Report: Apple, other digital companies could get involved in bidding for Pac-12 TV rights
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The Pac-12 has had trouble with its conference network getting off the ground. In fact, it still isn’t carried by many of the biggest providers.
So, when the next round of negotiations comes around in 2024, it could lead to the conference ditching ESPN and FOX Sports and going with a big digital company.
Per a report from Sports Business Journal, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Netflix could all be players for the media rights for the conference:
“This is what they’re telling us,” Pac-12 Networks President Mark Shuken said. “Several of them have come to us and said that they want to be in this space.”
The most intriguing conversations have come with Apple, which so far has not settled on a financial model around sports rights. Apple executives have told conference and school officials that they see live sports as a programming genre that can set its direct-to-consumer business apart from its rivals.
Will the Pac-12 become the first power conference to make a move to a digital streaming company? We’ll find out what happens over the next few years.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
