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Wyoming Football Value of Media Exposure and how it affects Mountain West
Josh allen helped provide how much value?
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Wyoming had a lot of value this year.
The Wyoming Athletic Department hired Joyce Julius and Associates, an independent research company specializing in sport and special event program evaluation, to track the value of media exposure surrounding the 2017 Wyoming football team. The program was coming off their first Mountain West championship game appearance and were entering the season with high expectations and a future first-round quarterback in Josh Allen.
The study found that Wyoming football received 20 hours and 51 minutes of television exposure on the season as well as surpassing 1.2 billion impressions across all media forms beginning Aug. 1.
The primary source of exposure came from internet media which accounted for just under $23 million of exposure. The second most valuable source of exposure came from televised games which accounted for $13.6 million. Print media and television news accounted for the 3rd and 4th most valuable sources.
What does all of this mean?
Texas A&M used Joyce Julius and Associates to conduct a similar evaluation of their football program following the 2012 season, one which included Johnny Manziel winning the Heisman. They found that the Aggies historic season generated $37 million in media exposure, of which internet media accounted for $20.5 million and television appearances for $7.6 million.
While Wyoming received more value for media exposure than Texas A&M, it is important to note that the Aggies evaluation came 5 years before the Cowboys.
The key area where Wyoming generated more value than A&M was in value gained from television coverage. Texas A&M only received $7.6 million from that category while Wyoming gained $13.6 million. The 2012 Aggies appeared on ESPN television networks 7 times, Fox networks twice, SEC Network twice, CBS once, and PPV once.
The 2017 Cowboys were on ESPN television networks 5 times, CBS Sports Network twice, AT&T Sportsnet twice, and the Big Ten Network once. They also appeared on internet streams (ESPN 3 and Stadium) 3 times over the season. Had the same 2012 Texas A&M season and evaluation happened in 2017 with their significantly better television coverage, their value of media exposure would have been astronomically better than Wyoming’s was.
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The Mountain West television contracts will eventually be too much to overcome.
Wyoming had an historic season and any extra exposure the can gain is a positive for the university, the MWC and the entire state. That said, getting on television is critical for programs in the Mountain West Conference to gain exposure and the Mountain West isn’t doing their programs any favors. The current television contracts and exposure are one reason why the conference has been fighting an uphill battle to keep up with the competition. If the conference can not find a way to overcome this tremendous barrier, all 12 members including Boise State will be in trouble.