Individual schools currently negotiate their own agreements. According to Bloomberg Harris is looking to get each institution to give up the best games from their regional television packages to get a multi-year agreement that showcases the league’s best teams as a season comes to a conclusion.
Harris argues that national coverage would give the league and sponsors a consistent presence on television and would replace the helter-skelter way schools have negotiated individual agreements to get an occasional nationally-televised game.
Harris said it is unlikely there will be an agreement in place for the 2010 football season as she will need approval from the eight Ivy League presidents.
The league had a national television contract for the 2008 football season with Comcast’s Versus network that ensured all eight schools would appear once. Last season Versus negotiated with schools individually to show four games.
