Big Ten Inks Record $8B Distribution Deals Ahead Of UCLA & USC Joining Conference

deadline.com:

While it awaits the 2024 arrival of Pac-12 carpetbaggers UCLA and USC, the Big Ten Conference has inked new distribution deals with CBS, Fox, NBC and Peacock.

The pacts, which include current partners FS1 and Big Ten Network but drops ESPN/ABC, are the most lucrative in college sports history — valued at nearly $8 billion.Covering football, women’s and men’s basketball and more, the deals are worth more than $1 billion a year for seven years, kicking in starting July 2023 and running through the 2029-30 season.

They will replace current ones estimated to be worth $2.6 billion over six years.ESPN and ABC, which previously had shared rights to the Big Ten with Fox, bowed out of the renewal and are not in business with the conference for the first time since the 1980s.

The Disney-owned networks are more focused on the football-rich SEC and other college conferences.The deals come after a significant reshuffling in the college conference ranks as schools and networks look to capitalize on surging TV ratings, especially for football.“The Big Ten Conference media rights agreements are more than just dollars and deals,” Big Ten Conference Commissioner Kevin Warren said. “They are a mechanism to provide stability and maximum exposure for our student-athletes, member institutions and partners during these uncertain times in collegiate athletics.”The Big Ten currently includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers and Wisconsin.Here are some specifics of the deals revealed today:Big Ten Network will maintain its strong position as the home for Big Ten fans, as the network will continue to televise a full slate of football, basketball