It was widely reported yesterday that the MAC's new 13-year deal with ESPN was worth slightly more than $100 million over the life of the contract, or about $8 million a year.
Well now ESPN's Brett McMurphy has obtained some more information about the deal that makes things a bit clearer:
More info from industry source on new MAC/ESPN deal: worth 10M/year over last 10 years
— Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) August 20, 2014
Remember, the deal was actually a restructuring of the final three years of an old deal that only paid $1.4 million a year, PLUS a 10-year extension. The idea that the contract would kick up in the final 10 seasons makes perfect sense. This of course also means the overall value of the deal is likely higher than what was first reported by McMurphy and others, as 10 years of $10 million puts it at $100 million right there.
The MAC isn't talking, and neither is the business side of ESPN (McMurphy has to dig up this information the old fashioned way: through sources), so it may be some time until we know the full value.