The Big Ten is likely getting paid in a big way as it is looking to nail down its latest broadcasting rights deal.
According to figures provided by Front Office Sports, the Big Ten’s upcoming media rights deal is set to earn over $1 billion annually. It was reported earlier this spring that FOX Sports will remain the conference's “top” partner, meaning that the network will continue to get the conference’s marquee matchups, but there are mentions of other distributors getting in on the action for the rest of the TV package.
According to the report, Disney (through ABC and ESPN,) NBC, CBS, and Amazon are working to get in on the Big Ten rights, while Warner Bros. Discovery and Apple are considered “longshots” to acquire any sort of the B1G deal.
Of the top contenders, CBS makes the most compelling case. The network loses its coveted SEC rights in 2024 and could look to the Big Ten as a replacement. While no college football conference can match the star power of the SEC, some college football rights are better than none, and having access to Michigan and Ohio State football would surely make for a best-case scenario for CBS.
Likewise, NBC would love to add additional college football rights to its offerings, as they currently only have broadcasting rights to Notre Dame and select HBCU events. Adding Big Ten action could fill in the gaps and make them a far more attractive CFB home.
Amazon’s already gone full-tilt with its NFL rights, creating a compelling broadcast booth and presentation capabilities, why not add some college football to the mix?
The top 100 broadcasts of 2021 featured seven college football games, and all but two did not feature an SEC team. However, the two games to not feature SEC teams did include Big Ten schools, and the highest-rated college football game of the year featured a Big Ten team (the Sugar Bowl between the ACC’s Clemson and the Big Ten’s Ohio State), which drew 19.4 million viewers, surpassing even the College Football Championship Game between Alabama and Ohio State.
To make things even more interesting, the only regular-season matchup to make the Top 100 was FOX’s Michigan-Ohio State broadcast. Granted, the only conference championship game to crack the top 100 was the SEC title game between Georgia and Alabama, which will be a Disney exclusive past 2024.
In college football, no two conferences move the needle more than the SEC and the Big Ten. Who the latter decides to partner with for the remaining portion of its available rights will have a dramatic impact on the sports broadcasting landscape and could alter how and where fans watch college football for years to come.