Big Ten Conference announces media rights agreement with FOX, CBS, & NBC
The Big Ten Conference announced that it has reached distribution agreements with CBS, FOX, NBC, and NBCUniversal’s Peacock. The breadth of new partners, in addition to Big Ten Network (BTN) and FS1, will place conference football, women’s and men’s basketball ,and Olympic sports student-athletes on the biggest stage and provide fans with the most exciting matchups across traditional over-the-air linear television and direct-to-consumer streaming. These landmark media rights agreements are the most comprehensive in all of college sports and further strengthen the tradition of the Big Ten Conference. Big Ten Conference football will dominate Saturdays, beginning in the fall of 2023 on the largest broadcast platforms from morning to night, with FOX at Noon, CBS at 3:30 pm, and NBC in Prime Time. With the addition of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Southern California (USC) in August 2024, the conference, its student-athletes and member institutions will reach the broadest audience in the country, coast-to-coast, including the top three media markets in the country in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The media rights agreements will begin July 1, 2023 and run through the 2029-30 season. CBS, FOX, and NBC will combine efforts to televise the seven Big Ten Football Championship Games during the term. CBS: 2024, 2028. FOX: 2023, 2025, 2027, 2029, and NBC: 2026
The Big Ten Conference new media agreements grant the following rights to their partners:
BTN- will maintain its strong position as the home for Big Ten fans, as the network will continue to televise a full slate of football, basketball, and Olympic sport competition throughout the entire year.
CBS’s initial season in 2023 will include seven football games and both regular season and postseason men’s basketball action, along with the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament final appearing on CBS for the first time. The Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament semifinals and final will continue the tradition of airing on CBS, which they have done for 25 years. Every CBS Big Ten football and basketball broadcast will also be streamed on Paramount+, Paramount Global’s direct-to-consumer streaming service. Starting in 2024, CBS will televise up to 15 regular-season football games per season, including an annual Black Friday game in the afternoon. CBS is America’s most-watched network for the past 14 years and the highest-rated college football network.
FOX has renewed its agreement to televise football and men’s basketball games each season, with the opportunity to carry additional sports throughout the year. The Big Ten Conference’s partnership with FOX reached its high point during the 2021-22 year, as FOX captured the #1 time slot in college football for the first time with its Big Noon Saturday platform that featured 10-14 games involving a Big Ten team, and a men’s basketball season that ended with the top three most watched games in the history of FS1 all featuring Big Ten programs.
NBC will produce 14-to-16 games on broadcast television each season as it introduces college football fans to Big Ten Saturday Night. Each Big Ten game on NBC broadcast will also be simul-streamed on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s direct-to-consumer streaming service. NBC Sports has established the most dominant primetime franchise in television history, as its Sunday Night Football has been primetime’s No. 1 show for an unprecedented 11 consecutive years – a streak that is currently active. Peacock, NBCUniversal’s direct-to-consumer streaming service will deliver exclusive Big Ten football and basketball games each season, as eight regular-season football games will appear on the platform along with as many as 47 regular-season men’s basketball games (32 conference and 15 non-conference) and 30 regular-season women’s basketball games (20 conference and 10 non-conference).
Hagerstown Indiana knocks off Davenport, Iowa in Little League Baseball World Series
Hagerstown was able to get the win in their first game of the Little League Baseball World Series, sending them to the next round of the United State Bracket. The team from Indiana and Great Lakes Region champions took on Davenport, Iowa, winners of the Midwest Region. Both teams advanced last week with 4-3 wins. Hagerstown, who was the home team, jumped out to an early lead and was up 7-1 at the top of the third inning. However, Iowa was able to tie it up in the fourth 7-7. Then in the bottom of the sixth, the final inning, Hagerstown was able to bring in the winning run. The Hagerstown win means they’ll play at 3 p.m. Monday on ESPN. They will find out who they play today in the 3 p.m. game between the Southeast (Nolensville Tennessee) and Mountain Region champions (Santa Clara Utah). Iowa now heads to the elimination bracket for a 3 p.m. game Saturday Afternoon on ABC.
Hagerstown emerged as the Indiana Little League champion after beating Decatur Central in New Castle. They punched their ticket to Pennsylvania by beating Kentucky to win the Great Lakes Regional. The team has seen an outpouring of support since clinching its trip to the LLWS. They’ve received shout-outs from NBA star Desmond Bane (the Richmond native plays for the Memphis Grizzlies) and MLB star Tucker Barnhart (a Brownsburg native who plays for the Detroit Tigers). The Hagerstown community also gathered to record a video message congratulating the team and wishing it luck in the LLWS. Hagerstown’s football team wished the team good luck in a video shared on Facebook. Thursday afternoon, players with the Indianapolis Indians also shared their support with a video on the team’s Facebook page. Wayne County Commissioners issued a proclamation this week recognizing the team and declaring Wednesday, August 17, 2022, “Hagerstown Little League All-Stars Day.”
Midwest Charity All Star Basketball Game canceled with Kentucky HS Players unable to play
With the event’s two biggest local connections barred from playing due to a KHSAA rule, the Midwest Charity Classic all-star high school basketball game has been canceled. The event which was to be a nationally televised game hosted by ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg on Aug. 27 at Frederick Douglass High School in Lexington featured a highly touted list of high school stars committed to playing in the event. Funds raised from the event were to go toward Eastern Kentucky flood-relief efforts. 2023 Indiana University Basketball Commit Gabe Cupps along with IU targets Flory Bidunga (2024), Travis Perry (2024), Raleigh Burgess (2024), Trey McKenney (2025), and R.J. Greer (2025) were to play in this event.
On Wednesday morning, the KHSAA announced through statements released on social media that two Kentucky-based players who pledged to play in the game — class of 2023 UK commit Reed Sheppard (North Laurel) and class of 2024 guard Travis Perry (Lyon County) would not be able to play in the event. Dating back decades, the bylaw preventing Sheppard and Perry from playing in the game restricts high school basketball participants from playing in certain outside competitions during the school year, prior to the end of their competitive seasons. The bylaw prevents Kentucky high school students who have enrolled in the ninth grade, have played basketball at a school at any level and have eligibility remaining in basketball from participating on any non-school sponsored basketball team or in any all-star game from the first day of the school year onward, among other restrictions. In September 2021, a proposal to amend this bylaw by removing several of these restrictions and changing the time frame of their enforcement overwhelmingly failed during the KHSAA’s annual meeting of member schools.
Indiana Cutters Host Cin City Buccaneers in Divisional Playoff Semifinal Game in Indianapolis
The Indiana Cutters Semi Pro Football team will host the Cin City Buccaneers Saturday at 5pm at Central Green Turf Field located at 55 North Tibbs Avenue in Indianapolis. There are no bleachers, so fans are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. The Cutters finished the regular season 4-6 and won the Western Conference Blue Division with overall 3-1 record against the Kentucky Cardinals and Indiana Tornados who both finished with a 4-6 record the Divisional title meant the Cutters get to host this game. The Tornados are the fourth seed and face the top seed Southern Ohio Blaze in the other semifinal in Cincinnati. The Blaze won the Red Division with 8-1 record and the Buccaneers finished the regular season with a 6-2-1 record.
The Cutters and Buccaneers met last Saturday night in Cincinnati as the Buccaneers won 19-16. Kenny Martin threw a touchdown pass to Noah Ponce, Donate Hart scored a rushing touchdown, Cantrell Harris returned a blocked extra point for a 2-point conversion and Dre Adkins added 2 extra points. The Buccaneers scored the game winner with 28 seconds left. The Buccaneers won the first meeting in Martinsville 20-2 on June 25th. The Winner advances to the Division Championship while the season ends for the losing team. This is the Cutters first season in the Blue-Collar Football League while the Buccaneers won the league championship a season ago with a 23-15 win over the Columbus Gladiators.
Indianapolis Indians Coverage
Iowa Shutouts Indians 3-0
Carter Bins collected two of the Indianapolis Indians’ six hits as the Iowa Cubs pitched a shutout on Thursday night, 3-0. Iowa (52-62) opened the scoring in the third inning when third basemen David Bote lined an RBI single into left field. A fourth inning, two-run homer by John Hicks off of Jerad Eickhoff (L, 5-5) added insurance and capped the scoring to give Iowa a 3-0 advantage. Indians (55-57) relievers combined to throw 4.0 scoreless frames and six strikeouts without issuing a walk. Southpaw Cam Alldred threw 2.0 scoreless frames and recorded four strikeouts to highlight the relief efforts. RHP Javier Assad (W, 1-2) silenced the Indy offense with 6.0 scoreless innings and six punchouts. Jeremiah Estrada (S, 1) earned his first save of the season with a scoreless ninth to end the Indians rally hopes.
Cal Mitchell went 0-for-4, snapping his career-high 13-game hitting streak. Ji-Hwan Bae was 1-for-3 with a walk in his return to the Indians lineup. The Indians will be back-in-action tonight at Victory Field with a 7:05 first pitch. RHP Mike Burrows (1-3, 4.93) will toe the rubber for the Indians and the I-Cubs will counter with RHP Hayden Wesneski (6-9, 4.44).
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