks also opted to maintain full ownership rather than bring in an equity partner like KeynoteUSA to give them leverage and investment. By contrast, Big Ten Network is jointly owned by the league (39%) and media company Fox (61%).
Ultimately, these and other revenue shortfalls led Pac-12 schools to leave the league in search of more media rights revenue, larger viewership and more stability, a realignment that sealed the fate of Pac-12 Networks.
In 2022, the University of Southern California and UCLA announced they would leave the Pac-12 to move to the Big Ten in 2024. Last summer, eight other Pac-12 teams announced they would leave the Big 12, the Big Ten or the ACC, leaving only two orphan members in the Pac-12 who were not invited to other leagues: Oregon State and Washington State. Those moves will become official in August.
What about Pac-12 Network properties?
The two remaining Pac-12 schools will own the networks’ production facility in San Ramon, California. This is part of a business called Pac-12 Enterprises, which now offers its broadcast production services to outside clients, with profits going to the two remaining schools.
It will also produce the broadcasts of the 11 home football games that will air on The CW Network for the states of Oregon and Washington in 2024.
In basketball and other sports, Oregon State and Washington State will compete as affiliate members of the West Coast Conference. Pac-12 Enterprises will also produce their home basketball games on the KeynoteUSA+ streaming service, according to the Pac-12.
How will this help the two Pac-12 schools?
It’s an asset that could be used as a card to play in the shifting sands of any future realignment: a sports TV and content business with a full suite of streaming infrastructure and a track record of producing live sporting events.
Meanwhile, Oregon State and Washington State can operate as a two-team league for up to two years before deciding what to do next, such as possibly combining with the Mountain West Conference under the Pac-12 banner.
Under NCAA rules, Football Bowl Subdivision leagues must have at least eight members. But if they fall short of that limit, they are granted a two-year grace period and will continue to use and own the Pac-12 name under Commissioner Teresa Gould, who is under a two-year contract.
How will they spend their last hours?
The Pac-12 Network’s last live event was on May 24 with a baseball tournament in Arizona. Many replays of past games have aired since then, and the 1992 “Snow Bowl” football game between Washington State and Washington is scheduled to air on Sunday night before going off the air, according to Cox’s cable guide.
On Friday, Gould posted a thread on social media site X to mark the passing of an era.
“Normally, around this time we celebrate the achievements of the academic year and prepare for the next. Instead, today we say goodbye to the last group of loyal @pac12 and @Pac12Network members leaving an organization they love,” Gould wrote.
He ended the thread with a nod to an uncertain future. According to the league, only about 30 employees remain in the Pac-12, including Pac-12 Enterprises.
“For the small number of us who continue, we will continue to fight for @pac12, for the Beavs and the Cougs, and for all of you,” he wrote. “We hope you’re proud.”
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @SchrotenboerEmail: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
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