Ever since Fox Sports reared its head on the Big Ten media rights scene last month, all eyes have been on where the other half of the conference's package might land.
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On Wednesday, Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips addressed the possibility that ABC/ESPN — which has long kicked off its college football Saturdays with Big Ten games and has made conference basketball games a centerpiece of its weekly schedule — will not be part of the remaining package.
Phillips' comments come via a Chicago Tribune story:
“The Big Ten will do what’s best for the Big Ten, and ESPN has to take that same position. Everyone is watching what’s happening in the television world, the un-bundling that’s taking place, different platforms available now that maybe weren’t in the last go-around for TV contracts. This isn’t pointing a finger at ESPN in any way, stating you have to or don’t have to participate as a partner of the Big Ten. It’s more about: Can the two groups come together?
“No one has amnesia about the relationship we have had with ESPN. (ESPN president) John Skipper and that group, they have been a wonderful partner. But we’re at a different place and I think they’re at a different place in 2016 than we were in the last round (of negotiations).
"That doesn’t mean we can’t get to the altar together and get married again. But we’re at the dating stage right now. And that’s a process. You’d love to continue to stay married with that partner but ultimately you have to do what’s in the best interests of the 14 institutions and that’s where (Big Ten commissioner) Jim (Delany) is tremendous. He has the support and confidence of not only the athletic directors, but more important, the presidents. He will move us forward.”
Delany, according to the Tribune, is set to address the media later Wednesday at the conclusion of the Big Ten meetings in Rosemont, Ill. The topic of media rights is sure to come up.
