Canzano: CBS goes first -- signs on with the Pac-12
Conference championship games will air on the network.
The Pac-12 has finalized a deal that positions CBS as the new-look conference’s cornerstone TV partner for five years beginning in 2026.
CBS and Paramount+ will air the Pac-12 championship football and basketball games in the 2026-2031 seasons. A minimum of three football and basketball games each season will also appear on those two platforms.
Additionally, the new Pac-12 will have “a consistent regular season presence” on CBS Sports Network in both football and men’s basketball, per a source.
My takeaways:
• I previously reported that the “anchor” media partner would be revealed first, with other TV partners rolled out as the deals were finalized. I think there are a number of reasons why the Pac-12 decided to phase the TV contracts in pieces.
One long-time media-world source told me, “It could be as simple as the other deals aren’t done.” It’s also possible the Pac-12 wanted to finish ongoing mediation before waving their completed TV contracts in the Mountain West’s face. I suspect the conference was also motivated to give restless Pac-12 fans some positive news.
As one conference athletic director told me last week: “I think people are mostly enthusiastic just to get it done at this point.”