With the Big Ten's television contract set to expire in 2023, NBC is making a big push to add secure the rights for the conference. According to Front Office Sports, the Big Ten could demand up to $1.1 billion annually on an open market.
NBC execs view adding the Big Ten conference to its portfolio of sports as the perfect 'one-two punch,' along with Notre Dame Football.
After the NHL left the network to accept a deal with Disney and Turner, NBC has more than enough cash to invest in other sports.
“If I’m ESPN or Fox, I’m looking over my shoulder because NBC is going to go hard after the Big Ten,” a source told Front Office Sports.
“We don’t comment on specific strategies of our company, but we’re always interested in high-quality sports with wide appeal,” said a unanimous NBC Sports spokesperson.
The iconic network will have a lot of competition as the conference is already in an exclusive negotiating period with ESPN, based on a report from the Sports Business Journal. The conference signed its current deal with Fox Sports back in 2017 for six years, worth $2.64 billion.
However, the conference was one-upped by the SEC who only two years ago signed a massive 10-year, $3 billion deal with Disney in 2020, which will begin in 2024.
Follow Jasper Jones on Twitter: @jonesj2342
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