• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
exclusive
College Sports

ESPN, Fox, CBS All Open to Media Rights Package With Pac-12

None of the networks have closed the door on participating in a media deal for the newly-rebuilt Pac-12.

Oregon defensive lineman Derrick Harmon pressures Oregon State wide receiver Jeremiah Noga as the Oregon State Beavers host the Oregon Ducks Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Ore.
Imagn Images

ESPN, Fox, and CBS are all still open to participating in a media rights package with the expanded Pac-12, sources tell Front Office Sports.

The Pac-12 hopes to sign a deal before looking to further expand, FOS has previously confirmed. Discussions for a media rights package are currently ongoing and in an “exploratory phase,” one source said. It’s unclear how much interest each network has, but another source characterized conversations with prospective partners as “productive.” 

The Pac-12 declined to comment, as did all three named networks. 

The media rights deal is the next step in the league’s rebuild.

After former commissioner George Kliavkoff failed to provide a media rights extension package that schools wanted to sign in 2023, all but Oregon State and Washington State bolted for other conferences. But since then, the league has been working on a major resuscitation: Led by new commissioner Teresa Gould, the league has recalibrated its conference office structure and has settled a lawsuit against departing members that yielded a multimillion-dollar war chest and the retention of Pac-12 intellectual property and other assets. 

It signed a one-year football scheduling partnership with the Mountain West, and an affiliate member deal with the West Coast Conference for several other sports. This past season, the league had a modest one-year media deal with Fox and The CW to air home football games during the 2023-24 season.

The league has also reworked “Pac-12 Networks,” creating an entity called “Pac-12 Enterprises” that produces league games for other networks to air, and rents out a state-of-the-art production facility to other local broadcasters.

In September, however, the Pac-12 made a blockbuster move: It announced it would add four Mountain West schools—Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State, and San Diego State—in 2026. The league then lured Utah State, and later added Gonzaga.

While the moves guaranteed the Pac-12 would survive into the next era of college sports, they did create other issues. The Pac-12 and Mountain West are embroiled in litigation over a poaching fee clause embedded in the Pac-12/Mountain West scheduling partnership, and incoming members Boise State, Colorado State, and Utah State are suing the Mountain West to get out of paying exit fees

In addition, the league still needs one more full FBS football-playing member to join before 2026 in order to maintain its FBS status. But the media rights deal will likely come first.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

exclusive

The Eagles Play Christmas Day for NFL on Netflix

The father-son duo will call the Christmas Day doubleheader again.
Dec 25, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Netflix Christmas GameDay cake seen after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.

‘We Didn’t Get a Test Run’: Greg Olsen on Netflix NFL Christmas..

Greg Olsen said the game was uncharted territory for him.

Pitaro: ESPN, MLB Making Progress on New Deal Talks

The network and league ended their deal earlier this year.
Eric Shanks

World Cup Will Be Fox’s ‘Biggest Undertaking’ Ever

The tournament is expanding from 32 to 48 teams.

Featured Today

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
September 10, 2025

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 13, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back AK Dear (0) tries to outrun Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Ricardo Hallman (2) during the second half at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Despite Vote Delay, SCORE Act Negotiations Continue on Capitol Hill

Political ad campaigns during college football Saturdays continue as well.
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) looks to pass during the first quarter against the New Mexico Lobos at Rose Bowl.
September 15, 2025

UCLA-Tennessee QB Trade Has Been Painful So Far

Iamaleava abruptly left Tennessee for UCLA this past offseason.
Sep 12, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; New Mexico Lobos quarterback Jack Layne (2) reacts after his team scored a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl.
September 15, 2025

UCLA Paid New Mexico $1.2 Million for Friday’s Loss: Payout Game Tracker

The Bruins weren’t the only Power-4 school to lose a buy game and fire their coach.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
September 14, 2025

College Football’s Costly Start for Virginia Tech, UCLA: Coaches Out

UCLA and Virginia Tech fire their coaches while Notre Dame slumps badly.
Mar 4, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks with Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., ahead of President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2025.
September 11, 2025

House Republicans Delay SCORE Act Vote Tentatively Planned for Next Week

They didn’t believe they had enough votes to pass the bill.
Jan 25, 2023; Langley, British Columbia, CAN; Highlights from the CHL Kubota Top Prospects game at the Langley Events Centre
September 10, 2025

NCAA Hockey Scouts Denied Passes for Crucial Recruiting League

The CHL won’t welcome scouts on passes: “It comes across as petty.”
Feb 17, 2024; Boise, Idaho, USA; Fresno State Bulldogs guard Jalen Weaver (5) during the first half against the Boise State Broncos at ExtraMile Arena.
September 10, 2025

NCAA Bans 3 Basketball Players for Violating Betting Rules Last Season

The former San Jose State and Fresno State players have lost eligibility.