The Big 12 isn’t waiting. The conference is ready to start negotiations with ESPN and FOX to extend their current broadcast agreements.
“It is an exciting time for college athletics and given the changing landscape we welcome the opportunity to engage with our partners to determine if an early extension is in the best interest of all parties,” Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a press release. “The Big 12 has enjoyed a fantastic relationship with its multi-media rights holders, and I look forward to having these conversations.”
The current deals that the conference has with the two networks still have eighteen months left. That kind of lead time means that the conference will have through the 2024 to react to the market and procure maximum value.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the early window is meant to give the current media partners an exclusive window. If deals are not made, the Big 12 could open bidding up to other networks during a more traditional window.
It isn’t hard to understand the motivation for opening negotiation windows so early. The Pac-12 did the same thing in the wake of USC and UCLA bolting for the Big Ten.
With the future a bit uncertain for both conferences at the moment, the most lucrative media rights deal will create a real advantage should either the Pac-12 or Big 12 want to lure schools from the other conference in order to strengthen its position.
