BURBANK – The Pac-12 Networks are an undeniable success in a vacuum. They are coming off their most-watched season to date, with a 43 percent increase in viewership for the 2014-15 academic year. They’re broadcasting 850 live events annually. They’re generating significant revenue for the conference’s members.
But as Pac-12 Networks enter their fourth year of existence, one huge problem lingers: The league still doesn’t have a distribution deal with DirecTV, the second-largest multichannel video provider in the country.
DirecTV also is the second-largest provider in the Los Angeles/Orange County market, with more than 1 million subscribers.