NBC, TNT reportedly part of next Big East television deal
It appears Marquette and Big East fans will have to join Big Ten supporters in purchasing additional streaming services to watch a full season of men's college basketball next fall.
According to multiple reports, the Big East is closing in on a new media rights deal for college basketball that will include NBC, Peacock and TNT, in addition to current rights holder Fox Sports.
The new pact has not been announced and financial terms have yet to be disclosed, but it seems the Big East is ready to take advantage of the streaming market with the addition of Peacock and possibly TNT partner Max.
First reported by The Athletic, TNT, NBC and Peacock would start broadcasting games during the 2025-26 season. The league is currently beginning the final season of a 12-year, $500 million deal with Fox and CBS.
"While Fox Sports will remain the top partner, both NBC, which will feature most of its games on Peacock, and TNT Sports, which operates the streaming service Max, are anticipated to add a large number of games," The Athletic said.
It was also reported the Big East tournament championship game is expected to remain on Fox and that CBS Sports is still in negotiations to continue televising a slate of games.
NBC Sports, TNT Sports, Fox Sports and the conference have yet to issue any comment.
While the next Big East rights package certainly won't approach the football-fueled seven-year, $8 billion deal the Big Ten has with Fox, NBC and CBS, a significant bump is expected, especially with Connecticut attempting to win a third straight men's basketball championship.
The league picked up a significant win Monday when UConn coach Dan Hurley turned down a $70 million offer to leave the Huskies for the same position with the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers.
All of Marquette's 37 games were televised last season. The Golden Eagles were televised on a Fox network in 24 of 31 regular season contests.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: NBC, TNT reportedly part of next Big East television deal
