Monday, July 31, 2017

A Few Content Parameters for the Big Ten Rights Agreements

A source was able to provide me with more concrete numbers & facts about the Big Ten rights agreements, so lets get some of that information out to you, in alphabetical order of the rightsholder:

I have some thoughts about these items here.

BTN
  • As previously announced, the agreement with the conference and FOX Entertainment Group has been extended by five years to 2032.
  • The men's basketball tournament will now have ten games air on the network, up from five.  
CBS
  • Rights maintained to the semifinals and championship of the men's basketball tournament.
  • At least ten regular season games per season.
  • Sundays will be the primary day for Big Ten basketball to air on CBS.
  • All of these parameters are about the same as the previous agreement.
ESPN Networks
  • 27 football games
    • All intraconference games on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2
    • At least six primetime games per season on ABC or ESPN
  • 38 men's basketball games
    • Most intraconference games on ESPN or ESPN2
  • Broad coverage of women's basketball and Olympic sports
FOX Sports
  • 24 to 27 football games per year
    • Nine games total in primetime on FOX and FS1
  • Top pick in the draft of weeks to select first in football
  • Football championship game every year
  • 39-47 men's basketball games
    • Potentially ten of those games on FOX broadcast network
It was stressed to me that CBS, ESPN Networks and FOX Sports will share priority with respect to game selection within men's basketball.  FOX Sports has priority with the respect to choosing first when choosing the weeks they want top choice in football, but ESPN will be choosing first some weeks.  You could also word that as FOX has top overall choice of football games.

You'll also see some co-branding when it comes to on screen logos.  ESPN started running them in the past year or two with the "Big Ten on ESPN", similar to "SEC/ACC/American on ESPN".  Expect FOX (and CBS?) to do the same.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

What I don't like is that BTN has all the tournament games with the exception of those on CBS. ESPN should also have more basketball games than 38. I also think ESPN and Fox should also get baseball and softball as well.

Morgan Wick said...

I wonder if part of the reason for the delay in the announcement was that ESPN and FS1 tried and failed to get some tournament games?

Morgan Wick said...

On the other hand, it is more consistent with how the SEC and PAC-12 handle things with as many conference tournament games as possible on the conference network.

Unknown said...

I know I'm a little late, and college hockey is irrelevant, but will FS1 have any hockey like how ESPNU/News shows the occasional Minnesota, Michigan, or Wisconsin game (or any other B1G hockey team).

Matt Sarzyniak said...

What you see is what I've been told. Note that ESPN has Olympic sports listed and FOX doesn't.