The Big East Conference will expand to have games on three networks and see a significant increase in revenue under a new six-year media rights deal announced Thursday.
Fox Sports will remain the conference's leading network under the new deal, which begins with the 2025-26 season, while NBC and TNT will broadcast Big East games for the first time.
The conference's 12-year deal with Fox and CBS expires at the end of the upcoming 2024-25 season and averaged $41.67 million per year. With the increase in revenue, the Big East should also be in better financial shape with the Power 4 conferences, especially since it doesn't have football.
The Big East, however, is considered one of the nation's premier basketball conferences and counts two-time men's champion Connecticut among its 11 members. UConn also returned to the women's Final Four last season.
Fox signed a deal with the Big East after the seven Catholic schools broke away from the football schools to form a basketball-focused conference in 2013. Butler, Xavier and Creighton also joined the conference, and UConn returned in 2020.
The new agreement will allow the broadcast of more than 150 men's regular season games, including all league games and conference tournament games. Up to 65 regular season games and women's tournaments will also be broadcast, which is more than triple the previous agreement.
Fox will broadcast at least 80 men's and women's games, including the conference tournament, on Fox, FS1 and FS2 under the new deal. The final of the men's tournament will also remain on Fox.
NBC will begin work on its deal with the Big East with 25 men's regular-season games and five tournament games airing on Peacock this upcoming season. Starting in 2025-26, Peacock and NBC will broadcast more than 60 men's and women's regular season games and conference tournaments.
Fox and NBC also offer Big Ten basketball under a rights agreement that began last season.
TNT, which broadcasts the NCAA men's basketball tournament with CBS, will have at least 65 regular-season games (50 men's and 15 women's) on TNT, TBS, truTV and Max. It also marks the first time TNT will have a package of games with a college conference.
