Big 12 planning next move: 2030 media rights already in sight
May 28, 2026, 9:11 AM
Big 12 Conference Commissioner Brett Yormark already has an eye to the media rights for the league. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
FRISCO, Texas – Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark already has an eye on the next media rights for his league.
The Power Four league might only be in the second year of its current deal, but the work is only beginning.
Yormark, who is wrapping up his fourth year as the Big 12’s Commissioner, remains open for business, as he noted when he first took the job in 2022.
Three phases
Yormark’s tenure over the 16-team Big 12 has been a loaded one. A tenure that has already experienced different phases.
The first phase was to stabilize the conference.
Yormark delivered that months after taking over as Commissioner, by securing a new media rights deal and jumping into the market early in 2022.
The media rights deal is with ESPN and FOX.
That deal secured the Big 12’s future with a reported $31.7 million per school each year, allowing Yormark to build the conference.
Then, there are additional sub-license agreements with TNT, CBS, and NBC.
Those sub-license agreements are an opportunity for the Big 12 to sample and make them a more desirable product down the road.
That was phase two for Yormark, who helped orchestrate the move of the “Four Corners” schools (Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah) to the Big 12.
Now, after two years of being a 16-team league, Yormark lays out phase three.
“How do you grow it? And that’s the mode in which we’re in right now. I’m very excited about what’s in front of us,” Yormark said to KSL Sports.
Big 12 media rights are at the top of mind for Commissioner Brett Yormark
Yormark has already seen growth in the league, from 10 to 16 members. Then, for the internal staff of the Big 12, jumping from 21 staffers to 51.
However, in a landscape where the Big Ten and SEC continue to pile up large distributions for their members and schools are paying athletes directly through revenue sharing, landing a lucrative media rights deal is critical to a league’s success.
That’s why January 2030, when the Big 12 goes to the open market for its media rights, is already on the mind of Yormark.
“Well, 2030 is an important moment for me, because we enter into the media market as a free agent for the first time in many, many years.
“When I first got here, we went early, and we went early on the heels of a long-term deal, so we haven’t been a free agent for upwards of 20 years, so going into the marketplace and realizing our true value is going to be critically important for this conference on a go-forward basis.”
You have to go back to 2012 for the Big 12’s last media rights deal on the open market.
“When you think about building the business, building the brand, the narrative, how fans think about us, how we engage with our fans. There’s a lot of work still to be done, but we’re going to be prepared for 2030.”
Are better days ahead for the Big 12?
Ultimately, to take big swings and make deals happen, you need collaboration in a conference.
The new-look Big 12 has often been viewed as that. Yormark feels that the collaboration remains in place.
“Very unified. I would say that we are a cohesive group. From ADs to coaches to board members, we share the same vision and mission for where this conference is and where we’re going. As Commissioner, that’s very comforting. There’s no divisiveness. There’s no agenda other than what’s truly best for the conference and our member institutions, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
Yormark later added, “We’ve got a cohesive board, we’ve got a board that believes in creating value, and they’re letting the subject matter experts do what they do. I think we have a great future, and you know, as long as we can create a sustainable model within the industry, I think we have great days ahead for the Big 12.”
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
