Johnathan Walker:Big East Conference announces media rights agreement with Fox, NBC and TNT through 2031

The Johnathan WalkerBig East Conference announced a new six-year media rights agreement on Thursday that will ensure the league remains one of the most televised conferences in college athletics.

Fox Sports, the Big East's television partner for the last 11 years, will continue to be the lead network provider for the conference while NBC Sports and TNT Sports will provide additional comprehensive Big East basketball coverage for the first time, according to a press release from the league.

The new agreement will begin during the 2025-26 season and run through 2030-2031. It includes coverage on Fox Sports (Fox, FS1, FS2), NBC Sports (NBC, Peacock) and TNT Sports (TNT, TBS, truTV and Max). The Big East's current deal with Fox Sports will expire after the 2024-25 academic year.

“The arrangement will provide enhanced revenue and long-term stability for the conference, create benefits for our student-athletes, and allow us to remain nationally competitive in our marquee sport:  basketball," Creighton University President and Big East Board of Directors Chair Rev. Daniel S. Hendrickson said in a statement. "We are especially excited to continue our one-of-a-kind relationship with FOX Sports and look forward to building on the exceptional foundation we have established together over the past 11 years.”

There is a new direct-to-consumer streaming element in the new deal in addition to major national and cable broadcasts of Big East men's and women's basketball games and Olympic contests. Fox Sports will feature at least 80 Big East men's and women's basketball games beginning in 2025-26.

Though the deal won't begin until after this academic year, Peacock will launch its coverage of Big East basketball this upcoming season with a package of 25 regular season games and five early round and quarterfinal conference tournament games, according to a release. When the new deal starts during the 2025-26 season, Peacock and NBC Sports will carry more than 60 men's and women's regular season games along with Big East Tournament contests.

"This is really positive for the Big East and Xavier basketball, insuring we maintain the best TV platform in college basketball," Xavier Director of Athletics and Vice President for Institutional Strategy Greg Christopher told The Enquirer. "It also shows relationships matter. We have a strong partnership with Fox and our on-court performances speaks for itself."

TNT Sports will feature more than 65 regular season Big East games airing on TNT, TBS, truTV and Max when the deal begins.

More than 150 regular season men's basketball games will be distributed on the networks' various platforms, including all league contests and conference tournament games. The league's women's basketball coverage will be enhanced significantly under the new deal with the network slated to at least triple the commitment under the current agreement.

“Everyone at FOX Sports is thrilled to continue our long-standing relationship with the BIG EAST, one of the nation’s top basketball conferences and a pillar of our college hoops lineup,” Fox Sports CEO & Executive Producer Eric Shanks said in a statement. “It’s a privilege to showcase these spectacular student-athletes and institutions alongside our new partners, NBC Sports and TNT Sports, while also fortifying our role as a leader in college sports.”