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🧵 Big 12 Basketball and Football will be coming to TNT per WSJ. In light of the licensing deal that ESPN and WBD agreed to for Inside The NBA, ESPN also agreed to sublicense Big 12 Basketball and Football to TNT & their streaming service Max.

What could this mean for the…

— Rick Junior (@mrrickjunior) November 17, 2024

Enough with the pleasantries...How much do we get?

Per the post, these appear to represent rights ESPN already owns but can't monetize or can't monetize effectively. B12 had to sign off on the sublicense but there was probably not much money involved.

CorsicanaBear said:

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Per the post, these appear to represent rights ESPN already owns but can't monetize or can't monetize effectively. B12 had to sign off on the sublicense but there was probably not much money involved.

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Next things we know, the Big12 will be on the 7/11 gas station network.

We need to get a streaming deal done ASAP.

We had a game on Facebook once.

Not sure I understand the ESPN sublicense of Big 12 games to TNT at this point. Guess it depends on the windows. I assume ESPN will keep the Sat night window. One thing that is for sure… there can be no doubt that ESPN is all in on the SEC.

— Bob Thompson (@rltsports) November 17, 2024

I really like this for the Big 12.

I've long said that our league needs to end its reliance on ESPN -- a media "partner" that has largely treated the Big 12 like **** over the past two decades. Warner Brothers/Discovery (TNT, TBS, Max, etc.) would be a much better partner long-term, and if this opens the door for a financially viable deal with them in 2031, it will be better for the league.

The Big 12 needs to use ESPN the same way that network has used the league in the last two media deals -- as an important platform for live events and nothing more. Use "the worldwide leader" -- and FOX as well -- as places to showcase a game or two a week and find a more supportive partner for everything else.

ESPN and FOX are platforms, not partners. Treat them as such.

WBD could actually potentially be a real partner, though. They promote their exclusive stuff really, really well ... and across a lot of pretty widely viewed networks and platforms.

I'd love to see this grow into a bigger, more substantial relationship in the future.

BUATX2000 said:

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CorsicanaBear said:

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Per the post, these appear to represent rights ESPN already owns but can't monetize or can't monetize effectively. B12 had to sign off on the sublicense but there was probably not much money involved.

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Next things we know, the Big12 will be on the 7/11 gas station network.

We need to get a streaming deal done ASAP.

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This is likely a step in that direction. Brett Yormark knows what he's doing.

bear2be2 said:

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BUATX2000 said:

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CorsicanaBear said:

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Per the post, these appear to represent rights ESPN already owns but can't monetize or can't monetize effectively. B12 had to sign off on the sublicense but there was probably not much money involved.

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Next things we know, the Big12 will be on the 7/11 gas station network.

We need to get a streaming deal done ASAP.

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This is likely a step in that direction. Brett Yormark knows what he's doing.

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I continue to be impressed with Brett's forward thinking. Man… He came along at just the right time.

Big 12 will move 13 football games and 15 men's basketball games from ESPN's streaming platform to TNT/TBS on linear TV for 6 years starting in 2025, the Big 12 confirms to @CBSSports/@247Sports. It's part of the fallout from WBD/NBA settlement, as reported by @YahooSports. pic.twitter.com/aRM9CBPY6N

— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) November 18, 2024

Great news for Big 12 fans. More games on linear, less ESPN+. https://t.co/eiE5seuAJ1

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) November 18, 2024

boognish_bear said:

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Great news for Big 12 fans. More games on linear, less ESPN+. https://t.co/eiE5seuAJ1

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) November 18, 2024

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Exactly. And keeps a media partner happy.

Good news, i was hoping the big 12 would be the one to get their games on CBS since the sec deal was over but this will do.

If the ESPN minus games are shifting to TNT then it is great news.

I am just devastated that we won't have the dynamic duo of Rod Gilmore and Beth Mullins calling our games in the future.

Just realized the first 2 CFP games today are on TNT. Is this the first time TNT has carried college football? I can't remember them ever having a game in the past.

CFP first-round TV numbers are in. The 2 ESPN games were *huge*.

ESPN
Ohio St-Tennessee: 14.3M
Notre Dame-Indiana: 13.4M

TNT
Clemson-Texas: 8.6M
Penn St-SMU: 6.4M

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) December 23, 2024

The bigger gap between Notre Dame vs Indiana and Clemson vs Texas might mean TNT gets less viewers but it is new to college football. It also will definitely outdraw the + and the Ocho so that'll be good. I just don't want to end up streaming exclusively on Max. How many services will we need to watch Baylor play?

boykin_spaniel said:

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The bigger gap between Notre Dame vs Indiana and Clemson vs Texas might mean TNT gets less viewers but it is new to college football. It also will definitely outdraw the + and the Ocho so that'll be good. I just don't want to end up streaming exclusively on Max. How many services will we need to watch Baylor play?

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I really don't like watching games on streaming services. I know that's the way everything is headed...but the fast forward and rewind functions on streaming are not nearly as good as on tv

Now we have NFL selling out two games to Netflix.

Streaming live sports sucks so bad.

I'm sure they'll improve over time but I just really don't want 5 services so I can watch Baylor play sports

The comparisons are a bit misleading. All 4 games were simulcasts. The ESPN numbers are actually the combined numbers of both ESPN (linear pay TV, either through cable or streaming) and ABC (free TV for the masses), while the TNT numbers are the combined numbers of two linear pay TV networks (TNT &TBS) and 1 streaming service (MAX).

The two ESPN games would have garnered higher ratings anyway because they involved more popular teams and were projected to be higher quality games, but when you toss in the higher numbers that automatically come from free network TV available to roughly 20% of the US population who don't pay for cable or have subscriptions then the ESPN/ABC simulcast numbers should always been significantly higher than those available only through pay services.

Everyone in the Big 12 and ACC (and particularly the G5) should prepare themselves to having games spread out over multiple linear TV networks as well as subscription networks. But then again that's going to be the trend not only in college football but for all sports. Life is continually changing so you either change with it or get left behind unfortunately.