The Big Ten is set to entrench itself atop the college sports landscape alongside the SEC.
Following on the news earlier this summer that the Big Ten was set to expand by adding UCLA and USC, the conference is now putting together a media rights deal that will dwarf anything in college football.
Per a report from John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, the Big Ten has agreed to a headline deal with FOX but will also split the ‘B’ package for college football rights with CBS and NBC. As such, it appears that the Big Ten is not continuing any type of a media rights deal with ESPN.
Per Ourand’s reporting (which is worth a read in its entirety):
The conference’s deals with CBS and NBC are not finalized. But it looks like the two networks are in the lead to split a “B” package. CBS would pick up games for the 3:30pm ET window, and NBC would carry games in primetime. NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, also would wind up carrying some games. Amazon has bid on these packages, but sources described CBS and NBC as the clear front-runners.
The Big Ten is expected to be the first college conference to eclipse $1 billion per year in rights fees once all is said and done.
The implications for the Big Ten are huge as this deal puts the conference as the most valuable in college sports. The new media deals for the Big Ten means more money for the conference as a whole but for the individual athletic programs as well.
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The move away from ESPN is intriguing in all of this. As Ourand reports, a finalized deal with CBS and NBC would mean that for the first time since 1963 the Big Ten won’t be carried by ABC.
It also means that there is a dramatic shift in the sports landscape and that FOX is starting to catch up with the worldwide leader in terms of fighting for some of these coveted conferences and leagues.
FOX isn’t eating table scraps anymore, that’s for sure.
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The additional income should help the Big Ten collectively compete with the SEC in the facilities armsrace. The additional exposure of branching out will also help the Big Ten by landing on new and varied platforms.
CBS is expected to pay the Big Ten roughly $350 million per year for its 3:30 games, per @AndrewMarchand. pic.twitter.com/7xwpqN8ap2
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) August 9, 2022
To read Ourand’s full reporting on the Big Ten’s media rights deal, please click here.
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