On Monday, the Pac-12 and CBS reached a media-rights agreement that will allow the network to stream and offer cable for the reorganized league from 2026 to 2031, as well as air at least four football and men’s basketball games on its main network each season.
The new deal’s financial terms were not made public. When the Pac-12 begins as a redesigned league in 2026–2027, Conference Commissioner Teresa Gould referred to it as a transformational collaboration that enables the league to expand.
With the exception of Oregon State and Washington State leaving for the Big 12, Atlantic Coast, and Big Ten Conferences, the league almost collapsed in 2023 due to an inability to negotiate a media contract.
For the following season, the Pac-12 already had agreements in place to broadcast football games from the two remaining teams on the CW, ESPN, and CBS.
When Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Utah State, and San Diego State join the Pac-12 in every sport, with Gonzaga joining in every sport save football, the new agreement with what the league refers to as its principal long-term media partner begins the following season.
To attain the minimum eight teams required to qualify for the College Football Playoff and the Football Bowl Subdivision, the Pac-12 must add another football program. According to some sources, Texas State has become the front-runner.
As part of the new agreement, CBS will air at least three football and men’s basketball regular-season games each season, in addition to the championship games for each sports. Additionally, the league will be featured on the cable network CBS Sports Network during the regular season.
As Octagon, the Pac-12 media negotiator, searches for more media partners for the league, specifics are still being settled.
