TV networks stand to lose more than $1 billion if the college football season is totally canceled this fall

The New York Times

ESPN, ABC and Fox are expected to lose $166 million in advertising dollars just from the Big Ten and Pac-12's decision to cancel this fall's college football season. But a total cancelation would be much more devastating. "The postponement of much of the college football season could disrupt the flow of more than $1 billion from advertisers to the television networks that count on a slate of game broadcasts every fall," reports The New York Times' Tiffany Hsu, noting that last year's college football season generated $1.7 billion in television advertising revenue. “The implications are huge economically,” adds Kevin Krim, the chief executive of EDO, a TV ad measurement platform that works with the networks and advertisers. “The cable and broadcast television ecosystem, with advertisers and rights fees and subscriber fees, are heavily anchored to live sports, and the most valuable franchises there are football.”