Brett Yormark: Big 12 exploring new TV windows to 'amplify' league

In July 2023, at his second Big 12 Media Days, Brett Yormark looked back on his first year as commissioner. He took over for Bob Bowlsby in 2022 and made his mark as an innovator, leading the way on multiple out-of-the-box ideas as he ventured into the world of college athletics.

But his biggest achievement, Yormark said, was getting a new media deal in place. The Big 12 agreed to a $2.28 billion extension with FOX and ESPN a year earlier than planned, which effectively helped the league jump in front of others to cement its television future.

A year later, the conference is entering new era. Speaking at 2024 Big 12 Media Days on Tuesday, Yormark doubled down on the importance of that deal. He said the league will work with those networks to generate as much exposure as possible on busy fall Saturdays.

“There’s a lot going on on Saturdays, as we all know,” Yormark told reporters on the stage at Allegiant Stadium. “A lot of competition. So the question is, are there new TV windows we can explore where we can highlight, elevate and amplify our football programs maybe a little differently? And we’re exploring that.”

After adding four programs last year, the Big 12 is taking on another new look in 2024. Oklahoma and Texas are officially in the SEC, and the “Four Corners” programs – Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah – are on board after a groundbreaking round of realignment. But with two founding members on their way out, Yormark and the Big 12 are working through ways to get eyes on the league.

Brett Yormark: ‘Time will tell’ if football, basketball get separate media deals

TV windows are sure to be a central part of the plan to grow the Big 12 in its new era. Traditionally, the big windows of games are around Noon ET, 4 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. ET.

But there’s also a push for weekday games across college football, including from the Big 12. The league’s season will begin on a Thursday and games on Friday before a jam-packed Saturday slate gets the year going.

As for what other specific plans the Big 12 has, Brett Yormark didn’t get into specifics. But he knows the goal – and the conference is working toward it.

“There’s nothing that we have vetted out specifically that I want to discuss just right now,” Yormark said. “But we’re working at it, and we’ll see where it takes us.

“But we’ve got to kick the tires and figure out other windows that make sense and provide great engagement for our fans and great exposure for our programs. And it’s incumbent upon me to explore it, which I’m doing.”

One idea Yormark mentioned was potentially looking at Big 12 football and basketball as separate media deals. The conference’s basketball teams had a strong year in 2023-24 before Texas and Oklahoma left, but Arizona brings a powerhouse that will now go against Houston and Iowa State as top-10 teams in the KenPom rankings last year.

Yormark has been outspoken in having strong basketball teams in the Big 12. When it comes to the media deal, the commissioner hinted those conversations could start after the current agreement ends.

“As I mentioned earlier in my comments, we got stronger at basketball,” Yormark said. “As good as we were, we got stronger. That being said, when we did our new TV deal, we gave ourselves optionality to think about the next cycle. And we’ll be back in the market in January of ’30. And we have a lot of optionality. Do we go back into the market as we’ve historically done, or do we bifurcate football from basketball? Only time will tell.

“But I’m bullish on the whole deal. I’m bullish on football, I’m bullish on basketball, I’m bullish on Olympic sports. And everything we do now sets the tone for that moment in January of ’30. And with the help of ESPN and FOX, they will grow our brands, and they will grow our narrative and best position ourselves for that moment.”