• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
The Best Employers in Sports survey is now open! Take the survey

New Streaming Bundle Could Take ‘Edge’ Off the ESPN-Fox College Sports Rivalry

  • The ESPN-Fox-WBD package will feature the CFP, March Madness, the Power 4, and the Big East.
  • The combined offering could lower the stakes in rights negotiations as networks get a chance to profit from one another’s inventory.
Jan 1, 2024; Pasadena, CA, USA; Pat McAfee (left), Lee Corso (center) and Kirk Herbstreit on the ESPN College Gameday set at the 2024 Rose Bowl college football playoff semifinal game at Rose Bowl.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The newly announced sports streaming bundle, which pairs Disney’s ESPN with Fox Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery, combines three of the industry’s biggest rivals—and it could create a new dynamic in college sports. 

For the past few years, ESPN and Fox, the ruling duopoly of college football media rights (and much of the industry’s other top products), have battled for top-shelf inventory. But the new marriage could contribute to a detente, potentially lowering the stakes for negotiations now that networks will profit from one another’s inventory when fans purchase the new bundle.

“This is the three big sports programmers getting together to create some scale and leverage on their side,” an industry source tells Front Office Sports. “It should take off some of the edge.”

In 2020, ESPN bought up all of the SEC’s rights, as well as the ACC’s, and Fox scooped up the Big Ten (though CBS and NBC have a few notable windows). The Big 12 will work with both broadcasters. 

The new bundle, which should be available in September, will include conference networks and inventory from the entire Power 4, plus top Big East matchups, the College Football Playoff, and men’s and women’s March Madness games. (The men’s tournament has long eluded ESPN and Fox, given the event’s history with CBS and WBD.)

ESPN and Fox are the rumored front-runners in negotiations for the expanded CFP media package, as FOS previously reported. Warner Bros. Discovery has also expressed interest. Fox has made major strides in catching up to ESPN with its Saturday morning pregame show, Big Noon Kickoff, and its top game-window, Big Noon Saturday. But to really come for ESPN’s top spot, Fox needed to acquire at least a slice of the CFP pie—until now. 

Even if ESPN gets all of the playoff rights, Fox and WBD would appear to benefit to some extent through subscription revenue. (The details of the revenue split—along with other key details, including the cost to consumers—remain unknown.) The existence of the bundle itself could also make ESPN, or any broadcaster, more amenable to sublicensing other games to rival networks, says Octagon’s SVP of global media rights, William Mao.

For now, however, executives claim the rights battle will wage on, lest any antitrust lawyers be watching. During a Fox Corp. earnings call Wednesday, CEO Lachlan Murdoch said the network would remain as aggressive as always with bids. And Disney CFO Hugh Johnston told Bloomberg that the three networks have no intention of submitting joint bids for future inventory.

“We’ll continue to compete with each other for sports rights, just as we always have,” Johnston said. That competition just might be lacking a bit of its old bite.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Big Ten, SEC Reject Super League Idea but Are Exploring Scheduling Deal

SEC teams are 2–1 in games against Big Ten programs this season.

Increasingly Desperate Jets to Pay All of Davante Adams’s Contract

The Bills and Chiefs reportedly didn’t want to pay the full amount.

Vanderbilt QB Disputes Licensed NIL Apparel: ‘This Is Not Me’

Diego Pavia is upset about ‘Vandy We Turnt’ shirts.

Hawai‘i to Join Mountain West As Full Member in 2026

It’s the latest move in the most recent wave of conference realignment.
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

Haason Reddick’s Holdout Continues With Top NFL Agent

0:00

Featured Today

Sep 15, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs fans celebrate after a touchdown by Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) during the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

‘This Is My Whole Life’: How Swifties Became NFL Superfans

The “Chiefties” have arrived. And they are “fully committed” to football.
Sep 21, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) walks through Buff Walk before the game against the Baylor Bears at Folsom Field.
opinion
October 11, 2024

The NIL Era Is a Wild West. Is Anyone Surprised?

Amateurism is dead and college athletes are professionals. How’s that working out?
October 11, 2024

‘We’re Ready for FBS’: Sacramento State Is Serious About the Jump

How the Hornets got themselves on the short list of potential call-ups.
Duante' Abercrombie News Ch.4 interview
October 9, 2024

Tennessee State’s Ambitious Plan to Launch an HBCU Hockey Program

TSU has big plans, but the university is facing an existential dilemma.

Cricket Is World’s No. 2 Sport. Can New Series Add U.S. Audience?

The new series will come a year after the T-20 World Cup.
October 13, 2024

MLB Playoff Ratings Keep Climbing

The MLB playoffs are down to the final four teams.
October 14, 2024

WNBA Postseason Ratings Still Surging Post–Caitlin Clark

The WNBA playoffs still had serious momentum entering the Finals.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
October 11, 2024

ESPN Expands ‘Monday Night Football’ on ABC With Six Additional Games

The 2024 slate of dual-network NFL coverage now looks much more like last year’s.
October 10, 2024

ESPN’s Bold Future: Pitaro Unveils Ambitious Sports Streaming Plans

The current network chair also continued to downplay a much-used former slogan.
October 10, 2024

College Football’s Most-Hyped Weekend: Networks Set to Cash In

NBC gets No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Oregon, while ABC has No. 9 Ole Miss at No. 13 LSU.
October 9, 2024

MLB Asks DSG for Immediate Clarity on 2025 Broadcast Plans

The league seeks answers from the regional sports network operator regarding the 2025 season.