Pac 12 reportedly leaning toward Apple TV as main media partner

Apple TV+ is reportedly emerging as the leader to be the media partner for the Pac 12, according to Andrew Marchand of The New York Post. Finishing a new media rights deal has been a main focus for the conference in the wake of USC and UCLA’s exit for the Big Ten in 2024.

Traditional carriers Fox Sports and ESPN are lukewarm on partnering with the league, according to Marchand, as is Amazon Prime. That leaves an opening for Apple to secure an inventory of college athletics to stream on Apple TV+.

Pac 12 commissioner George Kliavkoff could propose the possibility of partnering with Apple to league decision makers in the near future, but there will of course be obstacle. Mainly, Kliavkoff is likely going to have to convinced the various presidents, chancellors and athletic directors that they’re getting both the money and exposure necessary with a streaming-only media package.

Pac-12 looking for media rights deal in ‘near future’

Kliavkoff is in a challenging position early in his tenure, with the future of the conference on the ropes. As UCLA and USC leave before the 2024 season, a new media rights deal is going to be needed as well. Conversations have been ongoing but no signs of a deal have been shown.

As for the timeline, a statement was released last week from the Pac-12 saying a new deal should be coming in the “near future.” All 10 conference members were attached, showing a sign of unity amid continual conference realignment rumors.

“The 10 Pac-12 universities look forward to consummating successful media rights deal(s) in the very near future,” the statement said. “Based upon positive conversations with multiple potential media rights partners over the past weeks, we remain highly confident in our future growth and success as a conference and united in our commitment to one another.”

In the current media deal, Pac-12 football games are broadcasted on both FOX and ESPN. However, with the two Los Angeles programs heading east for the Big Ten, there have been questions over whether media entities would have interest.

The likes of Oregon and Washington have had success on the national scale, while Utah has been a team waiting to break out in recent seasons. Kliavkoff has not shied away from saying Colorado hiring Deion Sanders is a massive storyline and could add an intriguing storyline for the conference — even if not everybody agrees.