The Big East Conference has announced that NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery have acquired the rights to broadcast its games starting from the 2025-26 season, following CBS’s withdrawal. This move is part of a trend among major media companies to build sports portfolios that attract high ratings without incurring excessive annual costs.
NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service will broadcast a total of 60 games of men’s and women’s regular season and tournament matches, while TNT Sports networks will air a combined 65 games each season, with most games being shown on TNT but some also available on TBS or TruTV. All games will be available on Warner’s Max streaming platform as well. Fox retains the largest portion of the broadcasting rights with a deal to air 80 games overall.
Luis Silberwasser, chairman and CEO of TNT Sports, stated, “This agreement further adds to TNT Sports’ portfolio of premium live sports content, featuring championship-caliber college basketball programs and student athletes, and we will utilize all of our assets to elevate the fan experience.” Warner has been expanding its sports rights portfolio by acquiring the rights to two college football championship games and the French Open. In contrast, Warner is expected to give up its NBA package.
Rick Cordella, president of NBC Sports, expressed his excitement about this new partnership: “Big East Basketball is among the most prestigious in all of college sports, and we’re proud to be able to feature the men’s and women’s teams across our NBCUniversal platforms.” NBC Sports plans to increase its sports offerings on Peacock by introducing various new technologies and game formats for streaming subscribers to enhance the viewer experience during the upcoming Paris Olympics.
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