-
Summary
Despite subscriber erosion in the linear TV ecosystem, sports content continues to thrive. Live events like NCAA’s March Madness, the NFL and college football accounted for over 95% of the most-watched programs in 2022. However, a shift to streaming is underway as direct-to-consumer services increasingly edge into live sports broadcasting. As sports fan consumption patterns change, media rights deals, ratings and network economic models are adapting to the new digital age.
Join a candid discussion with the president of the Big Ten Network on:
- Changes in sports consumption across platforms
- The emergence of direct-to-consumer services
- The increasing cost of sports rights
- The state of regional sports networks
- College conference realignment and its affect on the industry
Moderator
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Mike Reynolds
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Senior Reporter, TMT
Mike Reynolds is a Senior Reporter with S&P Global Market Intelligence, based in Mamaroneck, NY. He covers Sports, Advertising, Broadcast and TV Networks, as part of the Global Media team in the Technology, Media and Telecommunication (TMT) research division.
A seasoned journalist and editor, Mr. Reynolds has more than 30 years of experience tracking the financial, distribution, technological, creative and marketing components of the broadcast, cable, streaming, sports and advertising industries. Over the course, Mr. Reynolds has interviewed myriad leading executives in those sectors, served as a panelist and moderator for industry conferences, and provided commentary for national and business outlets. He also hosts and contributes to S&P Global’s MediaTalk podcast.
Prior to joining S&P Global in 2015, Mr. Reynolds worked for a number of print and online publications, including Multichannel News and Inside Media.
Speakers
Francois McGillicuddy
Big 10 Network
President
Francois McGillicuddy sets the strategic direction and leads the business and content operations of the Big Ten Network, a joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and FOX Sports. McGillicuddy was named as the second president in network history in December of 2018.
Francois McGillicuddy sets the strategic direction and leads the business and content operations of the Big Ten Network, a joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and FOX Sports. McGillicuddy was named as the second president in network history in December of 2018.
Under his leadership, the Big Ten Network has driven consistent revenue growth and achieved its most profitable years on record, while also setting numerous viewership records for the most-watched seasons in network history across five different sports. Additionally, BTN experienced its most-watched telecasts across six different sports during McGillicuddy's tenure - including football and men's and women's basketball - as well as the network's most-watched studio program (B1G Tailgate) and original program (The B1G Story).
In 2022, McGillicuddy oversaw the creation of Big Ten Corporate Partnerships (BTCP), BTN's dedicated, in-house team leading the Big Ten Conference's league-level corporate sponsorships and partner activations. BTCP offers strategic corporate sponsorships, partnership activations, television and digital media inventory and adverting opportunities associated with the Big Ten Conference.
In addition to increasing the network's live event count to an all-time high, over 2,200 per year, McGillicuddy also placed an emphasis on storytelling. Under his supervision, the network introduced several new franchises, including The B1G Trip, The B1G Story and B1G Trailblazers as well as sport-specific programming such as On The Mat (wrestling), At The Net (volleyball), On The Court (women's basketball) and On The Ice (men's hockey).
In 2021, McGillicuddy oversaw the relaunch of B1G+, the network's streaming service and home for non-televised games, on-demand archives and 14 school channels. In each year since the B1G+ platform was reimagined, it has set a record for both subscribers and revenue.
In order to broaden and diversify the network's on-air talent pool, he launched the B1G Broadcasting Experience, an annual program bringing former Big Ten student-athletes to Chicago for a broadcasting tutorial. In the first year of the program alone, four candidates from the program developed into on-air talent for the network.
McGillicuddy led a rebranding of the network in 2020, which unveiled a new look and brand identity. The transformation provided brand consistency and highlighted the network's position as the home for Big Ten Conference events, news and storytelling.
To better position the network for the current media environment, McGillicuddy modernized the Big Ten Network's office space with an expansion and redesign which included updated television and digital content studios, as well as additional office and meeting space to accommodate a growing workforce and its needs.
A 20-year media executive, McGillicuddy previously served as SVP and General Manager of FOX Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio, which became two-time winners of Regional Sports Network of the Year during his tenure. He oversaw all aspects of those channels, including studio and live event production, programming, advertising sales, marketing and team relations, while also working with FOX's affiliate sales and marketing group on distribution matters. He managed the company's relationships with the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Cavaliers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Columbus Crew. He assumed the position in February 2013 and managed the acquisition and integration of SportsTime Ohio into the FOX Sports portfolio of regional sports networks.
McGillicuddy joined FOX Sports Ohio from FOX's national cable channel SPEED, where he served as Vice President, Finance and Business Operations from 2006 to 2013. Prior to working with FOX, he was an executive at Cablevision Systems Corporation in New York, serving as Vice President, Finance for Rainbow Media regional networks and as Director, Strategic Planning for Madison Square Garden. His work at Cablevision included strategic initiatives for the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, MSG television network and Radio City Music Hall. His background also includes positions with Universal Music Group, Acclaim Entertainment and The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival.
He holds an MBA from Columbia University, an MFA from the University of Alabama, and a BA in Economics from Hobart College.
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Justin Nielson
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Head of Kagan Research
Justin Nielson is a Principal Analyst and Head of S&P Global Market Intelligence Kagan, covering the broadcast, networks, sports, digital audio, and streaming video sectors. Mr. Nielson leads a team of 30+ research analysts creating qualitative analysis, quantitative forecast models, event driven articles and trend reports published on the CapIQ Pro platform.
His 17+ years of industry experience and knowledge have made Mr. Nielson a frequently quoted analyst in numerous trade publications as well as such national press as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNBC, and Bloomberg. He has been a panelist, presenter, and moderator for industry conferences and investor summits such as the National Association of Broadcasters Show, Wells Fargo Media & Telecom Summit, RadioInk Forecast and the Kagan Media Summit. In addition, Mr. Nielson has hosted and spoken on S&P webinars and podcasts including Next in Tech and MediaTalk.
Prior to Kagan, Mr. Nielson worked as a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch and an Investment Representative at Edward Jones in Carlsbad, CA. Mr. Nielson holds a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree with a major in Global Business from Arizona State University - W. P. Carey School of Business and a Master of Science (M.S.) in Analytics degree at Georgia Tech along with multiple professional certificates in the fields of data science and analytics.
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Scott Robson
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Principal Analyst, US TV Networks
Scott Robson is senior research analyst in the Kagan media research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence, with a focus on US cable TV networks. In his current role, Scott analyzes the economics of broadcast, premium, cable and regional sports networks.
He publishes reports on trends in industry revenues and expenses, ratings and sports rights deals. He is often cited as a subject-matter expert by publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times of London.
Scott began working at S&P Global Market Intelligence in May 2014. Prior to that, Scott was a technical analyst for the global strategies team at Cantor Fitzgerald, specializing in the debt capital markets. He is a level 1 Chartered Market Technician.
Scott graduated from The McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, with a bachelor’s degree in management, leadership and innovation in 2006.
Event Support