US college sports conference the Big 12 is set to agree a new 13-year domestic television rights deal, from 2013 to 2025, with sports broadcaster ESPN, according to the CBS Sports website.
ESPN would pay the Big 12 $1.3 billion (€1 billion) over the course of the deal, which would expire at the same time as the conference’s other main media rights deal with the Fox Network.
ESPN already has a rights deal with the Big 12 that is due to expire in 2016. The new deal would replace the existing agreement.
However, the broadcaster appeared to play down the speculation. “We have an existing agreement with the Big 12 that has four years remaining,” ESPN’s vice-president of communications, Mike Soltys, said. “We are in regular conversations with all our partners about future opportunities. There’s nothing beyond that.”