One of Brett Yormark’s first acts as Big 12 Commissioner was to secure a new broadcast deal with ESPN and Fox which in turn would set up the conference for success into the future. He accomplished that in October 2022 by inking a six-year extension for the league and its media partners that is worth almost $2.3 billion and will run through 2030-31.
However, his innovation in the television market isn’t over yet.
Commissioner Brett Yormark Hints at TV Innovation at Big 12 Media Days
At Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Yormark admitted the conference is open to exploring new opportunities within that deal, such as new television windows, so long as they accomplish his number one initiative and priority since becoming commissioner just before that deal with ESPN and Fox was signed: value creation.
“There’s a lot going on Saturdays, as we all know. So the question is are there new TV windows we can explore where we can maybe highlight and amplify our football programs a little differently,” Yormark said.
“We’ve got to kick the tires and figure out other windows that make sense and provide great engagement for our fans and great exposure for our programs.”
At the league’s spring meetings in May, Yormark announced the Big 12 would distribute an estimated $470 million to 14 member universities in 2024. With the league’s team total climbing from 14 to 16 ahead of the upcoming college football season, it stands to reason Yormark knows the importance of creating and maintaining revenue sources for a conference of that size.
The Big 12 payouts for the season lag behind each of the existing power conferences, which was about $60 million per school for the Big Ten, $51 million per school for the SEC and $44.8 million per school for the ACC.
Yormark has not been fearful of innovation in a sports business career that includes CEO positions with both Roc Nation and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment.
His opening remarks ahead of Big 12 Media Days is proof of just how bullish and excited he is for the future of the conference.
While plans for the future are not definitive, Yormark didn’t sound like someone who is interested in waiting around for someone else to make a move.
“(The Big 12) a mature start up. Our brand, can be younger, more aggressive compared to our peers.”
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