Big bucks for Big Ten: League to net $7B in media rights deal
Fox, NBC and CBS will fork over a combined $7 billion over seven years to the Big Ten in the richest annual media rights deal for a conference.
The new deal, which eliminates partial agreements with ESPN, begins in July 2023 and replaces an expiring rights deal valued at $2.6 billion over six years.
Bidding for the massive rights deal included Amazon, Apple and WarnerMedia, commissioner Kevin Warren said last month. The pact covers most sports the conference offers, including men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball and wrestling.
The agreement grants Fox Sports, which includes Big Ten Network, FS1 and FS2, rights to marquee matchups in football. That includes the rights to incoming members of the conference, UCLA and USC, in 2024.
NBC will air primarily primetime games that will bolster the network’s Peacock streaming service and college football offering beyond Notre Dame.
CBS, which has historically aired Southeastern Conference games, is taking on a bigger number of mid-afternoon Big Ten games. The SEC reached an agreement with Disney to air games on ABC and multiple ESPN networks.
–Field Level Media
