Interesting data from the Pac 12 network

The Georgia fans have broken me. I can't discuss football anymore this week. So, I present some data on who is watching the Pac 12 network (SEC network numbers not available, but this is still interesting)

These ratings are from the Pac-12 Network — the national feed — and specific to one of the conference’s major markets. The numbers cover four consecutive Saturdays last fall.

A primer on how ratings work if you don't know. Ratings are measured in 15-minute segments, so a four-hour football game would have 16 segments. The four Olympic sports events in question had a total of 22 measured segments. Of those, 21 registered a zero.

A zero doesn't mean that no one watched, but technically, that zero refers to a share. But a zero share equals a zero rating.

In the Pac 12, where the Olympic sports are a bigger deal than anywhere else in the country, the telecasts registered a zero.

What does this mean for the conference networks? Football is king. We know that, but the millions of dollars from advertising isn't sustainable in this year round model.

From the Pac 12 experts (substitute CBS for FOX in the SEC)

1. “An advertising model associated with Olympic sports is not viable.The ratings are non-existent. No one is watching.”

2. “When a football team is on (the Pac-12 Networks) in its home market, it gets a very impressive share. The Pac-12 absolutely has leverage over the cable provider in those instances. The problem is the best games are on Fox and ESPN — and for good reason.”

3. “It was prudent of the conference to have the best (football) games on ESPN and Fox, because of greater reach. You could put them on the Pac-12 Networks, and that (leverage) might help you add distribution. But your brand will suffer because it won’t be as visible.”

I don't think enough people nationally are watching Florida vs. Georgia volleyball or LSU vs. Alabama softball. I think the SEC network is going to have some problems.