Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT Sports is assembling an eclectic mix of sports media rights, with the latest apparently being the Big East.
WBD (TNT Sports) and Comcast (NBC Sports) are close to deals with the Big East to carry men’s and women’s basketball games starting in the 2025-26 season, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported Wednesday. The companies would join incumbent Fox Sports, which would remain the lead Big East broadcaster.
Under the deal, Fox Sports would keep the bulk of the Big East Tournament — including the championship game — though NBC and/or Peacock could get some of those games.
For WBD, which has been under scrutiny for weeks amidst its negotiations with the NBA, the Big East is yet another property added to the company’s growing stable. WBD has over the past year added NASCAR, the French Open, and some College Football Playoff games, though the French Open is the only one of those deals in which it is the lead (or in that case, sole) partner.
TNT Sports has rarely carried any college basketball outside of its joint agreement with CBS to air the men’s NCAA Tournament. In recent years, it has aired a handful of early season tournament games.
The Big East has aired primarily on Fox Sports since it was reconstituted in 2013, though it has sublicensed some games to CBS. Under its previous iteration, games primarily aired on ESPN.
