Big 12 weakening PAC-12 advantage by entering early contract discussions with ESPN, Fox

The Big 12 and its media partners have agreed to enter into early contract discussions regarding the league’s next television deal. This was initially reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

The expectation is that negotiations will begin between the Big 12, ESPN, and Fox shortly. That is approximately a year and a half before negotiations were scheduled to begin. It also comes as the conference is going through changes to its membership and welcomes a new commissioner in Brett Yormark.

This could potentially mitigate one of the Pac-12's advantages in the marketplace. "[Yormark] is doing what he should be doing, trying to gain an advantage."

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 31, 2022

The official announcement came from the Big 12 shortly after the move was initially reported.

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“It is an exciting time for college athletics and given the changing landscape we welcome the opportunity to engage with our partners to determine if an early extension is in the best interest of all parties,” Brett Yormark said in a statement.  “The Big 12 has enjoyed a fantastic relationship with its multi-media rights holders, and I look forward to having these conversations.”

This move to negotiate is also expected to weaken the PAC-12’s advantage, which the conference had recently gained by entering into early media deal negotiations itself.

“[Yormark] is doing what he should be doing, trying to gain an advantage,” a source told ESPN.

This move is a direct shot at the PAC-12, which felt it was in an enviable position as the next Power 5 conference to negotiate its media deal. The PAC-12 also began to negotiate early, following USC and UCLA’s announcement to enter the Big Ten. The idea was that they could present a strong reason to the remaining members to stay and try to improve their long-term position. However, the Big 12’s move directly hurts that effort.

That comes as rumors swirl that the Big 12 might look West to expand, with Yormark declaring the conference “open for business.” It was a line that PAC-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff took exception to, saying, “I appreciate that. We haven’t decided if we’re going shopping there or not yet.”

As of now, there is no timetable for a new media deal between the Big 12 or its media partners. This is just the first step. How that contract ends up being structured, taking account for changes in both the media landscape and the value of the conference remains to be seen.