The two remaining Pac-12 schools have agreed to a media deal for the 2025 football season that features one established partner and two new ones.
The CW once again will take a leading role and broadcast nine of the 13 home games for Washington State and Oregon State in the fall, with CBS and ESPN — yes, ESPN — showing two games each.
Which instantaneously begs the question: Should those networks be considered the frontrunners for the broadcast rights to the rebuilt Pac-12 for the contract cycle beginning in the summer of 2026, when at least seven new schools join the conference?
Not necessarily.
Although The CW, CBS and ESPN could be involved in the multi-year agreement, neither Fox or Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT and TBS) should be ruled out as possible partners once Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Utah State, Gonzaga and at least one additional school join the conference.
The Pac-12 is expected to announce the media agreement for 2026 (and beyond) sometime this spring. Like the 2025 deal, it could be heavy on linear TV exposure.
The two contracts have been negotiated concurrently, multiple sources said, but the 2025 agreement was prioritized because the season begins in four months — and because it’s far easier to complete.
The 2025 media rights contract is for two schools (WSU and OSU), one sport (football) and one season.
The 2026 deal is expected to cover a minimum of five years and will involve at least nine schools and numerous sports, including basketball.
And there’s an added complication to the longer-term contract: football game inventory.
The rebuilt Pac-12 is evaluating whether to play seven, eight or nine conference games — a process that depends, in part, on expansion decisions. At least one school must be added to comply with conference certification rules.
(Octagon, which is advising the Pac-12 on its multi-year media rights contract, also brokered the 2025 deal.)
The terms of the 2025 agreement were not disclosed, but it’s likely to follow the framework used for the Pac-12’s broadcast arrangement with The CW and Fox for the 2024 season. That deal was heavy on linear TV exposure and believed to be worth approximately $1 million per game.
“Having Pac-12 football featured across three leading broadcasters in CBS, The CW and ESPN in 2025 will provide tremendous exposure to showcase Oregon State, Washington State and our brand in the Pac-12’s final season before expansion,” commissioner Teresa Gould said in a document obtained by the Hotline. (A news release by the conference is expected later today.).
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with The CW, to welcome a new partner in CBS Sports and to see a return of Pac-12 football on ESPN.”
Oregon State will play seven home games in the fall, with The CW showing four. The Beavers’ season opener against Cal will air on ESPN, as will a date with Houston that has been moved to Friday night. And the first of two matchups with Washington State will be shown on CBS.
Washington State has six home games in the upcoming season. The CW will show four, with CBS airing the Apple Cup against Washington and the first matchup with OSU.
(The Cougars and Beavers are playing a home-and-home series in 2025, an unusual move that saves money: They don’t have to pay an FCS or Group of Five opponent.)
Kickoff times for all 13 home games in Pullman and Corvallis have been set.
“We are thrilled to continue our relationship with the Pac-12 for a second year and bring more Oregon State and Washington State games to our growing audience of sports fans,” Mike Perman, senior vice president of sports for The CW, said in the news release.
“Last season’s matchups were some of the most exciting and most-watched football games on CW Sports Football Saturdays, and we look forward to building on that momentum in 2025.”
Last season, The CW aired 11 games featuring WSU and OSU. The package averaged 431,000 viewers and included the three most-watched games on The CW all season. (The network also airs ACC games.)
The 2025 agreement with The CW includes a Sept. 6 double dip of future Pac-12 teams with Fresno State at Oregon State and San Diego State at Washington State.
CBS’s presence in the broadcast package is notable because the network’s contract with the Mountain West expires in the summer of 2026 — the same time the new Pac-12’s deal will begin. (Fox shares the rights to Mountain West games with CBS.)
The CW package once again will be produced by Pac-12 Enterprises, the infrastructure remaining from the demise of the Pac-12 Networks. The Enterprises unit also produced the studio shows that aired before and after Pac-12 and ACC games.
The lineup of partners for the 2025 agreement (The CW, CBS and ESPN) suggests the Pac-12 is prioritizing exposure on linear TV for its longer-term deal — a wise move given how the sport could bifurcate into upper and lower tiers in the 2030s.
Many believe the Big Ten and SEC will expand again; others are convinced a super league will form. For schools in the rebuilt Pac-12, the rest of the decade could be tantamount to an audition for inclusion in whatever comes next.
“I would definitely go for the exposure,” retired Fox Sports president Bob Thompson said recently when asked about the Pac-12’s media strategy during an appearance on ‘Canzano and Wilner: The Podcast’.
“At this stage of the game, you don’t want to disappear and hide behind some streaming wall. If you have a streaming element, that’s fine. But I don’t think it can be your primary distribution source. You really want to be on some linear over-the-air and cable networks so that you’re front and center in everybody’s minds.”
*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to [email protected] or call 408-920-5716
*** Follow me on the social media platform X: @WilnerHotline
