How Multi-Millionaire Deion Sanders Led Colorado’s Staggering Rise in Multi-Media Frontier – A Reality Check

Deion Sanders became the face of college football in 2023, thanks to his marketing mastermind son, Deion Sanders Jr. However, in stark contrast to the steady increase in Well Off Media’s viewers, the Colorado Buffalo fans had faith in Deion Sanders since they heard his first couple of speeches as the CU head coach with a $29.5 million deal. They started off the season on a strong note, going 3-0, creating a good first impression on the CU fans. The result? A 51% jump in Buffs income from multimedia rights.

Learfield, the behind-the-scenes manager of multimedia rights (MMR) at CU, quoted his expectations in the multimedia frontier for the fiscal year 2024 to be a whopping $8.3 million, a surge of $2.8 million when compared to their revenue of the fiscal year 2023 which was $5.5 million. This includes the money generated from various multimedia platforms like radio advertisements, digital signage, sponsorships, and other commercial opportunities.

The financial benefits reap sweet fruits for Colorado as, per the current arrangement, the school receives 60% of the first $5 million of ‘adjusted gross revenue’—total revenue minus some expenses—then 65% of everything over $5 million. Per this, in 2023, Colorado did not get AGR over $5 million, but they did pocket $2.9 million in rights fees. Whereas for this year, per Learfield’s expectations, the AGR is expected to be around $7.2 million, giving Colorado a good wand of money according to the 65% above $5 million stipulation. In the end, Learfield is expecting to receive about $4.5 million in 2024, only if Deion Sanders and Co. can maintain their face value, which, looking at the fanbase of the Sanders family, won’t be too tough for them.

Last season, it was just the home games that were sold out at Folsom Field, with the average price of their ticker being the highest among all other teams. This season, however, the expectations are soaring high, with Deion Sanders and Co. expecting to sell out every game.

Colorado’s financial goals set straight for the upcoming years

Learfield being the mastermind behind the MMR revenue at Colorado, increased the revenue coming in from sponsors amidst Colorado’s hype in the previous season. Per the latest reports revealed by Learfield, starting in fiscal 2025, Colorado will receive 65% of the first $10 million of AGR, then 70% of anything above that threshold. On the other hand, the guaranteed minimums, which start at $4 million in year one, are expected to rise to $5.35 million by fiscal 2035.

READ ALSO: Deion Sanders Stays Silent as Colorado’s Suspended Star’s Return Brings Huge Boost Ahead of Spring

Moreover, the school will also likely report significant surges in football ticket sales which were worth $13 million in fiscal year 2023, and athletic donations which were worth $29.3 million in fiscal 2023, giving a major upscale to not only Deion Sanders and Co. but also the whole of CU.