Report: Big Ten Nearing Media Rights Deal With FOX, CBS, NBC

ESPN could be without the conference’s football and basketball games for the first time in 40 years.

According to a report from Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand, CBS and NBC have “emerged as the clear front runners to pick up Big Ten rights alongside FOX Sports” as part of the conference’s new television deal.

Barring a last-minute change of direction, ESPN will be not carry Big Ten games for the first time in 40 years.

SBJ Media is live:https://t.co/p7BVat3fcl

— John Ourand (@Ourand_Puck) August 8, 2022

ESPN – which has broadcast Big Ten football and basketball games since 1982, while its sister network, ABC, has since 1966 – is still negotiating with the conference in hopes of striking a deal, while Amazon has made a bid to stream games, as well.

FOX has already agreed to a deal as the conference’s primary rights holder, and the network will continue to broadcast games in its noon time slot, as well as on FS1 and BTN, in which it holds a 60 percent stake.

While the deals with CBS and NBC are not yet finalized, it is expected that CBS would pick up games in the 3:30 p.m. window and NBC in primetime. NBC’s streaming network, Peacock, would also carry some games.

Per Ourand, the Big Ten’s new television deal could be announced by the end of this week or next week. It is expected to eclipse $1 billion annually and would go into effect in 2023.

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