The biggest fish remaining in sports television is headed, at least in part, to Fox Sports.
Sports Business Daily reported Tuesday that Fox Sports is “close” to acquiring half of the Big Ten’s available media rights starting in 2017. The six-year package, which would be worth upwards of $250 million per year, would include 25 football and 50 basketball games annually on both the FOX broadcast network and Fox Sports 1.
The remaining Big Ten rights, which would include a similar number of games in both sports, will remain up for bid. According to the report, incumbents ESPN and CBS are expected to contend for the that package along with NBC Sports and Turner Sports.
Fox Sports has a preexisting relationship with the Big Ten, owning a majority stake in Big Ten Network and rights to the conference’s annual football championship. That pales in comparison to ESPN, which is the Big Ten’s primary football partner and splits basketball rights with CBS.
The Big Ten would be the highest-profile conference to join Fox Sports, which currently owns rights to the Pac-12, Big 12, and the basketball-only Big East. Four of the six most-watched games last college football season involved at least one Big Ten team, as did six of the top ten.
(Tue. news from Sports Business Daily)
