What Jack Swarbrick said is ‘No. 1’ piece in Notre Dame’s next media rights deal

Jack Swarbrick understands the most impactful and most discussed part of Notre Dame’s next media rights deal will be its value. The dollar figure is the measure in a world of inflating TV contracts that are at the root of many recent major decisions in college sports.

Swarbrick, though, has a different No. 1 priority in the next deal, whether that’s with NBC or another network.

“What we need from our media partner that NBC has done so well historically is to A) broadcast us nationally every game, and B) give us an opportunity to promote Notre Dame,” Swarbrick said Thursday in an in-house live chat. “‘What would you fight for’ ads are a great example. No one else is getting 90-second PSAs. The opportunity to see campus and the way they cover our games, it helps people understand more about Notre Dame. That’s No. 1, a committed partner to our message.”

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The current deal with NBC, Notre Dame’s home game TV rights holder since 1991, runs through 2025. Discussions with NBC about the next deal have begun, Swarbrick said. At this point, it’s hard to see how a new contract would be anything other beneficial for both. NBC has been a willing conduit for Notre Dame’s message, in Swarbrick’s view. The network made clear its interest in staying in college football by becoming part of the Big Ten’s new media rights deal, which begins next football season.

The decision on where to take Notre Dame’s TV rights, in the end, will come down to dollars, especially if there’s no resistance to continuing the promotional efforts Notre Dame wants. The school is hoping for a significant bump in its next deal from the current $25 million annual NBC payout, and according to an August report from Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand, it should expect around $60 million per year.

Swarbrick knows the value needs to go up, and by a lot. The Big Ten’s new deal, signed last August, could reportedly pay its members $80 to $100 million annually by the end of its seven-year term.

“We need the financial resources to compete with the schools in the Big Ten and SEC,” Swarbrick said. “As we enter into new negotiations, we have a very specific goal of making sure we reach those levels. We want to compete.”

The current NBC deal is not the school’s only source of media rights revenue as an independnet. Notre Dame’s partial ACC membership entitles it to a smaller annual payout of the ACC’s deal with ESPN. That distribution is about $10 million per season. The ACC’s contract with ESPN runs through 2036.

Swarbrick and Notre Dame aren’t up against a tight deadline to get the deal done. The discussions with NBC so far have left him “encouraged” about signing another contract that meets the school’s goals and keeps its home football games on their familiar station.

“We have such a long relationship,” Swarbrick said. “It goes back so long and it’s important to both companies. Lastly, I feel especially good with their Big Ten partnership. We’re better if they have more college football inventory. There will be cross-promotion. It will create a better environment. As opposed to very limited football inventory on NBC, we’re part of a much larger package.”

If NBC remains Notre Dame’s home, expect at least one game a year to continue to be streamed on Peacock Premium. The Irish have put one home contest on the streaming platform each of the last two seasons: the 2021 home opener against Toledo and a late October 2022 game against UNLV. The 2023 Peacock game has not been announced.

“Everyone who does a broadcast agreement — the NFL, anyone — understands part of their inventory will be streamed as opposed to carried on regular television,” Swarbrick said. “NBC with Peacock is a great streaming partner. We’ve found that out with the games we’ve done already, and we look forward to continuing to work with Peacock. We have to have that component.”