The Pac-12 network’s time is almost up, with the Pac-12 Conference planning to shut down 7 of its Pac-12 networks on or after June 28, 2024. This was confirmed by Spectrum who has started to inform its customers of the change.
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 October, Washington State and Oregon State were 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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