Here's what ESPN pays for most of its sports rights

See what ESPN pays to air the NFL, NBA, MLB and much more.
Here's what ESPN pays for most of its sports rights
Here's what ESPN pays for most of its sports rights /

Sports Business Journalran a very big feature Monday on the state of ESPN's financial situation. Everything from subscribers to its stock to why they pay so much for the NBA was covered.

The story also included a graphic that detailed what the Worldwide Leader In Sports pays to air all of the sports that fills its airwaves. The state of ESPN has been a big topic lately, with the network laying off numerous people in April because of young people cutting the cord on cable and the exorbatant prices paid to leagues and conferences.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF

$608.33 million per year for 12 years. Total: 7.3 billion.

MLB 

$700 million per year for 8 years. Total: $5.6 billion.

MLS

$38 million per year for 8 years. Total: $304 million.

NBA

$1.4 billion per year for 9 years. Total: $12.6 billion.

NFL

$1.9 billion for 8 years. Total: $15.2 billion.

U.S. Open Tennis

$75 million for 11 years. Total: $825 million.

Wimbledon 

$40 million per year for 12 years. Total: $480 million.

WNBA

$25 million per year for 9 years. Total: $225 million.

American Athletic Conference

$18 million per year for 7 years: Total: $126 million.

Atlantic Coast Conference

$240 million per year for 20 years: Total: $4.8 billion.

Big 12 Conference

$100 million per year for 13 years. Total: $1.3 billion.

Big Ten Conference

$100 million per year for 10 years. Total: $1 billion.

Mid-American Conference

$8 million per year for 13 years: Total: $104 million.

Pac-12 Conference

$125 million per year for 12 years: Total: $1.5 billion.

Southeastern Conference

$300 million per year for 20 years: Total: $6 billion.

Fortunately for ESPN, they are getting $7.21 from every cable subscriber each month, making it the most expensive cable network on television.


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Jimmy Traina
JIMMY TRAINA

Jimmy Traina is a staff writer and podcast host for Sports Illustrated. A 20-year veteran in the industry, he’s been covering the sports media landscape for seven years and writes a daily column, Traina Thoughts. Traina has hosted the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast since 2018, a show known for interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in sports media. He also was the creator and writer of SI’s Hot Clicks feature from 2007 to '13.