It appears that FOX Sports will hang on to the top Big Ten football games. The conference continues to meet with other media outlets to try and piece together a comprehensive deal.
John Ourand at Sports Business Journal reports that details of the new agreement with FOX are unknown at this time, but more should come out by Memorial Day.
Amazon, Apple, CBS, ESPN, NBC and Turner have all reportedly made pitches to the Big Ten, but FOX will be the anchor partner. FOX Sports President and COO Mark Silverman and executive vice president of business Larry Jones have reportedly joined Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren as consultants in these meetings.
FOX Sports is a majority owner of the Big Ten Network, and Ourand reports having Silverman and Jones in the room is part of the last deal cut between the conference and the network.
CBS is still shopping around trying to find a replacement for its slate of SEC games after the 2023 season. Meanwhile, NBC is looking to add Big Ten games to try and couple into a Saturday doubleheader with its Notre Dame games.
ESPN has been the secondary rights holder for the Big Ten. The conference and commissioner Kevin Warren have been at odds with the network over the expansion of the College Football Playoff since 2021, when many accused ESPN of helping the SEC pry Texas and Oklahoma away from the Big 12 to form a conference that would account for more spots in a potential 12-team playoff.
While ESPN certainly still sees value in doing business with the most popular conference in college sports, the Big Ten may be in a position where it does not feel like it could renew its deal with the network.