Report: Pac-12 seeking private investors to keep pace with other conferences

The Pac-12 may seek private investors because it is lagging behind other Power-5 conferences in revenue and distribution of TV rights, according to a report.

According to The Oregonian/OregonLive, the Pac-12 has pitched a plan to school presidents and chancellors that might bail out the struggling conference.

Conference Commissioner Larry Scott introduced a plan called the “Pac-12 NewCo” to university leaders in November, OregonLive said, citing unnamed sources. The plan was further discussed in a conference call in December.

In the proposal, the Pac-12 NewCo would hold the conference’s broadcast rights, sponsorship rights, merchandising and all other commercial assets. The conference would retain 90 percent of the equity.