The Pac-12 announced Thursday that it will provide fans greater access to its football coaches and players during live television broadcasts this upcoming season. This access will offer more in-depth looks at the game throughout all parts of the contest from pregame preparation to the coaches booths themselves.
The Pac-12 will allow interviews with coaches during games, a more realistic experience to be shown during warmups via microphones attached to players and coaches, camera access during halftime and before the game, the ability for handheld camera operators to reach parts of the field that were previously inaccessible and cameras without sound to be placed in coaches booths.
The Pac-12 Board of Directors developed the measures with television partners ESPN and Fox in a move supported by the Pac-12's coaches. They were approved during the recent league spring meetings.
"The Pac-12 is committed to delivering unprecedented access and entertainment to our fans throughout our football broadcasts, and to working with our media partners to be on the cutting edge of innovation," said Merton Hanks, the Pac-12 executive associate commissioner of football operations. "We look forward to delivering the best possible broadcasts that give fans the insights and access that makes watching Pac-12 football even more enjoyable."
These moves by the Pac-12 come as the league continues to seek new media rights partners following the departures of USC and UCLA from the league ahead of the 2024 season. It is the lone Power Five conference without its TV future secured multiple years into the future.
The conference tested the new measures with multiple coaches for video that was not broadcast live.
The new television guidelines for the Pac-12 after Sports Illustrated reported the Big 12's plans for similar access with its television partners. Several spring football leagues, including the XFL, USFL and defunct AAF, used similar methods to bring fans closer to the game and enhance the fan experience.
