The NCAA is considering expanding March Madness to 76 teams. But if president Charlie Baker is anticipating a large financial windfall from media partners CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery (parent company of TNT Sports), he might be surprised by what he hears.
We talked to several media rights executives about what kinds of additional fees the NCAA can reap by expanding from the current 68 games to 72 or 76. Every contract, every negotiation, is different. There might already be a preset number in their deals. But the answer we got on Thursday on how much the NCAA could expect to pocket from extra games was surprising: Not much.
“I say chump change,” said one executive who declined to be named. “We’re not sure how the contracts read about expansion. But I don’t think earlier games add up to much, to be honest. We’re already at 68 games.”
Another executive who declined to be named was more blunt: “I believe CBS and TNT will offer them zero–or a de minimis amount. They’re expanding the earliest round for no apparent reason other than the powers that be think it’s worth more.”
Under their current deals running through 2032, CBS and TNT Sports pay about $1 billion a year for the U.S. rights to the Big Dance.
During the Big 12 spring meetings in Orlando, Baker said the NCAA has had “good conversations” with CBS and WBD about the expansion plan. And a decision could come fast.
“Our goal here is to try to either get to yes or no sometime in the next few months, because there’s a lot of logistical work that would be associated with doing this, if we were to go down this road,” Baker said.
In March, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said, “I think the economics, candidly, have to work. CBS and TNT have a marquee asset with the tournament. I know they know that, but in order for us to expand, they have to come to the table and provide the right economics.”
