OT: Big 10 new TV deal was never finalized

As summarized by Ty & Dan at The Solid Verbal:

The conference's record $7+ billion media deal, which starts THIS FALL, was never actually finalized! It's almost inconceivable, yet totally on-brand for a sport with nobody actually in charge.

Link to Source
As Thamel states it:

Nearly three months before the season kicks off and those TV deals begin, the Big Ten does not have completed longform contracts, which include the fine print details. Instead, Petitti is engaged in significant "horse trading," according to multiple sources, to get the NBC primetime deal finished and figure out what the network calls "outstanding issues" in order to uphold as much value as possible.

"These deals aren't done, and they aren't what they were represented to be from the standpoint of the NBC deal and the availability of all members to participate in November games in primetime," said an industry source.

Interviews with nearly a dozen sources in and around the Big Ten and the college sports industry paint a picture of Petitti sprinting to navigate details left unresolved from his predecessor.

TL;DR:

  • Schools will have to pay Fox $40m because they own the B10 championship game, which has been promised to NBC
  • Schools will have to pay $25m to pay Fox back for lost 2020 football game inventory (I don't entirely understand this one)
  • Basketball Coaches are pissed about being broadcasted on Peacock
  • Football Coaches/ADs are pissed about being forced to play at night

There's about zero chance this deal falls through, but just a painful pain in the ass for the B10, Fox, and NBC. For the rest of us, this is just hilarious.

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