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Pete TamelESPN
The Big 12 are looking to extend their current television contracts with ESPN and Fox, according to ESPN sources.
The league is in the final stages of a six-year, $2.28 billion contract extension that includes a significant salary increase for schools. New deals starting in 2025 include ESPN, which owns more than 60% of the inventory, and Fox, which adds a sizeable portion of college basketball.
It was first reported by the Sports Business Journal that the deal was nearly complete.
The deal projects the Big 12 to significantly increase media revenue per school, even though Oklahoma and Texas won’t be in the league after the 2024 season. Sources say the league will agree to grant rights with 12 members for the duration of the deal.
The total value of Big 12 media deals is expected to grow from $220 million to $380 million annually. This represents an average increase in media-only revenue per school from his $22 million to $31.7 million ($380 million is now $380 million plus BYU, UCF, Cincinnati and Houston). divided into 12).
This new deal represents an increase in overall Big 12 distribution, which currently stands at $42.6 million per school. That number is influenced by a myriad of variables, including NCAA tournament units, bowl earnings, and new college football playoff earnings.
It’s safe to predict that overall revenue per school will increase to nearly $50 million between 2025 and 2026. That number could be much higher depending on how much money the 12-team college football playoffs offer.
A Big 12 source said, “I think it positions the Big 12 as a continuing player in college athletics. We are holding our position.”
Former Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlesby told Texas legislators in August 2021 that the league could take a hit of 50% of media revenue following Oklahoma-Texas exit. rice field.
The move, which extends to the Big 12’s current TV partners, has been an aggressive push since new commissioner Brett Yeomark arrived at the office and declared the Big 12 “open for business.” is a by-product of
This summer, Yomark made a creative move, nearly a year and a half before an exclusive bargaining window was opened for the league to negotiate with its current TV partners. The league announced his intention to get involved on August 31, and is currently in the framework of an earlier contract than the Pac-12, even though the Pac-12 is on the open market and the contract expires at the end of next season. I have.
A Big 12 source said, “Two schools have left and four have joined, bringing stability to the conference.” “And it obviously increases income.”
The Big 12 chose not to go to the open market. This did not expose the league to outside bidders and could have brought more money to the Big 12 in the long run. But it gives the league security and visibility on traditional platforms.
ESPN’s increased investment in the league will give you access to both the largest inventory and the league’s top games. SBJ reports that ESPN’s so-called “A” package includes his top four games and 12 of his top 20 games each season. That gives Fox a pretty strong inventory of 26 football games a year. ESPN will win the Big 12 Football Championship and the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, according to SBJ.
In addition to its significant investment and commitment to Big 12 football, Fox adds Big 12 basketball to its package. The Big 12 has Kansas and Baylor winning their last two national titles, and Texas Tech lost the title game in his 2019 overtime, making him the nation’s top men’s basketball player in recent seasons. increase.
Given Houston, Cincinnati and BYU’s recent strong basketball histories, steady income from the league’s NCAA tournament units should continue.
With the deal nearly complete, the focus will shift to the Pac-12. Reportedly, he has linked to Amazon as a potential partner. Fox was only loosely associated with Pac-12, as his Big Ten contract gave him access to USC and UCLA games. In the wake of this commitment, ESPN’s level of interest in the league will be closely watched.
The Big 12’s contract expires in 2031. This is a year after the Big Ten’s record-breaking contract expired. Especially if the Big 12 moves forward, the deal comes before his SEC (2034) and his ACC (2036) deals expire. This extension ends what is known as the Big 12’s Tier 3 rights, where the school controlled an inventory of certain games. Instead, these third-tier rights are distributed to ESPN. That means schools no longer have to sell them.
