So much for all the ND haters who were GUARANTEEING that NBC would drop ND at the end of the current contract because of last year's not-so-great horrid results. NBC and ND announced the extended contract today. The relationship is on paper for another 5 years, running through 2015. NBC and ND leaders were excited about the extension:
"We are absolutely thrilled to be continuing our landmark agreement with Notre Dame, the most storied brand in college sports," [NBC Sports Chairman Dick] Ebersol said. "This new deal, which will bring us to 25 years as partners, is great tribute to the wonderful relationship that Ken Schanzer has built with the entire Notre Dame community."
"For almost 20 years, the innovative partnership between Notre Dame and NBC has been a valuable relationship for both the University and the network, and we are delighted that it will be extended by another five years," Father Jenkins said. "Our fans and student-athletes have benefited, of course, but, most importantly, it is the general student body that has realized the greatest gains. In a collaboration unlike any other in higher education, revenue derived from the NBC contract has provided millions of dollars in financial aid to thousands of deserving students at Notre Dame, and we are pleased that this support to the academic mission of the University will continue."
And Charlie sees the benefits as well:
Notre Dame head football coach Charlie Weis added: "I'm thrilled on two levels to hear that Notre Dame will maintain its great relationship with NBC. As the head football coach, it is very beneficial for the program to have all of our home games broadcast into every living room in the country for the foreseeable future. As an alumnus, it is great to know that future students at Notre Dame will benefit from this partnership in the form of need-based scholarships."
ND really is unique in the way it uses the funds from football to benefit the general student population. Here's an interesting tidbit from the article:
In a 2007 survey, Forbes reported that the Notre Dame football program returns $21.1 million to academic initiatives, a total that is more than the survey's next five programs combined.
THE NEXT FIVE. Ridiculous. Yet people somehow claim that academics aren't really a priority for ND.
In the end, this relationship comes down to the strength of the Notre Dame name. The strength and passion of its fan-base, and the fact that people love to hate ND too. All of that equals ratings, which makes this deal a good one for both sides. Revenue, branding and exposure for both sides. Completely win-win.
I just wish we could get some new announcers.
One other issue is the schedule. So far, the watering down of the home schedule doesn't seem to have affected NBC's interest. But, the new AD will have to watch that balance, ensuring that the home slate is interesting/challenging/intriguing to ND fans (and the haters). The quality of ND's football program (which I believe is on the rise, albeit through a somewhat random path) is a lesser threat to this relationship in my eyes. The real threat is that the home slate becomes full of cupcakes and uninteresting regional match-ups, with the random UM and USC game in there for good measure. If KW's policies are continued, that's where we'll be, and NBC will be gone. But hopefully our new AD addresses that...
EDIT: BGS points us to an article from the SI Vault detailing the original deal and how it came about. Good read if you're not familiar.
