Report: Pac-12 Media Rights Expected Soon But Not For Media Day

SALT LAKE CITY – There was hope the Pac-12 Conference might announce something about their long-awaited media rights deal at their Media Day this week, but it appears we will have to wait a little longer.

Both Yahoo Sports and ESPN reported Tuesday afternoon that there will be no announcement about the Conference of Champion’s media rights at Media Day, but that it will come “soon”.

These reports coincide with information reported to KSL Sports’ Michelle Bodkin at the end of June from someone associated with the University of Utah that the conference was close to wrapping up negotiations and hopeful a deal could be presented soon.

🔜 2023 #Pac12FB Media Day

Here are the 24 student-athletes that we'll see in @Vegas next week!

📰: https://t.co/SELq38ijc1 pic.twitter.com/0dCdIHwvjO

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) July 13, 2023

Pac-12 Media Rights Drama

There has been a lot of drama surrounding the Pac-12 and their media rights.

Many will recall last year’s Media Day where commissioner George Kliavkoff talked about “defending grenades” from the Big 12 Conference

Since USC and UCLA declared they were leaving for the Big Ten in 2024 just a little over a year ago, Kliavkoff and the Pac-12 have constantly been defending against rumors about various member schools being on the verge of leaving. The conference has not wavered on its message that the 10 remaining members will stick it out with the Pac-12.

Whether it’s been Washington and Oregon joining USC and UCLA in the Big Ten, or any combination of Arizona, ASU, Colorado, and Utah to the Big 12– the conference has had to repeatedly knock rumors down of their “impending doom”.

 

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Things came to a head in March after several Pac-12 presidents and athletic directors called out the persistent rumors as false.

Things appeared to calm down but feel like they’ve ramped up again with the Big 12 completing their Media Days last week and the Pac-12 remaining patient as they work through their deal without feeling like they have to put out any official statements.

One thing is for certain, while no deal may be announced on Friday for the Pac-12, it will be interesting to see what, if anything, they choose to say about where things stand and how much longer we may have to wait.

Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports

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