NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery have acquired the rights to broadcast Big East games starting in the 2025-26 season, after CBS decided to step away from the deal. This move is part of a trend among major media companies to build sports portfolios that draw in large audiences without incurring high annual costs.
Fox will continue to be a part of the Big East roster, which includes competitive teams in men’s basketball and women’s field hockey from universities such as Georgetown and UConn. As per the terms of the new six-year agreement, NBC and its Peacock streaming service will broadcast a total of 60 men’s and women’s regular season and tournament games. Warner’s TNT Sports outlets will air 65 games per season, mostly on TNT but some on TBS or TruTV, with all games available on the Max streaming platform. Fox remains the largest rightsholder, with a deal to show a total of 80 games.
Luis Silberwasser, chairman and CEO of TNT Sports, expressed excitement about adding Big East Basketball to the network’s premium live sports content lineup. Warner has been steadily expanding its sports rights portfolio, including recent acquisitions of two college football championship games and the French Open. They are also expected to drop their NBA package.
Rick Cordella, president of NBC Sports, highlighted the prestige of Big East Basketball and expressed pride in featuring the conference’s men’s and women’s teams across NBCUniversal platforms. NBC Sports has been working to increase its sports content on Peacock, including additional NFL games. The company plans to introduce new technology and game formats for streaming subscribers to enhance their experience during the Paris Olympics this summer.
