While the Big Ten Network is still home to Big Ten sports, the conference is closing in on a deal that would give half of its available media rights to FOX Sports, according to a report from Sports Business Daily.
The six-year deal, worth up to $250 million annually, would make FOX Sports and FOX Sports 1 the home to about 25 football and 50 basketball games a year beginning in the Fall of 2017. The other half of the remaining available Big Ten games are yet to be bid on, according to the Chicago Tribune, although ESPN/ABC, CBS, NBC and Turner Sports are possible suitors.
The Daily Gopher points out that a deal with FOX Sports versus ESPN might end up being a better deal for Gopher fans looking to watch games on TV. If Sports Business Daily’s report is accurate – and Big Ten games carried by the broadcast channel are limited to FOX Sports and FOX Sports 1 – it will eliminate the hassle of trying to find Gopher games that have previously been televised on ESPNU and ESPN Classic.
However, CBS Sports reports that Big Ten basketball coaches are negative about moving their games from ESPN and CBS to FOX Sports.
