Pac-12 football broadcasts will look different this fall. Other conferences, like the Big 12, will likely follow suit soon
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When tuning in to watch Pac-12 football this fall, expect to see more behind-the-scenes content than ever before.
On Thursday, the Pac-12 Conference, in conjunction with its television partners ESPN and Fox Sports, announced a revamped format for broadcasts ahead of the 2023 college football season.
What does that mean?
In-game interviews with head coaches, pre-game and halftime access to locker rooms for TV cameras, wired (mic’d up) coaches and athletes during pregame warmups, plus cameras in coaches’ booths (sans sound).
In short, fans watching on TV will see and hear more from coaches and players before and during games than ever before.
“The Pac-12 is committed to delivering unprecedented access and entertainment to our fans throughout our football broadcasts, and to working with our media partners to be on the cutting edge of innovation,” Merton Hanks, Pac-12 executive associate commissioner of football operations, said in a release. “We look forward to delivering the best possible broadcasts that give fans the insights and access that makes watching Pac-12 football even more enjoyable.”
In an interview with ESPN’s Heather Dinich, Hanks expounded further.
“I’m sure they’ll have some key games that they really want to press on,” Hanks told ESPN, “but when you’ve got personalities like Deion Sanders in your league, you probably want to put a mic on him, right? I’m sure they’ll choose certain games to really highlight certain aspects and see how it resonates with the fan base.”
Related
If the changes sound familiar, they should. Recent XFL broadcasts have featured many similar elements, although Dinich noted that Pac-12 broadcasts will be closer in form to what Major League Baseball has done in recent years, rather than the XFL.
Per ESPN, the Pac-12 wanted to go even further with access, but those changes are not currently approved by the NCAA.
As for how league coaches have responded to the proposed changes, Hanks noted that they have been generally supportive.
“A guy like Chip Kelly, he’s seen this in part from his time in the NFL, he understands that it’s important to be able to do that,” Hanks told Dinich. “And he’s a playcaller, obviously, so we’re going to have to work with our playcallers. I think (USC head coach) Lincoln Riley’s another great example.
“We’ll work with those guys during the game. There may be certain aspects of availability that we will be able to pull off consistently, but the mere fact the coaches are supportive of the concept and are willing to work with us on that is a significant plus.”
The Pac-12 is the only conference in the FBS thus far to announce revamped broadcasts, but the conference likely won’t be alone for long.
Per Sports Illustrated, the Big 12 has had extensive discussions in the last few weeks with its media partners about modernizing its broadcasts as well, though details are sparse on the specifics and there has, as of yet, been no official announcement.
“Modernizing game broadcasts is a small piece of a larger plan that first-year commissioner Brett Yormark is leading,” writes Ross Dellenger. “Coming to college sports from an entertainment agency, Yormark enters with an innovative agenda that he hopes will propel the conference. ... The broadcasts of professional sports games have continuously evolved as leaders look to keep the attention of younger audiences in this social media world. More networks have started to expand access to interviews and locker rooms, but college sports have, for the most part, remained the same.”
The 2023 college football season kicks off Week 0, with games Friday Aug. 25 and Saturday, Aug 26.
The University of Utah starts competition on Wednesday, Aug. 30, when the Utes host the Florida Gators.
