US cable-television sports broadcaster ESPN has been given the chance to match the offer from the NBC Sports division of the NBC network for the rights to US college sports conference the Big East, according to the Sports Illustrated website.
ESPN, the current rights-holder, has been asked by the operators of the conference whether it can meet the current offer on the table, which is understood to be worth at least $20 million (€14.9 million) per year.
The Big East’s current deal with ESPN and the CBS network for its basketball competitions will expire at the end of the 2012-13 season, while its American football deal with ESPN will end after the 2013-14 season.
ESPN failed to reach an agreement on a new deal during a 60-day window of exclusive talks in October last year.