• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, September 17, 2025

A Year After Losing USC and UCLA, Pac-12 Lacks a New Deal

  • A new media rights deal is essential for the stability of the Pac-12.
  • But at football media days Friday, a year after starting negotiations, the conference had no deal to announce.
May 14, 2022; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff looks on during the Pac-12 Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

In July 2022, shortly after learning it would lose USC and UCLA, the Pac-12 authorized commissioner George Kliavkoff to start negotiating a new media rights deal. 

At the time, Kliavkoff said the conference was still in an “enviable” negotiating position — good news, given that a media deal is key to the stability of the conference.

But after a year of negotiating, the conference has delivered nothing to its members but empty promises. 

Friday’s football media days were no different. In his first public address in months, Kliavkoff didn’t announce a deal as reports had suggested. He said he wanted to keep the focus on “football” — but didn’t confirm a deal was done. 

“The longer we wait for the media deal, the better our options get,” Kliavkoff said. “There’s an underlying shift in the media market that’s happening.”

He also laid out the conference’s expansion plan. First, it will ink a media deal with its existing members (minus USC and UCLA, of course). Then the schools will sign a grant-of-rights agreement — which Kliavkoff claims has already been “negotiated.” Only then, he said, will the Pac-12 potentially extend invitations to a new school.

The process is instructive given what happened with San Diego State, which initially said it would leave the Mountain West, presumably expecting a Pac-12 invitation, but ultimately stayed.

The story of the Pac-12’s precarious position goes back more than a decade. When the current package — a 12-year, $3 billion deal that runs until 2024 — was originally signed, it was touted as the best in college sports. 

But speaking to FOS, experts previously pointed out a key flaw: The creation of the Pac-12 Networks, while great for Olympic sports exposure, ended up being a major money loser. That’s because the conference retained ownership of the network instead of selling it to a linear broadcaster like Fox or ESPN, as other conferences have done. As a result, distribution is painfully low.

The recent round of negotiations and realignment have also put the Pac-12 behind. 

The loss of USC and UCLA — two of the biggest brands in college sports — has seriously decreased the conference’s value. It went to the media rights market without any replacement schools, and existing members can still flee for the Big 12. (Kliavkoff said on Friday that he wasn’t concerned that the Big 12 would poach new members.)

But the Pac-12, next in line to negotiate a deal after the SEC and Big Ten, was usurped by the Big 12. Commissioner Brett Yormark quickly signed a six-year, $2.28 billion renewal with ESPN and Fox a year earlier than planned. Yormark saw that the economy was entering a downward spiral, and he didn’t want to wait.

The Pac-12 could be waiting for a rumored deal between NBC Sports parent Comcast Corp. and ESPN parent The Walt Disney Co., media consultant Jim Williams told FOS.

Under one scenario, Comcast would swap its 33% stake in streaming giant Hulu for Disney’s 80% ownership of ESPN. A newly energized combination of Comcast/ESPN could then pursue more college media rights — if not take over the Pac-12 Network itself, he speculated.

“That’s a deal I’ve heard is out there that can save them,” he said.

There have been rumors that the Pac-12 would get rich from partnering with a big-time streamer like Apple or Amazon — but those rumors look more and more like a pipe dream. In February, Front Office Sports reported that Amazon was playing “hardball” in negotiations. 

Perhaps the conference could look to lower-level streamers like Scripps, Ion, or The CW, which just inked a deal with the ACC. (The CW declined to comment to FOS.)

Looking at a declining economy, less inventory for major networks, and less brand power, the Pac-12 has been “on an island,” an expert source told FOS in February. 

After all this time, it still hasn’t found a lifeboat.

Editor’s Note: FOS Senior Writer Michael McCarthy contributed to this report.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Silver: My Comments About Basketball Highlights Were ‘Misconstrued’

The NBA commissioner spoke at the Front Office Sports Tuned in summit.

Netflix Boxing Ratings Spark New Fight Over Streaming Metrics

The streamer used a non-accredited process to measure the boxing match.

CFB TV Ratings Stay Hot As Georgia-Tennessee Sets ABC High of 12.6M

ABC has had four games that have topped 10 million viewers this season.
Sep 6, 2025; Paris, FRANCE; Brad Tavares (red gloves) fights Robert Bryczek (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena.

TKO President Mark Shapiro Pops Talk of Valuation Bubble, Defends UFC Deal

“Sports is the last bastion of unifying content in this world.”

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.