The PAC-12 Conference is looking for a new commissioner. Given that some of the most significant failings of former commissioner Larry Scott came in the conference’s media deals, it makes sense that the next hire would be someone with a little more influence in that space.
Pete Thamel of Yahoo! reports that ESPN’s Burke Magnus is a candidate for the job.
Magnus is ESPN’s Executive Vice President of Scheduling and Programming. He has extensive experience with the company’s relationship with college sports dating all the way back to 1995 when he first arrived in Bristol.
His ESPN bio credits Magnus with securing deals for the network with the College Football Playoff and other NCAA championship events, the most high profile of which are the Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament and the College World Series. He has also overseen deals with the ACC, Big 12, PAC-12, and the SEC.
The PAC-12 is not the first college conference to kick the tires on Burke Magnus. Previously, he was thought to be a top contender for commissioner openings in both the Big Ten and the ACC. Those jobs ended up going to Minnesota Vikings COO Kevin Warren and Northwestern AD James Phillips respectively.
School presidents in the conference obviously want more from their media rights deals. The PAC-12 Network, which is wholly owned by the member schools, has been mostly considered a failure. It makes sense that Magnus would be an attractive candidate, as he has the relationships and industry clout to put together better deal with ESPN, FOX, or Apple for media rights and with cable and satellite companies for distribution of the network.
Media presence is obviously the top priority. In addition to Magnus, Randy Freer is also considered a prime candidate. He is the former CEO of FOX Sports and Hulu.
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