Interesting Things I Picked Up On

I recently spoke with someone at the ACC in Greensboro.  He was a very interesting person who did a lot of cool things. 

I met him at the headquarters, which is in what looks to be a magnificent home with a parking lot in front.  Inside in the lobby there are trophies everywhere.

He showed me how editors edit all football games live.  They use similar software that Women's Soccer uses for game film to capture and tag clips of every penalty in every game so that the referees can take a look at everything the next day and go over calls.   They also look to make sure that conference advertisement spots and school spots are being filled.  They are checking to make sure advertisements are being shown on television and for the right amount of time. 

Contracts specify how much air time you are supposed to get, so you have to make sure you and your partners are getting your money's worth.

I also  found out something that is relieving.  More people watch Men's Lacrosse or Softball on ESPN than Poker.

I also heard that Women's Softball has hiring ratings than College Baseball on ESPN. 

Soccer was "ok" but I got the sense it was behind baseball, softball and lacrosse in ratings.  Not sure, but that's the impression I got.  It does ok, not great. 

There is so much to TV and television contracts.  More than I could have ever imagined.  Keep in mind that different conferences do things differently.   From what I understand in the ACC ESPN gets the games it wants to broadcast.  Then RAYCOM gets the choice of the next ones.  Then schools can let regional networks carry the rest.  Sometimes regional networks can carry ESPN or RAYCOM games, but the regional networks would have to pay RAYCOM or ESPN for the right to do that.  

Now you know why contract law is so valuable.  It has to be the most complicated thing to read television contracts.   You have to figure out who produces and broadcasts the game, and who pays to produce and broadcast the game.  Then you have to choose who can redistribute your game. 

Sometimes schools can re-air games as part of contracts, but can only re-air those games during times that are approved of.  Networks might not want you going head to head with their content if you have a re-air that would get more people to tune in.

I don't know a lot about television contracts, but I learned a lot more than I did before.  At the same time I learned enough to know that I don't know a lot.   

I also learned about software that can read a "fingerprint" that is put on all video and maybe even audio now that is broadcast.  If someone uses ACC film on you tube, the ACC would find out the instant it is put online. 

If people pay for that film they can use it, but if not they have to take it down. 

Random things I learned and thought I would write about.