The Pac-12 network’s time is now up, with the Pac-12 Conference losing all but two teams this week all 7 of its Pac-12 networks have now shutdown.
This lines up with earlier announcements that layoffs at the network will continue through June 28, according to the report, and include broadcast engineers, directors, an on-air host and senior producer, and multiple senior-level roles. The final live broadcast of the network happened earlier this week.
The cuts and network shutdowns come as the the Pac-12, one of the most storied conferences in college sports, disintegrates with most of the school having defected. As of today Washington State and Oregon State are the only two teams not moving to the ACC, Big 10 or Big 12 this summer.
The network has struggled since it launched in 2012, never finding widespread distribution, which hampered its goal to be the go-to source for Pac-12 fans.
As with other regional sports networks, cord cutting hit the network hard, with the pandemic years particularly challenging.
This year, the Pac-12 network faced a $72 million demand from Comcast for overpayments which resulted in the network’s former president and chief financial officer being ousted. Rumors followed that the network was looking to sell off rights.
As the network struggled to bring in revenue, schools like UCLA and USC began to leave – or consider leaving – for other conferences. The exodus led to speculation that the network’s revenue would continue to fall and cable providers might drop the channel.
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