The Big Ten announced on Thursday that the conference has reached distribution agreements with CBS, FOX, NBC and Peacock beginning in 2023 and running through the 2029-30 season.
The conference will be featured on the three primary networks for football, with FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff game, CBS at 3:30 p.m. and NBC in primetime, with eight games per season streaming on Peacock. According to Sports Business Journal’s Michael Smith, the deal is worth more than $8 billion, averaging out to $1.1 billion per year for the conference, which is the largest conference rights deal in history.
“The Big Ten Conference media rights agreements are more than just dollars and deals,” Big Ten Commissioner Kevin Warren said. “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.
“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,” he continued.
ESPN will not be a featured partner for the Big Ten for the first time in nearly four decades, and little changes for returning partners in the Big Ten Network or FOX, who will continue televising football and men’s basketball games in addition to other sports. BTN will broadcast between 38-41 football games, and FOX will broadcast between 24-27 games next season.
CBS’ first season carrying the Big Ten will include seven football games in addition to regular season and postseason men’s basketball. The Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament final will also appear on CBS. The following season, CBS will begin carrying 15 regular-season football games per season, with an annual afternoon Black Friday game.
NBC’s portion of the deal will feature 14-to-16 games on broadcast television as part of Big Ten Saturday Night, and the games will be simulcast on Peacock. The streaming service – in addition to airing eight football games per season on the platform – will also feature as many as 47 regular-season men’s basketball games (32 conference, 15 non-conference) and 30 regular-season women’s basketball games (20 conference, 10 non-conference).
The Big Ten Championship Game will also be rotated throughout the networks, with FOX televising the game in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029, CBS broadcasting in 2024 and 2028, and NBC showing the game in 2026.
