Big Ten media rights: Major network reportedly 'has pulled out' of negotiations with conference

Big Ten media rights negotiations are continuing this week, but the consensus is that things will be finalized soon.

FOX is expected to continue to have rights to the biggest game of the week with its “Big Noon Kickoff” time slot, but other networks, including CBS, NBC and ESPN have reportedly been in the mix as well.

But, according to John Ourand of Sports Business Journal, ESPN has balked at the Big Ten’s latest offer, ending a long relationship with the conference:

ESPN has pulled out of Big Ten media rights negotiations, ending one of the longest sports media relationships in the business. ESPN said no to the conference’s final offer of a 7-year/$380 million per-year package, sources tell SBJ.

Story to be filed soon.

— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) August 9, 2022

A price tag of $380 million per year without getting the conference’s best game of the week is apparently too much for the Worldwide Leader to stomach.

But, ESPN and its family of networks will have the entire SEC package in just a couple of years, so there will continue to be plenty of college football programming featured there.