Big Ten Conference cuts multi-network broadcast deal

The Big Ten Conference, which is made up of 14 collegiate teams, has reached a media rights agreement with CBS, FOX, NBC and NBCUniversal’s Peacock that is reportedly worth $7.5 billion, per the Wall Street Journal. The breadth of the agreement radically expands the reach of the organization and its member schools. 

The agreement, which begins on July 1, 2023, and will run through the 2029-30 season, will start with football. Conference football will run Saturdays, with FOX at noon ET, CBS at 3:30 p.m. ET and NBC in prime time. In August 2024, the conference will grow from 14 to 16 teams, adding the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California. These additions will give the Big Ten a coast-to-coast presence, including the top three media markets of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

“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,” said Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren in a press release.

How the deal is structured gives each network certain rights to certain events in order to avoid overlap. The Big Ten Network, the conference’s own channel, will televise a full roster of collegiate football, basketball and Olympic sports year-round.

CBS will air seven football games in 2023, along with regular and postseason men’s basketball. The Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament final will also air on the network for the first time. CBS will continue to host the Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals and final, which it has done for 25 years. All football and basketball programs will be livestreamed on Paramount+.

Fox has renewed its football and basketball broadcast agreement with the conference, and will have the opportunity to air additional sports throughout the year. The agreement follows a record setting year for the partnership.

NBC will air “Big Ten Saturday Night,” and will air 14 to 16 games each season, with each game being simulcasted on its streaming platform Peacock. Peacock will also be airing exclusive content, with eight regular-season football games and up 47 regular-season men’s basketball games (32 conference and 15 non-conference) being made available to users. Additionally, the streamer will host 30 regular-season women’s basketball games (20 conference and 10 non-conference).

Airing the Big Ten Football Championship Games will be a shared responsibility. CBS will be airing the games in 2024 and 2028, Fox will have the games in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029, while NBC will air the games in 2026.