ESPN and Fox owe the Pac-12 a combined $276 million for college sports coverage in the 2020-21 season

The Mercury News

In wake of the Pac-12 canceling its fall college football season over coronavirus, the San Jose Mercury News' Jon Wilner asks: "Will the Pac-12 get paid all of it, some of it … or not a single dime?" Wilner says the Pac-12 "stood to collect $276.4 million in media rights fees from ESPN and Fox in the 2020-21 college sports cycle. Noting that football accounts for 80% of media rights contracts, Wilner adds that "the vast majority of that payment was rooted in the 45 football games that were scheduled for broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, FOX and FS1." Experts he spoke to say ESPN and Fox will likely reach a settlement so as not to alienate the Pac-12 when its media rights come up for renewal in 2024.