This is not how the 60% works...espn owns 60% of our rights. If we expand with P5 schools, espn will match their portion per school. So really every big12 school will actually get a haircut if we expand. Because fox at 40% ownership, will not pay more if the conference expands, their portion is what it is.
That is only in the case of adding a school straight up.
The escalator/elevator clause is different. If it is enacted because of a significant amount of content is added in a "NEW" Media window/Time zone, then we can add another partner, or increase our deal for adding the new content. But the schools added have to be such that would trigger the escalator.
I may be misunderstanding that ESPN will only give 60% for added content, but I have understood that its up to an additional 60% if the clause is enacted, and/or another media partner. I understood it as If it was just ESPN they would give as much as 60% more of the total divided by the number of schools.
Simplified math 32M x12 = 384M per year
384M x 60% increase = 614M per year after adding 4 teams.
614M / 16 = 38M+ 614/ 18 = 34M Per school per year. From ESPN.
Not huge increase alone but definitely not a loss, and just increases the amount compared to the 25M offered to the Pac.
Then because of the escalator they would be able to add another Media partner as well to increase the income even more. Meaning by bringing in CBS, or Amazon etc. to pay say another share could drastically increase the total.
Everything I have heard is it would be especially good for the Big12 to gain more teams out west, if it was the way you say, it would be especially bad, because every current team would stand to lose as much as 40% a year for adding teams. No way Yormark would be looking to add if that was the case.
Edit: What may be possible is be are both sort of right, that you are right but if the escalator is enacted the increase in income is completely dependent on bringing on another media partner. But I have not understood it that way... exactly. I have understood we would look at a mild increase from just adding them from ESPN, and gaining a large increase by adding another partner.