March Madness is almost here, and you can feel the energy building in the sports world. This year’s tournament has an extra layer of meaning—it’s been five years since Indianapolis hosted the bubble version of the NCAA D-I Men’s Basketball Tournament during the pandemic.
The College Sports Commission (CSC) just dropped its latest data report. There’s a lot to sift through about Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, what’s happening with women’s college basketball viewership, and the shifting landscape of college sports broadcasting.
Let’s dig into some of the big topics, with a bit of perspective for sports fans and people who work in the industry.
The Rise of “Associated Entities” in NIL Deals
The new CSC report points to a pretty striking trend in the NIL market. More “associated entities”—think multimedia rights partners, apparel brands, and collectives tight with schools—are getting involved in setting up NIL deals for athletes.
During January and February, these deals really took off. There was a 65% jump in Associated Power Four deal volume and a wild 182% leap in the average value for these deals.
Impact on Power Four Schools
Associated Power Four deals made up 79% of the total deal value at these schools in the first two months of the year. That’s up from 56% in the previous two months.
Football deals were especially dominant, making up 81% of the deal value and nearly half of all deals. CSC CEO Bryan Seeley says this is a sign that schools are actively creating NIL opportunities for their athletes through these partner entities.
*It’s fair to say that the NIL market in college athletics is not a normal organic market,* Seeley noted. *It’s a market in which schools are manufacturing NIL for their student athletes. And they’re doing it in such a way that deals are paid by entities affiliated with the school, or acting at the direction of the school.*
Challenges and Scrutiny
These deals might be within the rules, but they’re definitely getting a closer look under NCAA regulations and the NIL Go system. The big spike in deals has slowed down the review process and brought more scrutiny.
Seeley mentioned that some entities hesitate to share information, worried their deals won’t get approved. That just adds another layer of complication to the whole thing.
The Influence of the Transfer Portal on NIL
The transfer portal has totally changed the NIL game. Coaches, GMs, and agents are feeling the heat to lock in their players’ futures, which often leads to demands for guaranteed NIL money—even though that’s technically not allowed.
It’s a tough environment for staying within the lines. *There’s no question that during the portal window, agents were demanding guaranteed NIL for student athletes and schools felt pressure to guarantee those things even though such guarantees are not within the rules,* Seeley explained.
Key Statistics from the CSC Report
- 21,025 deals worth a total of $166.50 million have been cleared since NIL Go launched, as of Feb. 28.
- 3,704 deals totaling $39.29 million were cleared since the last Deal Flow Report in January.
- 711 deals, with a value of $29.3 million, have been reviewed and not cleared.
- 70% of deals that reached resolution did so within seven days after all info was submitted.
- As of Feb. 28, 18 deals were in arbitration, but those have been rolled into a single arbitration.
Women’s College Basketball Viewership Trends
Women’s college basketball is on a hot streak with viewership. ESPN expects a 17% bump compared to last year, making this the most-watched regular season since 2008-09.
They’ve aired 20 games with over 500,000 viewers, including big matchups like South Carolina-Tennessee and South Carolina-LSU.
Significant Viewership Milestones
UConn’s national title win over South Carolina pulled in 8.6 million viewers. That’s the third-best championship game number on ESPN platforms and a huge 76% jump from their 2022 tournament meeting.
Last year’s national semifinals (UConn-UCLA, South Carolina-Texas) were the third-most-watched Final Four since ESPN got the rights in 1996. UConn-UCLA alone averaged 4.2 million viewers.
*In women’s basketball there are some brands that drive it, but there are stars that really drive it,* said ESPN Senior Director/Programming and Acquisitions Dan Margulis. *Just figuring out how that’s going to line up this year because there are some stars that people know about, but they’re some stars that people don’t know as much about that they sure will because we get that influx of viewership on the tournament.*
Broadcasting Changes and Challenges
This year’s March Madness is the first since Paramount Skydance landed its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns the event’s broadcast partners. CBS and TNT Sports held their annual pre-tournament call, with execs and broadcasters weighing in on the tournament’s unpredictability and the ad market.
Insights from Industry Leaders
TNT Sports Chairman and CEO Luis Silberwasser and CBS Sports President and CEO David Berson both sounded upbeat about viewership and ad prospects. Silberwasser pointed to more parity in college sports, while Berson leaned into the unpredictability factor.
*This tournament is special. You never know what you’re going to get. There are big names. There are small names. No one can predict it. It’s a crown jewel event, and unpredictability is what makes it so special,* Berson stated.
Advertising Trends
Berson also talked about the huge demand for advertising during March Madness. The event keeps cutting through and boosting revenue for both CBS and TNT Sports.
*Sports is more, and more valuable every single day. Big events like March Madness continue to cut through,* he said.
Additional Developments in College Sports
Several other notable things have happened lately in college sports. Some of these changes are catching people off guard, honestly.
- TCU and Learfield extended their multimedia rights deal through 2037-38. Learfield’s also planning to boost its staffing around NIL infrastructure.
- The Southern Conference signed a six-year extension of its media deal with ESPN, running through 2031-32.
- Elevate acquired Intersect Partners, cementing its presence in college sports. They’re especially focused on naming rights and premium sponsorships.
For more details, check out the full article on the Sports Business Journal. There’s a lot to keep up with, and honestly, it’s moving fast.
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