Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby kicked off the conference's football media days by announcing the league "will now have a digital media network" supported on ESPN+, according to the TULSA WORLD. The new outlet, titled Big 12 Now, will soon become the "conference's own channel" on ESPN+, carrying "more than 800 conference events each year." A launch date "has not yet been announced." A basic ESPN+ subscription starts at $4.99 per month or $49.99 annually (TULSAWORLD.com, 7/15). The channel "will have home content from eight schools, minus Texas and Oklahoma" (TWITTER.com, 7/15). Bowlsby said of the future of media rights and consumption, "Anyone that tells you they know what the future looks like 3-5 years from now is delusional" (TWITTER.com, 7/15). He also said, "We are distributing record revenues, and we have heretofore unanticipated media opportunities" (TWITTER.com, 7/15).
STATE OF THE CONFERENCE: Bowlsby addressed other hot topics from the "grand stage" at AT&T Stadium, making use of the venue's "huge video board." The Big 12 is holding its media days for the first time at the Cowboys' venue, "where the league plays its championship game" (AP, 7/15). The commissioner was asked about potential conference realignment and responded, "That would be 7 years in a row that would be the first question asked. Congrats, you are helping us set records." He added that the conference is "not expanding," as there have been "no discussions" on that point. He said of the possibility of future CFP expansion beyond four teams, "We have had a lot of discussions. We’ve had some conversations, we will have some more. Eventually we will have some recommendations" (TWITTER.com, 7/15). Specifically on realignment, he said, "We like the 10 we have. We think the full round-robin is the right way to conduct our competition" (TWITTER.com, 7/15).
