The new Big East media rights deal was officially announced Thursday, and as previously reported will include NBC and TNT alongside the returning FOX.
The Big East has reached a six-year media rights deal with incumbent Fox Sports and newcomers NBC Sports and TNT Sports, it was announced Thursday. While the new deal does not go fully into effect until the 2025-26 season, the NBC streaming service Peacock will begin its tenure this coming season, carrying a 30-game schedule of men’s basketball games that will include five Big East Tournament matchups.
Once the deal goes fully into effect in 2025, Peacock and NBC will combine for a 60-game slate of men’s and women’s regular season and tournament games.
The TNT Sports platforms will combine for 65 games per season, including more than 50 men’s games, with most airing on TNT and others carried by TBS and truTV. All TNT Sports games will stream on Max. The 65-game schedule will be the most extensive slate of college basketball yet carried by the networks once known as Turner Sports.
As previously reported, Fox will remain the lead broadcast partner with an 80-game schedule of men’s and women’s games. It will continue to carry the men’s Big East Tournament final. No network was specified for the women’s final, an indication that it may well air on one of the other broadcast partners.
In total, the deal calls for at least 150 men’s and as many as 65 women’s basketball games to be carried by the networks.
The deal also includes the other Big East sports, including soccer, lacrosse, baseball, softball and volleyball. Many of those contests have been streaming on FloSports, with occasional games and championship events on the Fox networks. It was not immediately clear how much would change in the new deal. NBC’s deal is for men’s and women’s basketball only, per a network spokesman.
