Barring a last-minute change of direction in the Big Ten’s media rights negotiations, ESPN will be without the conference’s football and basketball games for the first time in 40 years. With Big Ten negotiations nearing an end -- I’m told agreements could be reached by the end of this week or push into next -- CBS and NBC have emerged as the clear front runners to pick up Big Ten rights alongside Fox Sports.
ESPN still is negotiating with the conference, and as long as they’re talking there remains the possibility ESPN could wind up with a package. Remember, Chicago-born Bob Chapek graduated from Indiana and earned an MBA from Michigan State, creating deep Big Ten roots between the conference and Disney leadership that can’t be overlooked. Conversations with several sources describe ESPN on the outside looking in with a bid that is not big enough to secure a deal. All it takes is a Chapek phone call to increase that bid.
Fox agreed to the "A" package months ago. As part of its deal, it will carry a football game on the broadcast network at noon ET, plus football games on its cable channels FS1 and BTN, in which it holds a 60% stake.
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.
If ESPN does not get a package, it would end one of the longest-standing sports media relationships in the business. ABC started carrying Big Ten games in 1966, and ESPN cut its first deal with the conference in 1982.
If ESPN moves on from the Big Ten, look for the company to be especially aggressive in trying to secure Big 12 and Pac-12 rights, as well as renewing its deals with the NCAA Championships and College Football Playoffs.
