John Ourand of Sports Business Journal says he believes the Big Ten will once again manage to sign off on a lucrative media rights package between existing partners ESPN and FOX Sports, but wonders if the conference will enter a new era of media rights negotiations that must answer for new trends in the industry could lead to each media partner not wanting to go to the bank with the Big Ten as much as they may have in years past.
There are a couple of issues at play here from both networks. First, Disney has been finding ways to trim costs across the board, including all around ESPN. Layoffs have seen a number of people lose their jobs at ESPN, and who knows if there will be more to come. ESPN has generally been one to write a blank check to win many media rights packages with conferences and leagues, but moving forward the House of The Mouse will be a tad more reserved with its spending on sports properties. That doesn’t mean the Big Ten is going to get a raw deal, but there may be a bit more to the negotiations between the two than previously seen. The Big Ten and ESPN have a great deal in place, and neither side will want to back away from that relationship. Not when Michigan football is on the rise, Ohio State will continue to be a power and the Big Ten is opening new doors to larger television markets. ESPN has been good to the Big Ten, and vice versa. That relationship will not die easily.
The same holds true for the Big Ten and FOX Sports, with the two already working together with the Big Ten Network and the Big Ten Football Championship Game deal. It would make sense for FOX Sports, with its own cable sports network in FOX Sports 1, to make a push to get more slices of the Big Ten pie. That could have long-term benefits for the Big Ten if it means getting more Big Ten football in its own network spotlight and away from being shuffled in the mix with SEC and ACC football and so on. FOX Sports has deals in place with the Big 12 and Pac-12 as well, but FOX Sports 1 could get more of the action in the east by adding the Big Ten to its mix, setting up its own possible triple headers between FS1 and the big network on Saturdays, as opposed to one primetime game on FOX and whatever it can fill in the afternoon. The question is how much can FOX Sports afford to make that a possibility? As noted by Ourand, FOX Sports already has a stacked portfolio of rights deals in place between college football and other deals in place with Major League Baseball and more.
In the interest of full disclosure, and because Ourand made note of it as well, NBC is mentioned among those interested in discussing Big Ten media rights, along with CBS, ESPN and FOX. Because I am nowhere near privy to the information regarding contracts, I will refrain from discussing NBC’s place in the Big Ten picture other than to say it should not be expected the Peacock gets too seriously involved. We’ve got Notre Dame, Men in Blazers and the Olympics, so we’re cool. CBS is probably not likely to pick up Big Ten football and will stick with its current SEC relationship for now, although it is worth noting CBS carries Big Ten basketball as well.
Media rights packages have continued to escalate in value over the years, and that may end up being the case when all is said and done for the Big Ten. Figuring out how to adapt to changing viewership trends with streaming and OnDemand programming in a cordless era should be one area for the Big Ten and its partners to focus on, as they can help establish the norm for the next wave of media rights deals to come.