Pac-12 Presidents Reportedly Considering Apple-Streaming Media Rights Deal

No outcome on Tuesday afternoon after commissioner George Kliavkoff's presentation.

There still was no announced approval from the nine remaining Pac-12 Conference presidents on Tuesday afternoon following Commissioner George Kliavkoff presenting them with a media rights proposal that reportedly is driven by an Apple TV streaming package.

Multiple media sources reported that Kliavkoff finally put the proposal in front of the conference leaders but no outcome was expected to come immediately.

Pete Thamel of ESPN, via Twitter, said campus presidents were “digesting the possibilities of a stream-centric future and the variance in potential income.”

Thamel wrote that several proposals were presented but that the Apple deal appeared most likely to gain approval.

The deal, which would go into effect for the 2024-25 school year, reportedly has the potential to eventually be more financially beneficial than the Big 12 media package, but that would depend on subscription numbers.

The Big 12 media contract, which goes into effect in 2025, calls for each school to receive an average of $31.7 million annually.

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With the start of the season just a month away, there is pressure on Kliavkoff to deliver a deal that meets with the approval of the Pac-12 presidents and keeps the conference intact.

USC and UCLA announced last summer they will depart the Pac-12 in favor of the Big Ten in the fall of 2024, and last week Colorado made the decision to return to the Big 12.

All of the conference movement, of course, is money-driven and if Kliavkoff’s proposal is not approved the future of the 108-year-old Pac-12 is at risk.

At this point, it seems anything is possible. Ross Dellenger of Yahoo reported that the Arizona Board of Regents, which governs both Arizona and Arizona State, were scheduled to meet Tuesday.

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If the Arizona schools were to bolt for the Big 12, would Utah be far behind? The Big 12 has been open in its courting of all three universities.

Without any of the Four Corners schools, the conference would have just six remaining schools, all of whom then would be scrambling for a soft landing place.

Stay tuned.

Cover photo of Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff by Kirby Lee, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo