May 26, 2005

Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson and executives from College Sports Television are making tour stops at Utah and BYU this week.

They're making the rounds - visiting each of the league's nine schools - to discuss details of a seven-year, $82 million multimedia agreement that takes effect in the fall of 2006.

Their message?

"It's not just television," says CSTV co-founder Chris Bevilacqua, who explained that technology will bring programming to a lot of places including broadband, video-on-demand, high definition, satellite, wireless, PDAs and cell phones. Television agreements currently make CSTV available on Comcast, DirecTV and Time Warner Cable systems. CollegeSports.com and its vast network of athletic sites delivers live statistics and scores for more than 13,000 collegiate sports each year.

The broad spectrum, notes CSTV co-chairman Dave Checketts, puts the Mountain West Conference on the cutting edge of new forms of distribution.

The conference's current association with ESPN, which is limited to television rights, has one-year remaining.

"ESPN really has become a pro sports programming network. They're heavily invested in all four leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL and Major League Baseball). It's still a terrific network, but I felt like they've perhaps neglected their college roots," said Checketts. "So this is the best thing that can happen to this conference."

The reasons, he continued, are two-fold.

"No. 1, they get a whole lot more money, which helps in recruiting, building facilities, hiring coaches and all that," said Checketts. "And No. 2, they're going to get a lot more exposure. Their games will be in more places than they've ever been."

Checketts, Bevilacqua and Thompson met with reporters at Franklin Covey Field Wednesday while attending the MWC baseball tournament. Earlier in day, they met with coaches and administrators at the University of Utah.

"I think it's good for our conference. It's a chance to maybe take more control over our schedule and our destiny, if you will. And I think that's what we're trying to do - give ourselves national exposure and at the same time play our games when we want to play them. I think that's the combination," said Utah athletic director Chris Hill. "I think it'll help all of our sports. That's the goal."

BYU's Tom Holmoe, who'll host the tour today, is also supportive of the arrangement.

"We like the strategies of the games being broadcast at normal times, and the coverage is very good," said Holmoe. "We like the people behind it. It's a good financial opportunity for us. It's a good partnership. Being part of something new is a little bit risky, but I think it's something where we are willing to take that risk. We feel confident it's going to be a benefit to us."

Besides an increase in media exposure for Olympic sports, Thompson said the CSTV deal means late Monday basketball games, and odd football start times and days mandated by ESPN will be a thing of the past.

"These guys are going to get to play when our fans want them to play," said Thompson.

Though as many as eight football games will be televised on Thursday nights, along with an occasional Friday date, most of the league's football games will be played on Saturdays between noon and 6 p.m. Thompson also said that weeknight basketball games will start between 6-8 p.m. The league plans to adopt a Wednesday/Saturday format for the men and Thursday/Saturday for the women.

Though the MWC's deal with ESPN has yet to expire, late-night appearances on the network's "Big Monday" no longer exist. Wednesday or Thursday games will be televised in 2005-06.

"We basically have next year's schedule done. We're just waiting for the NHL/ESPN thing to be resolved as to which night we'll be on," said Thompson.

Despite the impending separation, the MWC and ESPN maintain a working relationship.

"We're fine. There's no animosity," insists Thompson. "We're trying to go out on a high note. They're going to meet their contractual obligations. We're going to meet our contractual obligations and try to put out the best schedule, get the most exposure we can and move on."

The conference's future with CSTV, according to Checketts, is bright.

"The relationship between the league office, the presidents and our network is terrific," he said. "It's kind of a dream come true for me since I went to both BYU and Utah. It'll make sure they get the kind of exposure they need and deserve. Because they are outstanding athletic programs."