Michigan and Ohio State put up some of the highest numbers of any college football game this season. 15.893 million viewers tuned in for the high-stakes game.
Ohio State has always been a ratings powerhouse for the conference, but the emergence of Michigan as one of the top teams in the country has made the Big Ten a hot commodity to watch this season.
The Big Ten agreed on a TV rights deal with both ESPN and FOX in 2017 that split coverage between the two networks. The deal is set to expire at the end of next season, leaving the Big Ten with plenty of possibilities for a massive bidding war moving forward.
Fox has been given priority picks in most weeks, as they pay $240 million annually while ESPN pays $190 million.
Fox has used the deal to build out Big Noon Kickoff, which has become a key part of their college football coverage. The deal has also helped turn the noon window on Saturdays into valuable TV advertising real estate. That is good for the sport and the industry, considering that is where networks used to put third-tier games.
Andrew Marchand and John Ourand recently discussed how the Big Ten could be lined up for a huge payday on their sports media and business podcast.
“The Big Ten is coming into this media rights negotiation with such a position of strength. They have big brands and they have big ratings. They still have another two years, I believe, that’s left on [their current deal] but I expect them to start negotiations coming this year.” said John Ourand.
Ourand also said that he believes that FOX, ESPN, and CBS will be “very aggressive” in their negotiations for the Big Ten rights, which will undoubtedly raise the asking price for the conference.