Pac-10 Puts New Television Contract Up For Auction
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The Pac-10 has spent more than a year preparing for this moment when they can put their television rights up to bid on the open market for the first time since their expansion.
With Fox's exclusive negotiating window expiring Thursday, the conference can now shop the rights to some 2,700 events a year and a possible partnership in a Pac-12 network to a bevy of interested media and technology companies.
The conference has 12 teams with next season's additions of Utah and Colorado, covers one-fifth of the country and is the last major college property on the market for at least a few years.
That is expected to lead to fierce bidding from Fox, ESPN, Comcast and Turner Sports that could lift the second-lowest revenue producing major conference in the country to one of the highest.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
