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Published Aug 18, 2022
Big Ten announces ground-breaking media rights deal with numerous partners
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Brian Neubert  •  BoilerUpload
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The Big Ten has finalized its long-awaited and ground-breaking media rights deal, announcing on Thursday an agreement that will include partnerships with NBC, CBS, FOX and NBC's Peacock streaming platform, all to join existing properties Big Ten Network and FS1.

Sports Illustrated reported the seven-year deal to be worth an estimated $1 billion per year, meaning significant revenue Increases for Purdue and everyone else in the league, which just added West Coast name brands UCLA and USC and presumably will continue exploring potential additional expansion opportunities. It was also reported that individual schools would garner in the $70-$80 million range.

As has been known for some time, ESPN is not part of the Big Ten's new media rights deal, ending an association that spanned decades.

Engaged in a battle with the SEC for dominance over the college athletics landscape, the Big Ten touted its new media deal as the "most comprehensive in college sports."

“The Big Ten Conference media rights agreements are more than just dollars and deals," commissioner Kevin Warren said in a statement. "They are a mechanism to provide stability and maximum exposure for our student-athletes, member institutions and partners during these uncertain times in collegiate athletics,” Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren said. “We are very grateful to our world-class media partners for recognizing the strength of the Big Ten Conference brand and providing the incredible resources we need for our student-athletes to compete at the very highest levels, and to achieve their academic and athletics goals.”

Details from the Big Ten's news release ...

BTN will maintain its strong position as the home for Big Ten fans, as the network will continue to televise a full slate of football, basketball and Olympic sport competition throughout the entire year.

CBS’s initial season in 2023 will include seven football games and both regular season and postseason men’s basketball action, along with the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament final appearing on CBS for the first time. The Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals and final will continue the tradition of airing on CBS, which they have done for 25 years. Every CBS Big Ten football and basketball broadcast will also be streamed on Paramount+, Paramount Global’s direct-to-consumer streaming service. Starting in 2024, CBS will televise up to 15 regular-season football games per season, including an annual Black Friday game in the afternoon. CBS is America's most-watched network for the past 14 years and the highest-rated college football network.

FOX has renewed its agreement to televise football and men’s basketball games each season, with the opportunity to carry additional sports throughout the year. The Big Ten Conference’s partnership with FOX reached its high point during the 2021-22 year, as FOX captured the #1 time slot in college football for the first time with its Big Noon Saturday platform that featured 10-14 games involving a Big Ten team, and a men’s basketball season that ended with the top three most watched games in the history of FS1 all featuring Big Ten programs.

NBC will produce 14-to-16 games on broadcast television each season as it introduces college football fans to Big Ten Saturday Night. Each Big Ten game on NBC broadcast will also be simul-streamed on Peacock, NBCUniversal's direct-to-consumer streaming service. NBC Sports has established the most dominant primetime franchise in television history, as its Sunday Night Football has been primetime’s No. 1 show for an unprecedented 11 consecutive years – a streak that is currently active.

Peacock, NBCUniversal's direct-to-consumer streaming service will deliver exclusive Big Ten football and basketball games each season, as eight regular-season football games will appear on the platform along with as many as 47 regular-season men’s basketball games (32 conference and 15 non-conference) and 30 regular-season women’s basketball games (20 conference and 10 non-conference). CBS, FOX and NBC will combine efforts to televise the seven Big Ten Football Championship Games during the term.

CBS: 2024, 2028

FOX: 2023, 2025, 2027, 2029

NBC: 2026

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