Pac-12 media rights negotiations: 'I have heard nothing to suggest [a deal is] imminent'
The wait for a new Pac-12 media rights deal continues, and it may be a while until an agreement is finalized.
In an interview with CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd, University of Arizona president Robert Robbins said: "I have heard nothing to suggest [a deal is] imminent. There's all these things about, well, 'We want to wait until [after] the Final Four.' That has nothing to do with it. It has to do with assessing who is the right fit, who assesses us.
"I hope [commissioner George Kliavkoff] gets something done sooner rather than later so that the whole thing stops, so we don't have focus on it. [But] I am perfectly willing to sit here and wait."
With the Pac-12 TV deal expiring in 2024, the conference is currently in the process of trying to land a new one. The issue is that without USC and UCLA, the Pac-12's TV rights aren't as valuable and the league is struggling to find a new partnership in the wake of the Big 12 jumping the line and signing a new media deal last October.
ESPN and a streaming partner are still the most likely partners for the Pac-12, according to Dodd.
"Multiple sources continue to tell CBS Sports that Fox remains out of the bidding," he wrote. "ESPN is still believed to be interested along with at least one streaming provider."
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