What Does The Big Ten’s New Media Deal Mean For Fans And The Conference’s Future?

Big Ten fans should be popping bottles of champagne celebrating the conference’s new media deal.

The powerhouse athletic conference is nearing a final deal with CBS and NBC that will pay the B1G roughly $700 million annually on top of an unknown amount from Fox as the conference’s premier partner.

Overall, the total revenue from the B1G’s new media deal will easily exceed $1 billion annually.

For comparison, the SEC’s new media deal with ESPN, which starts in 2024, is expected to pay the conference roughly $700 million annually. That means every network in the mix with the B1G is paying more than ESPN is paying to the conference dominated by Nick Saban and Alabama.

Again, get some champagne on ice and start celebrating because the B1G is breathing air that has never been touched before.

From a financial standpoint, there’s a serious argument to be made that the B1G isn’t just in a league of its own starting in 2023, but that the conference is untouchable for the time being. That won’t always be the case, but once the money printing machine is turned on next year, it definitely will be.

Aside from the money aspect, the Big Ten will have exposure that’s unprecedented. Fans will get a noon game on Fox, a 3:30 EST game on CBS and a primetime night game on NBC.

Three of the four biggest networks in the country will be airing B1G action. That means Fox, NBC and CBS are incentivized to promote the hell out of the conference. The games will also be watched from coast to coast thanks to the additions of USC and UCLA starting in 2024.

While some might suggest losing ESPN is a problem, I’d say having three massive networks putting their infrastructure, money, attention and time behind the B1G is an incredible win in the immediate future and over the years to come.

As any general will tell you, the army capable of fighting on three different fronts – CBS, NBC and Fox – is always going to defeat an army that is primarily focused on one or two fronts.

It’s nothing more than a numbers game.

Finally, the Big Ten has always had a serious inferiority complex to the SEC when it comes to results on the fields. It’s 100% true, and I say that as a huge Wisconsin fan.

In the College Football Playoff era, the Big Ten has one national title and multiple humiliating losses. In the same time, the SEC has won five national titles.

The SEC has had an iron grip on college football for decades, and that’s simply a fact. It might be an uncomfortable fact for many B1G fans reading this, but it’s a fact nonetheless.

How will this new media deal change the dynamics? This is America, and we all know money rules the day. With more money, B1G teams can pump more resources into facilities, salaries and recruiting budgets.

Is more revenue and cash a guarantee of better results on the field? Of course not. The B1G has always been a wealthy conference, and it hasn’t translated into many football national titles.

Things are just on a different level now, and that means we must at least ponder what could change.

Overall, there’s no reason to not be incredibly excited if you’re a fan of B1G football. All of our teams are about to get substantially richer, and that’s never a bad thing in an ever evolving era of college sports.

Let’s just hope those stacks of cash translate to more success against the SEC on the national stage!