We now have Fox Sports’ announcement on its 12 year agreement with the Pacific 12 Conference. It begins in 2012-13. And we have some particulars of the new agreement that keeps Fox Sports in the fold with the Pac 10/12.
For football:
- Fox will have 22 regular season games across its platforms, Fox and FX.
- Fox will carry at least 8 games including four in primetime.
- FX will have 14 games.
- Fox will alternate the Pac 12 Championship Game with ESPN starting in 2012 and carry the game in primetime in even years.
For basketball:
- Fox Sports Net has the rights to 22 regular season basketball games.
- FX and/or Fox will have the rights to one quarterfinal and one semifinal game of the Pac 12 Tournament.
- Fox will carry the Pac 12 Championship Game every other year starting in 2014.
Under the agreement, Fox has the rights to sell sponsorships for both the football and championship games.
And with the Pac 12 under the fold, Fox has quickly amassed a college sports portfolio that includes the Big 10 Football Championship Game as well as Conference USA. The press release.
FOX SPORTS MEDIA GROUP SECURES PAC-12 MULTI-PLATFORM MEDIA RIGHTS
12-Year Agreement Provides FOX Sports its First-Ever Regular-Season Over-the-Air College Package
FSMG Now Boasts Nation’s Most Comprehensive College Sports PortfolioPhoenix, AZ – FOX Sports Media Group (FSMG), the umbrella entity representing News Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports media assets, has entered into a 12-year agreement with the Pac-12 Conference covering broadcast, national and local cable and digital asset rights beginning in 2012. The announcement was made by FSMG Co-Presidents and COOs Randy Freer and Eric Shanks. While financial terms were not disclosed, today’s announcement heralds the first-ever regular-season over-the-air college sports package for FOX Sports.
In today’s announcement, FSMG secures the rights to 22 regular-season Pac-12 football games annually; six Pac-12 Football Championship Games in even years beginning in 2012 through 2022 in prime time; 22 men’s regular-season basketball games annually; three men’s basketball Tournament games, including the championship game, in even years beginning in 2014 through 2024. A minimum of eight regular-season football games will be broadcast over-the-air by FOX Sports, at least four in prime time. The remaining 14 games will be carried by FX, FOX’s fully-distributed general entertainment basic cable network, available in 99 million homes.
“Today’s announcement with the Pac-12 reaffirms FOX Sports Media Group’s long-term commitment to college sports programming,” said Freer. “It also provides the first-ever slate of over-the-air, regular season college football games for FOX Sports and allows us to close the season in grand fashion with the Pac-12 and Big Ten championship games and the Cotton Bowl. Our college sports programming partners now include the Pac-12, Big 12, Big Ten, Conference USA, SEC, and ACC, and our leadership is clearly established in this space.”
“I am delighted that we will be deepening and strengthening our successful and productive relationship with FOX Sports,” added Pac-10 Commissioner Larry Scott. “We are well aligned around a pioneering spirit of innovation and collaboration. This is an exciting day that will provide greatly expanded national exposure for our student-athletes and for our fans around the country and the world.”
In addition to the 22 Pac-12 men’s basketball games headed to FOX Sports’ regional sports networks where they will air nationally, FOX Sports (over-the-air) and/or FX will carry one quarterfinal, one semifinal and the men’s basketball championship game every other year beginning in 2014 through 2024.
FOX Sports and the Pac-12’s other television outlets share pre-determined football and men’s basketball selection rights.
FOX Sports also has the rights to sell a presenting broadcast sponsorship to the Pac-12 Football Championship and Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Championship games that it broadcasts.
In the last 17 months, FSMG has procured multi-platform media rights associated with four major collegiate conferences: Big Ten; Big 12; Conference USA; and Pac-12, and announced that FX would carry a college football schedule beginning this year:
- November, 2010 – FOX became the official broadcast partner of the Big Ten Football Championship Game from 2011-16. The inaugural game will be played on Dec. 3, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. (http://tinyurl.com/3aufoy7)
- January, 2011 – FOX Sports and the Pac-10 Conference reached a one-year agreement for FOX to broadcast the inaugural Pac-12 Football Championship Game in 2011. In the new Pac-12 agreement, FOX Sports broadcasts six Pac-12 Conference Football Championship Games in even years beginning in 2012 through 2022. (http://bit.ly/m2Pbqx)
- January, 2011 – FSMG reached a multi-year agreement for national television rights with Conference USA for a variety of events, including football, basketball and Olympic sports. (http://tinyurl.com/3rgmc73)
- March, 2011 – FX announced it would carry a college football game-of-the-week produced by FOX Sports, beginning this season. Schedule features a minimum 13-game schedule featuring premiere conference and non-conference match-ups from the Big 12, Pac-12 and Conference USA. (http://tinyurl.com/43frh4k)
- April, 2011 – FSMG and the Big 12 Conference reached a 13-year agreement for exclusive cable rights to 40 football games per season, as well as a variety of Olympic sports events and Conference championships beginning in 2012. The agreement nearly doubles the number of Big 12 football games available under the current rights agreement. (http://tinyurl.com/3o8lm57)
FOX Sports Media Group now boasts the most comprehensive portfolio of college product in the country, with nearly 2000 marquee events showcased through national and regional platforms, including FOX Sports, FSN, Big Ten Network and FOX College Sports, plus FX. FSMG’s impressive roster of other conference partners includes the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Conference USA, Pac-12 and SEC.
That will do it.
