The Duke athletic department announced last week that Amazon would host three non-conference basketball games next season for the Blue Devils. But one of the confrontations is already facing an obstacle.
In a historic move, Amazon is entering the college athletics space with a deal to stream games on its platform, with Duke as the centerpiece. The slate involving Duke includes matchups against UConn, Michigan and Gonzaga.
This deal, announced by Duke and Amazon, was supposed to be the start of a broader effort that would see Prime start finding different ways to stream college sports. Think of it as an experiment in what the future might hold in the ever-changing landscape of television rights.
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But there was reportedly an issue with the deal that arose just one day after all parties involved made the announcement, as first mentioned by Yahoo Sports.
The Big Ten, of which Michigan is a part, has a very big problem with the agreement that ESPN and Duke signed to allow Amazon the rights to broadcast the game.
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Braylon Mullins of the UConn Huskies celebrates after making the game-winning three-point basket in the second half against the Duke Blue Devils in the Elite Eight of the 2026 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, on March 29, 2026. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
For this deal with Amazon to be approved, Duke needed ESPN, the ACC's television rights holder, to approve allowing the Blue Devils to broadcast games outside of its network. To do this, there was essentially a trade between ESPN and Duke for future games.
“In exchange for the flexibility to participate in this series of Prime Video non-conference games, Duke has committed to participating in additional select ESPN owned and operated men's basketball events at neutral sites during the 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons,” Duke said in a statement.
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Television rights are a bit complicated and expensive
The problem is that Michigan plays in the Big Ten and the conference is under the impression that the non-conference game against Duke falls under their television deal for next season. Think of it as a rotating series for network television.
Last year, ESPN had the rights to broadcast the Michigan versus Duke contest from Washington, D.C., which ended with the Wolverines losing 68-63 in a closely contested matchup.
Duke guard Dame Sarr celebrates a basket against UConn during the first half of the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament in Washington on March 29, 2026. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP)
So this year, with the Big Ten having a television rights deal with FOX, the non-conference matchup would be on their side.
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This is obviously a key detail that Duke and Amazon knew before their announcement, and it's hard to keep something like this a secret in the world of television.
Of all the problems this would create, you would think this part would be resolved before an announcement of this magnitude was finalized. But think again, because sources tell OutKick that the Big Ten was prepared to contest the announcement, which is the main reason ESPN and Duke quickly learned of their agitation over the inclusion of the Michigan game in the package.
Is New York City outside the Big Ten's footprint?
This also comes down to the regional territory in which the game takes place. There are clauses for these non-conference games that include which city within an area the contest is held in.
One of the reasons Amazon is getting the rights to UConn centers around the game being played in Las Vegas, which is outside of the Huskies' territory, along with the contest against Gonzaga being played in Detroit.
Madison Square Garden in New York City is shown before a game between the New York Rangers and the Minnesota Wild on October 20, 2025. (Brad Penner/Image Images)
But the Big Ten considers New York City part of its regional footprint, so this is another reason the conference feels they have the right to broadcast the Michigan-Duke game.
What could happen next?
Well, ESPN, Duke and Amazon would write a six-figure check to the Big Ten, or FOX could simply take over the television production of the game involving Michigan. This would only happen if the conference knew they had a strong foundation to stand on in this potential fight.
If the Big Ten and FOX are under the impression that this year's game is their competition, then this will be a pretty simple case.
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But, if Duke and Amazon decide it's not worth it, both sides could, in theory, find a replacement for the Wolverines.
Time will tell, but you'd think this sort of thing would need to be addressed before such a historic announcement.
