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NBC's **$70M** ask unbundles the Big Ten title game for the first time, setting a new comp for every conference championship negotiation through 2030.
$70 million
annually to retain exclusive broadcast rights to the Big…
$7 billion
media package
$350 million
per year for a Saturday night prime-time window and…
$50 million
annually when modeled against comparable windows
NBC Sports submitted a proposal asking $70 million annually to retain exclusive broadcast rights to the Big Ten football championship game, according to two people familiar with the negotiation. The figure represents a sharp premium over the embedded value of the title game in the conference's current seven-year, $7 billion media package, which splits inventory across CBS, Fox, and NBC.
The ask comes as the Big Ten explores whether to bundle its championship game with regular-season rights in the next cycle or auction it separately. NBC's current deal, struck in 2022, pays roughly $350 million per year for a Saturday night prime-time window and select playoff inventory. The championship game was included in that package at an implied value under $50 million annually when modeled against comparable windows. NBC is now testing whether the standalone event—consistently drawing 12 million to 17 million viewers in recent years—commands a different price when carved out.
The number matters because it sets a floor for what other networks might bid if the Big Ten decides to open the title game to competitive auction. Fox, which holds the conference's top-tier noon Saturday window, declined to comment on whether it would match NBC's figure. CBS executives told conference leadership in recent weeks they view the championship as a natural lead-in to their SEC title game broadcast, though they have not yet submitted a formal bid. Amazon has circulated internal memos about pursuing a package of college football championship games across multiple conferences, but has not approached the Big Ten directly, according to one person who reviewed the document.
What NBC is really buying is scheduling certainty. The network's Sunday Night Football franchise depends on a stable calendar through Thanksgiving weekend, and the Big Ten title game locks the first Saturday of December. Losing that anchor would force NBC to patch together alternative programming during a window when the NFL is not yet in playoff mode and entertainment ratings sag. The $70 million ask effectively prices in that optionality—what the slot is worth to NBC's broader grid, not just the game's standalone ad revenue.
The Big Ten's decision will signal how other conferences price their own championship inventory. The SEC's title game, currently bundled with ESPN's larger package at an estimated $60 million annual value, comes up for renegotiation in 2027. The ACC championship is locked with ESPN through 2036, but the conference is already exploring whether it can renegotiate or create a carve-out for postseason games. If NBC's $70 million becomes the comp, every league with a title game will use it as a baseline in their own talks.
Watch whether the Big Ten counters NBC with a short-term extension—two or three years—to keep the championship bundled while regular-season rights reset. Conference officials are scheduled to meet with all three incumbent media partners in late January. Amazon is expected to request a formal meeting by mid-February. The Big Ten's board of presidents will vote on whether to unbundle the title game by the end of the spring semester, likely late April or early May.
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