• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
The biggest names in sports media. All in one room. Get your ticket now!

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

The cast of ESPN College GameDay begins their show prior to the NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. The show is the final one for Lee Corso.

OSU Sophomore Wins $250K in McAfee ‘GameDay’ Kicking Contest

The former NFL punter started offering prize money for kicks in 2023.
Aug 30, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) drops back to pass against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first half at Ohio Stadium.

On This Year’s CFB Rosters, Even Backup QBs Make Six Figures

The going rate for backup quarterbacks is in the mid-six-figures.
Mike Gundy

OSU’s Gundy, Oregon’s Lanning Trade Barbs Over Alleged $30 Million Gap

Lanning ripped Gundy’s “excuse” and said “we spend to win.”

Featured Today

Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) celebrate their touchdown pass during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field.

TV Ratings Just Changed Again. The NFL Will Be the Big Winner

Nielsen’s new viewership system will have a big impact on sports.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates with offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (74) after a touchdown catch against Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025.
August 30, 2025

The Most Expensive Roster Year in College Football History

The House settlement created revenue-sharing—and a big NIL loophole.
August 26, 2025

‘You’re Going to Get Beat Up’: The Liberty’s All-Male Practice Squad

A select group suits up weekly to take on the defending champs.
August 24, 2025

The Honey Deuce Effect: How Tennis Perfected the Signature Cocktail

Sold every 1.5 seconds, they total more than $12 million in sales.

Less Belichick Hype Could Mean Bad News for CFB Stakeholders

UNC had never begun a football season with so much hype.
August 30, 2025

5 of 10 Highest-Paid CFB Coaches Lose in Week 1

Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer was the biggest surprise of the Week 1 losers.
September 1, 2025

Bill Belichick’s Star-Studded UNC Coaching Debut Turns Ugly

Michael Jordan highlighted a long list of celebrities in attendance.
Sponsored

Gareth Bale on MLS vs EPL, Retirement & Buying Cardiff City

Gareth Bale shares his post-soccer business playbook.
August 29, 2025

Cody Campbell Asks Congress to Allow National College Sports TV Package

The billionaire’s ad will air on ESPN and Fox this weekend.
Ohio State mascot Brutus interacts with Lee Corso on the set of ESPN College GameDay prior to the College Football Playoff first round game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Tennessee Volunteers in Columbus on Dec. 21, 2024.
August 29, 2025

End of an Era: Lee Corso Makes His Final ‘College GameDay’ Appearance

After 431 iconic headgear picks, the iconic coach bids farewell.
Apr 19, 2025; Boulder, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders during the spring game at Folsom Field.
August 28, 2025

Coach Prime Enters Year 3 at Colorado With New Challenges

The Buffaloes have sold out their season tickets yet again.
August 27, 2025

Fox, YouTube TV Avoid Blackout With Short-Term Deal

The upcoming Texas–Ohio State clash will remain available to subscribers.