Just some math for ESPN.
- Current ACC deal, ESPN pays average of just under $40M/yr/school and likely isn't going to be increasing much if at all over time. However with ACC entering into unequal revenue distribution that could see top Schools making $50M/yr, it is possible that the mid-bottom level schools receive closer to $30M/yr.
- Current Big 12 deal, ESPN pays $20M/school, while Fox pays $11.7M/school. I assume because it wasn't announced any of the PAC to Big12 movers are receiving reduced share all 16 are getting full shares. So these 4 moves represents an ADDITIONAL +$80M expense by ESPN who wasn't previously paying for an PAC members, and +$47M by Fox.
- Current Big 10 and SEC deals are estimated to payout at least like $70M/yr and getting up to $100M/yr by 2030.
So, with Big10 currently at 18 members, if they add just 4 more ACC schools, this would represent at least a +$280M/yr increase for Fox (well technically not just Fox, it'd also be CBS and NBC chipping in too), and a -$160M decrease for ESPN. If the SEC then adds at least 2 members, this would represent at least a +$60M/yr increase for ESPN.
NET so far (compared to last week), if 4 ACC schools move to Big10 and 2 move to SEC, we are at +$327M/yr spending for Fox, and -$20M by ESPN (so ESPN saving $20M).
THEN lets assume the Big12 wants to get up to 20 schools as well and decides to add 4 ACC members. This would represent a -$80M decrease for ESPN, and a +$46.8M increase for Fox.
From there will the remaining 4 ACC members still get $40M/yr payouts? **** no. They'd be lucky to get $20M/yr like the PAC had agreed to. So We can estimate that at worst ESPN would probably save another -$80M/yr, but possibly -$160M...
In total that would mean ESPN actually SAVES about $180M-$260M/yr from the ACC falling apart, and really are only losing the rights to the 4 programs choosing the Big10. Now technically if ESPN wanted to keep some of those programs under their fold they could offer to maintain their $40M/yr average distribution for those programs (joining the Big10 deal), and still save between $20M-100M/yr.
So my point in doing this is to show that FOR ESPN, this is more just rearranging things, possibly dropping the lowest programs, and even likely saving tens of millions along the way.