By JOE REEDY
AP Sports Writer
The Big East Conference will expand to having games on three networks and see a significant increase in revenues under a new six-year media rights deal announced on Thursday.
Fox Sports will remain as the conference's lead network under the new agreement, which begins with the 2025-26 season, while NBC and TNT will carry Big East games for the first time.
The conferences's 12-year deal with Fox and CBS expires at the end of the upcoming 2024-25 season and averaged $41.67 million per year. With the increased revenue, the Big East should also be on better financial footing with the Power Four conferences, especially since it doesn't have football.
The Big East though is considered one of nation's premier basketball conferences and features two-time defending men's champion Connecticut among its 11 members. UConn also returned to the Women's Final Four this past season.
Fox signed a deal with the Big East after the seven Catholic schools separated from the football schools to form a basketball-centric conference in 2013. Butler, Xavier and Creighton also joined the conference and UConn returned in 2020.
The new agreement will see more than 150 men's regular season games aired, including all league contests and conference tournament games. It will also see up to 65 women's regular season and tournament games, which is more than triple the previous deal.
Fox will air at least 80 men's and women's games, including the conference tournament, on Fox, FS1 and FS2 under the new agreement. The men's tournament final will also remain on Fox.
NBC will get an early start on its Big East deal with 25 regular-season men's games and five tournament contests being streamed on Peacock this upcoming season. Beginning in 2025-26, Peacock and NBC will carry more than 60 men’s and women’s regular season and conference tournament games.
Fox and NBC also carry Big Ten basketball under a rights agreement that started this past season.