$7 Billion Media Rights Deal
2022-08-18 · Kevin Warren, Commissioner, Big Ten Conference (Big Ten)
Warren announced a seven-year, $7 billion+ deal with Fox, CBS, and NBC. He modeled the approach on the NFL's Sunday broadcast structure with marquee games across networks. This was his signature achievement at the Big Ten.
What he said
I think we were able to create a win-win-win opportunity. I'm confident this will be very positive for all parties involved. It emphasizes the point that live sports are still in demand as a broadcast commodity.
I think what it does, it affords us the opportunity to make sure that we can continually do the things we need to do to take care of our student-athletes, to fortify our institutions, to build our programs.
It's very expensive to operate our athletic departments. These new deals will continually provide stability for our athletic departments to service our students in a highly productive manner, allowing them to get a world-class education but be treated in a manner that they rightfully deserve.
I just thought where we were in the Big Ten, we had a very unique opportunity because we have the institutions that could do it. We have the fan avidity. We have the breadth, we have the historical foundation, that we were in a position to really do something unique with three powerful brands in Fox, CBS and NBC.
The fact-check
- "I think we were able to create a win-win-win opportunity. I'm confident this will be very positive for all parties involved." — Rhetoric
- The deal was objectively successful in generating revenue. "Win-win-win" is corporate rhetoric.
- "These new deals will continually provide stability for our athletic departments to service our students... allowing them to get a world-class education." — Rhetoric
- "World-class" is standard Warren vocabulary. Revenue primarily funds coaching and facilities.