oh for f****ssake. What part of NATIONAL BRAND do you not understand??? IF (emphasis on IF) the Big Ten takes KU it’s because of their national brand which is entirely associated with their basketball program. BTN isn’t concerned with KU football or the KC market. They are already here and have plenty of presence. If that’s the motivation KU is a hard no. As has been said, it’s not about TVs on BTN, it’s about markets they can move into. If they can move into a basic cable package, or a sports tier package that’s what they are looking for, because that means they are getting paid whether people are watching or not. Obviously they want more viewers, but being in a basic package means money whether people watch or not.
So the question is, does KU have a national presence outside of the Big Ten footprint that would motivate ESPN, Fox, etc to increase conference TV revenue? Their football team certainly doesn’t. But could their basketball brand open up a market in Raleigh-Durham or Charlotte??? Maybe. Could basketball open up Atlanta? Nashville? Knoxville? Charleston? Or even LA or San Francisco? KU football won’t but KU basketball could. It’s not out of the realm of possibility. Is it a long shot? Sure. Is it better than adding ISU? absolutely. Is it as good as capturing the west coast via a merger/agreement with the Pac12? Not even close. To really move the needle the BIG needs LA, which means USC and UCLA. And adding Stanford for the Bay Area would be icing on the cake.
at the end of the day KU to the Big Ten is about AAU and Basketball and the potential markets that open up because of KU basketball, not football. Which is why it’s a long shot, but not out of the question. The real money is on the west coast, but the Pac12 is still solid so getting them to the table is difficult. Adding KU as a buffer for the short term may not help, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. In other words, KU football may be bringing in the money, but they are doing so because of KU basketball. And the better question is, how much is KU football generating off of TV revenue due to their Big 12 association which is entirely driven by Texas and Oklahoma. Take away UT and OU and KU is Basically a somewhat better version of UConn, Villanova or Gonzaga. Add KU to the Big Ten, football may get the credit on the balance sheet, but basketball is driving the bus.