Fox, Big 12/11/10 Sign TV Deal

The Big 12 Conference and Fox Sports announced a 13-year cable TV deal..

Sports Business Journal is reporting that the contract, which starts with the 2012 football season, will pay the conference $90 million a year. The Big 12 also has a deal with ABC-ESPN running through 2015-16 that would raise the conference's total TV rights revenue to a reported $130 million annually.

The 40 Big 12 regular-season football games that will be carried by Fox nearly doubles the number under the current agreement(s). Most games will be distributed through the regional FSN networks- which reaches more than 85 million homes. Several other games will also be scheduled on FX, which is in 99 million households.

Every Big 12 home football game will be broadcast on ABC, a Fox network or the new Longhorn Network. Big 12 schools will have the option to retain rights to one home football game for distribution as they see fit.

Odds are, that the Pac-10/11/12 will go to the FCSPacific channel for the Pac's own network over time. It will also not surprise the HQ if the Big 12/11/10 gradually works its content to the FCSMidwest channel. This would still leave the FCSAtlantic channel for any and all incidental Fox programming and/or reruns. This would also trim the extra content that is already shown on the FCS chain- boxing out the smaller schools that have their current space there.

More when we know more...

This now leaves who for the open market...???

Texas A&M To The Big 12 Conference: Show Me The Money!!!!

Remember last spring when the Big 12 Conference nearly went out of business?

Sure you do.

Every BCS conference was romancing "The Big 3" to join their league. "The Big 3" would be Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. Texas was definitely the belle of the ball but Big 12 Conference commissioner Dan Beebe made some promises including guaranteeing more money at the expense of the other schools.

Word came out during Big 12 football media days that Texas and Oklahoma declined the offer from the schools that would have been left behind to forfeit their share of the exit fees from Nebraska and Colorado.

Texas A&M took the offer.

A guaranteed $20 million...

Now those powers that be in Aggieland want to make sure the Big 12 come through on that promise though that guaranteed money isn't scheduled to begin until 2012-13 academic year.

In an e-mail statement Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin said the following: "A key part of Texas A&M's decision to remain in the Big 12 earlier this summer was the commissioner's commitment that Texas A&M would receive a minimum of $20 million annually in future conference distributions," Loftin said. "We remain committed to the conference and fully anticipate that the Big 12 will honor its commitment to Texas A&M."

You can read more from the Dallas Morning News: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/topstories/stories/073010dnspocarltoncol.2905f91.html

And more from the San Antonio Express News: http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/aggies/

Sure the Universities of Texas and Oklahoma have athletic departments that have a strong cash flow and didn't need the charity. Texas A&M isn't going to turn down free money to pay the bills.

It appears Dan Beebe's job now is to keep the Aggies happy or they may explore the SEC option again. How long do you give the Big 12 to survive now?

Here's the fullscreens as proof, thanks to our friends at KBTX-TV