The Big East Conference and FOX Sports reached a major agreement on Thursday as the two sides signed on to a 12-year multi platform media rights agreement. The partnership will begin for the 2013-14 academic year. The announcement was made today at a press conference in New York. No financial terms were adressed during the press conference.
The Big East will have a brand new look next season, as it now features Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova and Xavier. Butler, Creighton and DePaul are the newest additions to the conference, and were officially announced as new members at the press conference.
“We applaud all the Big East schools for taking responsibility for their own destiny and forming what is clearly one of the top college basketball leagues in the country,” said FOX Sports Media Group Co-President and COO Randy Freer. “The quality of the competition is obvious. Five teams who will play in the renewed Big East next season are playing in this year’s NCAA tournament, and seven qualified for postseason play overall. We’re extremely proud and fortunate to offer college basketball of this caliber on FS1 next season and for many seasons to come.”
The agreement gives FOX Sports rights to all conference-controlled men’s basketball games, as well as select women’s basketball games. The partnership will also allow the network to grow FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports’ new national-multi sport channel set to launch this summer. Next season, the network is scheduled to air over 100 men’s regular season basketball games, as well as all of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York.