Big Ten Conference Signs Massive Contract With Three Major Networks

By Brian Jones

The Big Ten Conference just made college sports history with its new media deal. On Thursday, the conference announced that it signed a seven-year contract with CBS, Fox and NBC to cover football and basketball games. According to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, the deal is worth $1.2 billion annually and is the largest media rights deal in the history of college athletics. The streaming service, Peacock, is also part of the deal.

Along with the Big Ten Network and FS1, Big Ten football will be seen on five networks with three being on broadcast television. Fox will air a featured Big Noon game on Saturdays at noon ET and CBS will show a game at 3:30 p.m. NBC will end the week with Big Ten Saturday Night in primetime, and the deal will begin on July 1, 2023.  

"The Big Ten Conference media rights agreements are more than just dollars and deals. 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 in a statement. "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."   

This news comes at a perfect time for the Big Ten as it recently announced that UCLA and USC will join the conference in August 2024. The new media contract will run through the 2029-30 season. "The Big Ten has been a valued partner for more than three decades and we are thrilled to expand that relationship by adding Big Ten football to our portfolio of marquee properties," Sean McManus, Chairman, CBS Sports, said in a statement.

"The combination of CBS Sports' proven record in elevating college conferences to new heights, our standard of excellence and the strength and reach of Paramount Global's linear and digital platforms, will create a powerful showcase for the Big Ten and its student-athletes. Together with Kevin Warren and the team at the Big Ten, we look forward to growing the conference to the highest of levels, reaching the widest audience."

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