• Loading stock data...
Monday, October 6, 2025

Pac-12 Announces CBS As ‘Anchor’ in New Media-Rights Deal

The move is yet another major step for the Pac-12, which has been in the process of an unprecedented rebuild since the league fell apart two summers ago.

Dec 27, 2024; San Diego, CA, USA; The Washington State Cougars ban perform during the second half at the Holiday Bowl at Snapdragon Stadium. Mandatory Credit:
Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images

On Monday, the Pac-12 announced it extended its media-rights agreement with CBS Sports for the lifespan of a five-year deal running until the end of the 2030–31 season. The media-rights deal will give CBS Sports and Paramount+ access to marquee football and basketball games, as part of a package that will ultimately include multiple networks.

The news is yet another major step for the Pac-12, which has been in the process of an unprecedented rebuild since the league fell apart two summers ago. “Our goal with this process was to find transformational partnerships for the new Pac-12, and throughout our discussions and time together it became more and more clear that a partnership with CBS Sports would be just that,” Pac-12 commissioner Teresa Gould said in a statement.

The deal will serve as a continuation of the package that began this season to broadcast Washington State and Oregon State football games. It guarantees that the league football championship game and men’s basketball tournament championship game will air on CBS and Paramount+. At least three regular-season football games and men’s basketball games will air on CBS each year. Football and men’s basketball will also be shown on CBS Sports Network. 

Financial details were not disclosed, as the league is still in the process of selling other rights in the media marketplace. CBS Sports did not, however, sign a deal for all of the media rights to sublicense to other networks (as is the case with the College Football Playoff and ESPN, for example). Instead, the Pac-12 is selling the rest of its rights independently, with the help of Octagon.

It’s unclear who else might be part of the full package. But the current 2025–26 package, which includes ESPN and The CW, may provide a clue—a Pac-12 source previously told Front Office Sports that the one-year deal could serve as a potential test-run

“Exposure for the new Pac-12’s media partnerships will be key to realizing and increasing our collective and individual overall values,” the league wrote in a fact sheet distributed to reporters.

Since being ripped apart in 2023—ironically, because of a less-than-ideal media-rights offering—the Pac-12 has reinvented itself. In the fall of 2023, Washington State and Oregon State, the two lone members, sued to keep the assets and intellectual property of the league. They finalized a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West for football and an affiliate agreement with the West Coast Conference for other sports, as well as a modest media deal with The CW and Fox, to keep the league afloat while it searched for more members. They also hired new commissioner Teresa Gould, who has guided the conference since the spring of 2024.

Then, last fall, the Pac-12 announced the addition of five Mountain West schools: Boise State, Colorado State, Utah State, Fresno State, and San Diego State. (The league is still embroiled in litigation with the Mountain West over poaching fees, but the two are currently engaging in mediation.) The Pac-12 has also since added Gonzaga.

Going forward, the Pac-12 is still searching for at least one more FBS football-playing member, as the NCAA allows for a two-year grace period for a conference to find eight football-playing members to maintain its FBS status. Texas State has been rumored as a potential option. The Pac-12 may announce expansion before finalizing another deal, or finalize the media package first, a Pac-12 source told FOS. 

The media-rights deal with CBS, meanwhile, is written with the assumption that another full FBS football-playing member will join by 2026.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Dec 2, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans former quarterbacks Mark Sanchez (left) and Matt Leinart watch from the sidelines during the Pac-12 Championship game against the Utah Utes at Allegiant Stadium.

Mark Sanchez, Fox Sports Sued Over Alley Fight That Turned Bloody

The high-profile incident took place Saturday night in Indianapolis.
Oct 4, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes and Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders hug following a game at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

More Health Problems for Deion Sanders As Colorado Slides

Sanders indicated his blood clots have returned.

ESPN Ends Its Wild-Card Coverage With Historic TV Ratings

Wild-card viewership surges 64% to a record in the current format.

Featured Today

Paul Cartier

Sports Organists Are Still Thriving in the Era of Raucous Arena Music

“When they walk out and they see a real organ guy, it’s like, ‘Wow.’”
Sep 27, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Jackson Chourio (11) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at American Family Field.
October 4, 2025

Milwaukee Moneyball: Brewers Are Beating MLB’s Deeper Pockets

Milwaukee is holding its own against big-budget competitors.
Kōloa Rum Company Rum Rusher
September 27, 2025

Panthers Bubbly, Jets Wine, Manning Whiskey: The Sports Booze Boom

A sommelier dives into the sports booze trend—and tries Jets wine.
Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers fans wave Terrible Towels against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium
September 26, 2025

Steelers’ Irish Roots Are Deeper Than NFL Dublin Game

The Steelers have history and the foundation for a future in Ireland.
Oct 4, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) passes the ball during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Rose Bowl.

The Improbability of UCLA’s Incredible Upset Win Against Penn State

Before UCLA beat Penn State, donors were deeply unhappy.
October 5, 2025

CFB’s New Parity Era: Penn State, Texas Top-25 Exits Signal Shift

Penn State and Texas fall entirely out of the top-25 rankings.
Sep 27, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin reacts during the fourth quarter against the Oregon Ducks at Beaver Stadium.
October 6, 2025

Penn State Has a $50 Million James Franklin Problem

Franklin’s team lost to unranked UCLA on Saturday despite being heavy favorites.
Sponsored

How Soccer Star Jozy Altidore Became a Buffalo Bills Owner

Jozy Altidore discusses building a business legacy off the field.
Cody Campbell
October 4, 2025

Fox, ABC Reject Ad Accusing Power Conference Commissioners of Greed

Cody Campbell said the ads were pulled after he paid for them.
Florida State defensive back Renardo Green (8) tackles Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (22) during a college football game Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
October 2, 2025

Miami–Florida State Rivalry Heats Up With Priciest Ticket in CFB

The get-in price for Saturday’s matchup in Tallahassee is more than $300.
exclusive
October 2, 2025

Opendorse Is Taking Over Parts of Failed NIL Collective Operator SANIL

SANIL abruptly shut down its operations this week.
October 2, 2025

Big Ten’s $2B Private-Equity Deal Talks Face Michigan Resistance 

The conference is in discussions for a private-capital deal of around $2 billion.