All is pretty much quiet on Big Ten media rights front

ROSEMONT, Ill. — There was no real news on the Big Ten media rights front during Tuesday's Big Ten meetings. Whatever front there was it was united.

Conference athletics directors and coaches wholly believe that B1G Commissioner Jim Delany will deliver whatever will be perceived as 'victory' on the TV front.

'I think folks thought Jim was way outside of the box with the Big Ten Network back in the day,' Nebraska athletics director Shawn Eichorst said. 'I don't see any hand wringing in the room or any anxious folks in the room about what the platform might look like. I think we all suspect that it will be a very robust platform.'

In April, the Sports Business Journal reported that Fox Sports and the Big Ten Conference are close to a media rights deal covering half the available package. Fox is expected to receive the rights to around 25 football games and 50 basketball games it will air on both Fox and Fox Sports 1 for over $250 million per year for six years.

The Big Ten's primary media rights deal had been with ESPN for football (a $1 billion, 10-year contract) and CBS for basketball ($72 million over six years). They expire at the end of the 2016-17 season.

Fox owns 51 percent of the Big Ten Network and airs the Big Ten title game in football. Fox Sports needs go-to live programming and a boost for its cable entity, Fox Sports 1.

So, Tuesday, it was a topic, but everyone polled deferred to Delany. Wisconsin athletics director Barry Alvarez has broken from Big Ten party lines in the past, but not Tuesday, not on this topic.

'I leave that up to the commissioner,' Alvarez said. 'That's not in my realm.'

The strongest comments, perhaps, came from Michigan State athletics director Mark Hollis. He acknowledged total confidence in Delany and that the process is ongoing. Hollis said Delany has heard from athletics directors and what's important to each institution.

From what's been reported and as that stands, ESPN appears to be on the outside looking in with the Big Ten. The Fox deal is for half of the Big Ten TV rights, according to SBJ. Sports Business Journal also reported that the Big Ten will solicit bids on the other half, which is expected to include around 25 football and 50 basketball games.

No one Big Ten refuted any of this on Tuesday, by the way. So, who knows where the league and ESPN stand as far as media rights go. So, the question Tuesday was the potential of a Big Ten without ESPN. No one blinked about the notion.

'How important is it?' Hollis asked. 'I think ESPN has value, but at the same time that value has to attach to what our value is. That's what the conversation piece is. The important brand for us is the Big Ten Conference, not any one television entity.'

The conversation also includes the viability of platforms. ESPN is its own strong brand with a proven platform. Fox also is a brand with a less proven platform for sports.

Most men's basketball coaches who spoke Tuesday kept a stiff upper lip about Fox and its cable channel Fox Sports 1 (FS1), which has struggled in the ratings. FS1 carries Big East basketball and averaged just 96,000 on the network (national champion Villanova calls the Big East home, by the way). Last year, the Big Ten averaged 1.2 million viewers for basketball games on ESPN.

'I think it's been (ESPN) a great partner for the conference,' Northwestern basketball coach Chris Collins said. 'I think it's provided a lot of great exposure, but I have all of the confidence in Commissioner Delany. He's already shown with BTN and a lot of the moves that were made that maybe people thought might not be the best ended up being great for the league. It's hard for me or any of us to argue his leadership on what he thinks might be best for the exposure of the league. I think we're all aboard. I think he's given us great assurances that everything that's going to be done is going to be for the best of the conference and best for the exposure of this product.'

Maybe Wednesday, when Delany meets with reporters, there will be more of an update. Sports Illustrated media writer Richard Deitsch tweeted a quote Tuesday from ESPN president John Skipper that said 'We've been partners with the Big Ten for a long time. Our interest is high. We'd like to remain partners.'

ESPN prez John Skipper on Big Ten: We've been partners w. the Big Ten for a long time. Our interest is high. We'd like to remain partners."May 17, 2016

ESPN prez John Skipper on Big Ten: We've been partners w. the Big Ten for a long time. Our interest is high. We'd like to remain partners."

— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch)

Nebraska coach Tim Miles said whatever happens with media rights, you earn the audience you're put in front of. He mentioned the Huskers being scheduled for a CBS wild card game every year only to lose that game because, in his words, 'we're crappy.'

'We would be on CBS if we were better,' Miles said.

So obviously, for Miles, the network doesn't matter as much as the quality of basketball his team happens to be playing. His mom and dad, Norbert and Alyce, are in their 80s and live in Doland, S.D. He said they can get FS1, ESPNU, ESPN and CBS.

'They'll figure it out and so will all of the parents of players and everybody else and our fans certainly, too,' Miles said.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com