Big 12 Commissioner: ‘Meaningful’ discussions with ESPN, Fox

By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP College Football Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark says he has had “meaningful” conversations with ESPN and Fox as the conference explores striking a media rights deal almost two years before the current contract expires. The Big 12 announced in late August it planned to engage ESPN and Fox, even though the exclusive negotiating window between the conference and the networks does not open until February 2024. The Big 12′s deals with the networks expire in June of that year. Yormark says there is no timetable for the discussions to produce a deal. He says ESPN and Fox would be the two best partners to boost the Big 12 brand.