May 18--At least half of the Big Ten media rights package remains up for grabs, with Fox Sports having secured the first half.
Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips on Wednesday addressed the possibility that ABC/ESPN will not be part of the remaining package:
"The Big Ten will do what's best for the Big Ten, and ESPN has to take that same position. Everyone is watching what's happening in the television world, the un-bundling that's taking place, different platforms available now that maybe weren't in the last go-around for TV contracts. This isn't pointing a finger at ESPN in any way, stating you have to or don't have to participate as a partner of the Big Ten. It's more about: Can the two groups come together?
"No one has amnesia about the relationship we have had with ESPN. John Skipper and that group, they have been a wonderful partner. But we're at a different place and I think they're at a different place in 2016 than we were in the last round (of negotiations). That doesn't mean we can't get to the altar together and get married again. But we're at the dating stage right now. And that's a process. You'd love to continue to stay married with that partner but ultimately you have to do what's in the best interests of the 14 institutions and that's where Jim (Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany) is tremendous. He has the support and confidence of not only the athletic directors, but more important, the presidents. He will move us forward."
Delany is set to address the media later Wednesday at the conclusions of Big Ten meetings in Rosemont.
tgreenstein@tribpub.com
