What could the new Big Ten media rights package mean for the Gophers? (Saturday television takeover)

BleedGopher · Aug 18, 2022

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Doubling of annual media revenue

The previous Big Ten media rights deal was signed in 2017, a six-year contract with ESPN and Fox worth $2.64 billion — or about $440 million per season. The new deal dwarfs that, and will create a dramatic increase in media revenue. In 2019, the most recent athletic department budget not affected by the pandemic, the Gophers earned $45 million in conference distributed media rights — $36 million for football, $9 million for men's basketball. While the new contract will gradually increase over time, it will eventually see the conference distribute $80 million to $100 million in media revenue to the Gophers annually for football and men's basketball, according to multiple media reports. For perspective, consider: In 2019, total operating revenue for the entire athletic department was $130 million.

Saturday television takeover

Big Ten football will truly take over Saturday national broadcasts starting in 2024 when the Southeastern Conference moves from CBS to ABC. At that point, Fox will air its Big Ten game of the day at 11 a.m., followed by the CBS Big Ten game of the week at 2:30 p.m. and then NBC will have "Big Ten Saturday Night" in prime time. That's six Big Ten teams on linear national television sets every week, which could give the Gophers and coach P.J. Fleck a larger national platform. In 2021 the Gophers were on national network broadcasts twice, facing Ohio State in the season opener and Wisconsin in their regular-season finale on Fox. The NBC primetime broadcasts will start in 2023, while CBS will carry seven Big Ten games in 2023, the final year of its current contract with the SEC.