There was a time not long ago when writing about college football required an unofficial degree in subscriber fees and market sizes. The TV rights landscape has mostly stabilized, but the Big Ten’s impending negotiations (its current deal ends next year) long loomed as a potentially major storyline. Well … that day is here. We often hear about the “Power 5” conferences but with the Big Ten’s new TV deal, aren’t the B1G and SEC in a class of their own at this point? At what point should the Pac-12, ACC, and Big 12 start getting worried about the gulf in funding? — Nicholas Nelson, Paradise, CA Nick Saban Harry How/Getty Images In terms of revenue generated, yes, the Big Ten and SEC will soon be in a classification to themselves. Sports Business Journal recently reported that Jim Delany’s conference is close to finalizing a deal with FOX worth $250 million a year for half of the league’s Tier-I rights, which includes 25 football games. (Note: Though I work for FOX, I am not privy to any details.) To put that in perspective, the Pac-12 on average receives roughly the same amount for its entire Tier-I inventory. The Big 12’s is $203 million annually. Between that deal, whatever ESPN or another network pays for the other half as well as Big Ten Network revenue, the league will soon distribute in the neighborhood of $40 million-$45 million a year to each of its full members…
Continue Reading: Are the SEC and Big Ten leaving the rest of the Power 5 in the dust?
