It appears that the Pac-12 has the disservice of getting stuck with the short end of the stick at ESPN, and John Canzano of The Oregonian and 750 The Game in Portland has had enough of it.
The longtime columnist wrote a piece yesterday about the quality of broadcast that the Pac-12 has been receiving on ESPN compared to Pac-12 Network broadcasts. He says the difference is pretty clear, calling the ESPN broadcast “a fuzzy, low-budget disappointment.”
Jon Wilner of The San Jose Mercury News captured two different screenshots, one from a broadcast on the Pac-12 Network, and one from an ESPN broadcast this Saturday night.
On the left is the Pac-12 Network and on the right is ESPN’s broadcast last weekend. Anyone who knows anything about cameras or production can clearly see that the ESPN broadcast is just not up to par with what should be the standard nowadays of high definition for a nationally televised college football game.
Multiple sources told Canzano that ESPN used saved money by utilizing “low budget” trucks to carry the signal of Oregon’s win over Washington State on Saturday night.
It appears that ESPN did this simply because they knew that they can get away with it. Pac-12 games are on at 10:30 ET which is typically the lowest viewed game on the network on most college football Saturdays. Canzano reached out to ESPN on the production quality and has yet to hear a response back on the matter.
Canzano hosts a syndicated radio show The Bald Truth across Oregon. With the Oregon Ducks in the thick of the College Football Playoff discussion for the first time in years, it makes sense that he was so agitated by the production of the product.
His biggest takeaway is that the PAC-12 has to be a better advocate for its schools and its football product.
“The Pac-12 needs to take note of this and ensure that it doesn’t happen with future TV contracts,” John Canzano wrote. “Raise the number of minimum cameras at the stadiums. Ensure that the crews are staffed and ask that pylon cameras and isolated camera operators who can better follow the action are mandatory. Also, require ESPN to use a truck that will give viewers a quality picture on their television vs. the low-budget rig it sent to Eugene on Saturday.”
Regardless this type of quality should be unacceptable in 2021 for any major network and the Pac-12 may seriously want to consider this when they do their next round of media right negotiations.
