Big Ten Agrees to Historic Media Rights Contract Reportedly Worth at Least $7B

Under its new media rights contracts, the Big Ten will make a lot of money.

The conference agreed to distribution agreements with CBS, FOX, NBC and NBCUniversal's Peacock, as well as returning partners Big Ten Network and FS1, that will run through the 2029-30 season.

The deals will earn the Big Ten between $7-8 billion with escalators that could bring the total value up to $10 billion.

According to a report by John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, the Big Ten proposed a seven-year deal worth $380 million per year to the networks.

The offer to ESPN would have given them 13 football games per season and the second- or third-best Big Ten game of the weekend in prime time.

Ross Dellenger @RossDellenger

ESPN turned down an opportunity to bid on the Big Ten’s No. 2 game - the 3:30 p.m. kickoff package - that ultimately is expected to go to CBS, sources tell @SINow.

Keep in mind that the league already has 3:30 p.m. & primetime windows for SEC’s No. 1 & 2 games.

Since 1982, Big Ten games have been broadcasted on the air. It will be the last year of its deal with the conference.

A 10-year media rights deal between the SEC and Disney was announced in December 2020. Every SEC football game and men's basketball game will be broadcast by ABC, with at least one football game each week.

The SEC games can be seen on CBS.

The Big Ten is getting ready to expand. USC and UCLA will join the conference full time in 2024.

According to Ourand, Notre Dame is likely to remain an independent as it negotiates a new rights deal with NBC.

The Fighting Irish are likely to add more Big Ten games in the future according to Ourand.

McMurphy said that the Big Ten is still looking at the Pac-12 programs.

Big Ten football games will be on television almost all day on Saturdays. There are games at 12 p.m. on Fox. NBC and CBS will air in prime time.