The Impact of the Big XII's New Media Deal
At the end of October, the Big XII surprised almost everyone when it was announced that a new media rights contract with ESPN and Fox had been negotiated and was set to be extended through 2031.
The total agreement is worth $2.28B and would earn the conference $380M per season, starting in 2025. The current contract earns $220M/year so you can see what a substantial increase that is, around 70% more per year.
Now, this also comes with the addition of four new teams (bringing the total to 12 once Oklahoma and Texas depart for the SEC) but the math still works out for each school, and obviously can be seen as a boon, especially for Houston, UCF, Cincinnati, and BYU who will see massive increases in revenue.
Divided evenly, each school was taking $22M/year in the previous contract. Now, that number will increase to $31.6M.
So, what does it mean to the Big XII and specifically Kansas? Well, big TV money doesn’t necessarily equate to success (see Missouri) and fans should never get excited about a bunch of money rolling into a school that you personally will never see (again, see Missouri) but this is great for stability and power.
The Big XII has become a player again, and with the flirtation of adding PAC 12 schools and maybe even Gonzaga, it shows that new commissioner Brett Yormark came to this position with ideas. This is something the conference has needed for years. Done are the days of capitulating to a certain team wearing burnt orange or basing all decisions on whether or not Oklahoma will be good enough to get into the playoffs. This is a conference that wants its own identity. Yormark is working hard to accomplish that.
As for KU, all the signs point to this money being put to good use by Athletic Director Travis Goff. About a month ago, preliminary plans were announced to improve David Booth Memorial Stadium, as well as the Anderson Family football facilities. This new revenue should help Kansas accomplish their goals. And with Lance Leipold exceeding every possible expectation at KU and leading the Hawks to a bowl game in year two, the future looks bright.