NBC is seeking $70 million annually for exclusive broadcast rights to the Big Ten football championship game as part of ongoing media rights negotiations with the conference. The number, first reported by Sports Media Watch, represents a sharp escalation in single-game pricing that would make the December title game one of the most expensive regular-season inventory pieces in college football.
The Big Ten championship has aired on Fox since 2017 under the conference's previous seven-year, $2.64 billion media deal. That agreement expires after the 2023 season. NBC currently holds Big Ten primetime Saturday night inventory under the conference's new $7 billion deal that began this season, but championship game rights were carved out for separate negotiation. The $70 million ask would exceed the conference's entire annual College Football Playoff distribution, which paid $66 million per school for the 2022-23 season.
For NBC, the price reflects both scarcity and leverage. Championship games deliver guaranteed audiences in the 4 to 8 million viewer range regardless of matchup, with minimal creative risk. The Big Ten title game drew 6.1 million viewers in 2022 when Michigan defeated Purdue, placing it in the top 15 most-watched regular-season college football broadcasts. NBC already owns the Sunday Night Football franchise, which averages north of 18 million viewers, and has used college football to rebuild sports credibility after losing NFL rights to Fox in 1998 and waiting until 2006 to reclaim them. Adding a championship game creates a December tentpole that pairs with Notre Dame home games, which NBC has held since 1991 under a deal now worth approximately $15 million annually.
The ask also signals how conference championship games have become standalone products rather than promotional add-ons. CBS pays approximately $55 million per year for SEC championship rights as part of its broader conference package. Fox holds the Big 12 title game, which it acquired as part of a $2.28 billion, six-year deal. The ACC championship, currently on ABC, generates roughly $40 million in annual value based on disclosed ESPN sublicensing terms. NBC's $70 million number would place the Big Ten game above all of those on a per-event basis, though the conference's 18-team footprint and inclusion of USC and UCLA starting this season provide audience scale competitors lack.
What matters for team operators: championship game revenue flows directly into conference distribution, which funds coaching salaries, facility upgrades, and Olympic sport budgets. Big Ten schools currently receive approximately $60 million annually in media rights alone under the new deal. Adding $70 million in championship revenue would lift per-school distribution by roughly $3.9 million if split evenly across 18 members. That figure covers one elite assistant coach or half of a football facility renovation bond payment.
The negotiation also affects scheduling. If NBC wins the game, the network will control kickoff time, likely placing it in primetime to maximize East Coast and West Coast viewership. That scheduling power matters for teams preparing for bowl games or CFP berths, as a night kickoff in early December compresses recovery time before selection Sunday. It also impacts travel logistics for fanbases, though the Big Ten has already committed to hosting the championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis through 2028, removing venue uncertainty.
Watch for NBC's final offer by late spring, when the network typically locks in fall sports inventory commitments. If NBC declines at $70 million, Fox holds right of first refusal on its existing championship package and could match to retain the game. Fox's calculus will depend on whether it values Big Ten championship continuity more than deploying that capital toward Big 12 or Pac-12 inventory, both of which face media rights renewals by 2025. Also watch whether the $70 million figure includes production costs or is rights-only; that distinction typically swings deals by $8 to 12 million in college football.
The Big Ten distributed $845 million to its members last fiscal year. Adding NBC's championship bid at full value would push that past $915 million, widening the gap with the SEC, which distributed $741 million in the same period.
The takeaway
NBC's **$70 million** championship ask would pay out **$3.9 million** per school and exceed the conference's entire CFP check.
media rightsbig tennbcchampionship gamecollege footballconference distribution
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