The deal was exactly the design I envisioned but they went about it all wrong. They never should have sold off the tier 3 rights. Just setup a network like Big XII now but get the schools to contribute their content. Then say any Cyclones.tv sub could get content from any school and Visa versa. But now you've sold out to ESPN for less money and less control
I just cancelled my $60 year sub directly to isu to sign up for 50 / year to ESPN.
understand the point... But I think the key is distribution. What are the total combined subscriptions for all of the B12 teams' individual networks? I am guessing they are (significantly) lower than the subscription base for ESPN+. So, the problem is, you can't stumble on the individual team networks the way you can "accidentally" watch games on the b10 network today... you have to make an effort to find the games/content and then sign up for a separate subscription.
For me, I might watch penn state v. temple on the b10 network just because i happen to have it available with my cable subscription, but I would never pay for a penn state unique channel if i needed to subscribe separately... With ESPN+ you have potential to attract people with limited interest in the teams if it is available to them with their ESPN+ subscription...
Finally, you may make less in the short term, but I don't think these networks were making significant money for most of the schools. In the long term though, they will have a package (with performance stats - how many people are watching) that is ready to be sold once it proves it's value. If you don't test the potential of a fully distributed network, it will be harder to sell it in the future.
Obviously, just my opinion... it will be interesting to follow for sure.
