Overview

• Fox Sports has declined to license its Big Ten and Big 12 live games to ESPN for a college RedZone whip-around format, according to multiple industry sources.
• Fox has indicated it would only consider granting rights if it received significant ownership stakes or equivalent financial compensation in the venture.
• CBS and NBC also control portions of Big Ten rights, meaning ESPN would need their approval to achieve full conference coverage.
• ESPN’s planned acquisition of the RedZone trademark from NFL Network faces NFL owners’ sign-off and a 9–12-month antitrust review and is not expected to close for at least a year.
• Without live access to Power Five matchups beyond the SEC and ACC, ESPN may have to rely on a limited, highlight-driven whip-around show rather than a true nationwide college RedZone channel.