The Big 12 has agreed to an extension of its media rights deals with ESPN and FOX that will see an increase of 90% of its annual payment from the two entities.
The average annual payment to the conference is reported at $380 million per year, even after the departure of the conference’s two highest-profile members, Texas and Oklahoma. As you likely know, Cincinnati, UCF, BYU, and Houston will replace the Longhorns and Sooners in the conference.
That number will pale in comparison to what the Big Ten and SEC generates in its new media deals. The Big Ten will haul in more than $1 billion per year.
The agreement, while expected — perhaps not this early, but expected — did still leave several questions that I’m not sure can be answered immediately.
Can The Pac-12 Beat $380 Million?
To be transparent, I never thought the Big 12 would sniff an annual rights fee of $380 million per year for its members after Texas and Oklahoma. No offense to Kansas State and Texas Tech, but you don’t exactly move the needle for the average college football fan (which is what these deals are all centered around…sorry, basketball fans).
So, when the reports started to come out earlier this week that the conference and networks were working on numbers in the $350 million range, but preferred to be closer to $400 million, I was simply stunned.
But the first thought that came to my mind was: Can The Pac-12 Beat $380 Million? According to a report from Pac-12 reporter John Canzano, a conference source said “We are very confident to beat that number.” There’s only one way for the Pac-12 to beat that number, especially after the departure of USC and UCLA after the 2023 school year.
Amazon is the only way the Pac-12 can beat $380 million. While trying to avoid sounding like some Midwestern hilljack, those on the west coast are seemingly more apt to adopt new technology before other areas of the nation. A deal with Amazon, which might have sounded ludicrous before the streaming platform’s high viewership numbers for its Thursday Night Football debut, could legitimately be a viable option for Pac-12 fans. Now, what that would mean for the conference’s standing and reputation nationally is a discussion for a different day.
Was Amazon Involved Or Are They Strictly Holding Out For The Pac-12?
Amazon Prime Video has not been shy about its interest in college football rights.
“Actually, we’re very interested in that,” Amazon Vice President for Global Sports Video Marie Donoghue told The Marchand and Ourand Sports Media Podcast last week. “Obviously, we don’t talk about specific negotiations, but we’re going to keep knocking. The thing about sports is there’s a lot of marquee properties out there. We’re very interested in big-time college sports. Anybody would be.”
It was rumored that Amazon Prime Video put in an offer on the Big Ten’s media rights deals. It was rumored Amazon Prime Video put in a bigger offer than ESPN for the Formula 1 package that ultimately went to the worldwide leader.
So it’s safe to assume Prime Video was in on the Big 12, right? How involved is a question I’m guessing isn’t likely to be definitively answered anytime soon, but would you be floored if it was later reported that Amazon had a higher bid than ESPN or Fox did? I don’t think I would.
How Much Inventory Goes to ESPN+?
Reportedly, the reason the Big Ten passed up a deal with Amazon was it’s worry of fans not being able to find the games they were looking for, and valued a traditional TV audience. That’s fine and dandy, but the Big 12 deserves credit where credit is due. It has not been afraid to put games on ESPN+. And really, at this stage of the “streaming wars”, would the Big 12 rather have its games on ESPN+ or FS2? I know which option I’d choose (and it includes choosing it twice on Sundays), but the Big 12 has earned the props for being willing to embrace streaming before others.
Fans will complain that a game will be behind a streaming paywall. That’s the nature of living in America in 2022, we hate everything, and we’re not afraid to share it. But, if more than one of your team’s games is going to be on ESPN+, doesn’t that make the platform more enticing to fans?
Obviously, ESPN and FOX Sports aren’t going to put marquee matchups that have the potential to draw several million viewers behind a streaming paywall. But with ESPN’s expansion of SEC rights coinciding with the duration of the Big 12 deal, just how many games will end up on ESPN+? And if they are on ESPN+, will the schools or conference take back some of the control of deciding when games start? Realistically, if your game is going to be on a streaming platform, does adhering to the now-traditional 12:00 PM, 3:30 PM, 7:30/8:00 PM ET windows make sense?
How Does ESPN Prioritize The Big 12?
Speaking of games being on ESPN, how will the network prioritize the Big 12? Again, not to necessarily speak ill of the remaining members of the conference after Texas and Oklahoma leave, but can you envision more than one or two Big 12 games per season that you can envision bumping an SEC game from primetime on ABC or ESPN?
ESPN holds the “A” package for the Big 12, meaning the network will get six of the top eight picks in the broadcast draft (which should absolutely, 100%, no questions asked be a television special each July but, again, that’s another story for another day), eight of the top 12 selections, and 12 of the top 20. Without a doubt, ESPN is going to have the best Big 12 matchups every year. And yet, I wonder how many will find themselves in primetime.
How Many Games Will Big 12 Get On Big Noon Saturday?
FOX will broadcast 26 Big 12 games every season in the extension. I’m sure being on network television will continue to be a priority for the conference. But, I wonder how the conference feels, in general, about Big Noon Saturday. FOX Sports has shown no signs of slowing down its promotion of the Big Noon Saturday brand, and with good reason. The timeslot continues to produce ratings wins for the network. But, for every member other than West Virginia, Cincinnati, and UCF, Big Noon Saturday means beginning games at 11:00 AM local time, which isn’t exactly a popular time with fans.
Did the conference ask for more Big Noon Saturday games? Or perhaps did they limit the amount of times they could featured in that window? I get the impression that outside of Texas and Oklahoma — who have been spoiled by being premiere college football brands — the remaining conference members would welcome the opportunity to play in front of a national TV audience, even if it meant playing at 11:00 AM CT.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
