The Long Wait: Pac-12’s Silence on Media Rights Deal
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – The long awaited update regarding the Pac-12’s new media rights deal is that there is no update.
According to a league source, the conference will not announce its new media rights deal at the Pac-12 football media day on Friday in Las Vegas. Various reports – many of them tied to San Diego State’s conference limbo – had been circulating in recent weeks that July 21 was the targeted date by which to complete the new deal.
The Pac-12’s current media deal with ESPN and Fox expires on June 30, 2024. Originally agreed to by former commissioner Larry Scott, the deal with ESPN, Fox and the Pac-12 took effect in 2012 and the twelve year agreement is finally in its last go-round. Many consider the ESPN-Fox-Pac-12 deal to be the main reason for UCLA’s and USC’s defection to the Big Ten.
Comparing Fortunes: Financial Divergence Between Pac-12 and Big Ten
In the 2021 fiscal year, the Pac-12 distributed $344 million to its member schools; the Big Ten divided up $680 million, almost twice the Pac-12 number.
The next big date to watch is August 26, 2023: the first day of the Pac-12’s football season. Will the conference have its media rights deal for 2024 and beyond in place by then? Or will it kick off the season with an expiring media contract and no answers?
Looking Forward: Implications for Current and Potential Members
Without its new deal in place, the Pac-12 remains at risk of losing current members and falling behind in the recruitment of potential new institutions, such as SDSU, SMU, UNLV and Boise State.