Kliavkoff Downplays Delay in Getting Pac-12 Media Deal

The conference commissioner says an announcement is coming in the near future.

Commissioner George Kliavkoff, while making no formal announcement, seemed to indicate at Pac-12 media day on Friday in Las Vegas that the conference has a media rights deal in place.

Kliavkoff told the assembled gathering that the conference purposely wasn't making any deal reveal this week to focus on football, but that one was coming in "the near future."

He also dismissed the criticism over the Pac-12's long delay in negotiating a deal that is expected to involve both linear TV and streaming options.

"We find the longer we wait for the media deal, the better the options we get," Kliavkoff said.

The third-year commissioner said the conference, in order, would finalize its media rights deal, have the schools sign a grant of rights agreement and then turn to potential expansion.

Again, Kliavkoff reiterated that a drawn-out negotiation has been necessary to respond to a changing media landscape, but acknowledged it might have hurt recruiting some.

"With the underlying shift in the media market, in the long term we've been benefitting from that," he said, "but in the short team it might have caused some hiccups."

Kliavkoff added that the Pac-12 hasn't veered from what's important in the negotiations and meeting the timeliness expectations of others hasn't been a big concern.

"Getting the right deal has always been more important to our board and to the conference than getting the expeditious one," he said.

Kliavkoff also dismissed the continuous suggestion that the future survival of the Pac-12 is tenuous as conference realignment remains a topic that won't go away.

"I think I know where the sources of that are coming," he said. "I discount that because I know the truth."

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