SWAC Commissioner Charles McClelland said the digital streaming network the conference operates has paid dividends both financially and in prestige.
Speaking on Friday Southern University Supervisory Board Meeting On the eve of the annual Bayou Classic Football Game, McClelland showed it SWAC TVLaunched in July, it will be a significant part of the future of the league and the future of driving revenue.
“Where is the SWAC headed? What is the future of the Southwestern athletic conference?” “Well,” he said, “I’m here to tell you today, your future is already here, and it’s called SWAC TV.” “
SWAC TV keeps up with ESPN
McClelland combined the league’s internal digital numbers with its longtime partnership with ESPN. “We calculated our ESPN viewing in the prior fiscal year,” he said. “20,216,000 minutes watched across ESPN platforms. ESPN+ and linear television.”
“We just started SWAC TV,” McClelland said, noting that the first games began in September. “Remember the ESPN number is for the entire year. We’ve watched SWAC TV, 26,990,652 minutes so far this year.”
He added that the league’s internal data shows that figure translates to 895,000 unique viewers. 42 Live Soccer Games provided through the service. “Even though the majority of SWAC football games are found on ESPN’s subscription platform, ESPN’s subscription platform has more people watching more of our games.” SWAC TV is now free to use.
Beyond the raw audience, McClelland emphasized the management that owns the platform. “It’s very freeing to be able to make your television network where you can show your content and you don’t have to be limited by the major networks,” he said.
SWAC TV said the league’s product stands up to other platforms. The network, he says, “allows the conference to ‘definitely show’ that our members, our audience, are as good as and better than some of our other networks.”
SWAC TV financial edge
McClelland connected the digital pivot directly to SWAC’s bottom line. SWAC TV, he said, “is going to put us in a very unique position financially that no other FCS conference or HBCU conference can even match, given our current revenue.”
The success of SWAC TV is rooted in the league’s institutions and supporters, he said.
“We have (a) huge fan base and they support our institutions,” he said.
