As college football conferences lock down lucrative media-rights deals, Notre Dame wants to join the fun.
According to Michael McCarthy and Amanda Christovich of Front Office Sports, the program will aim to triple its annual football-only rights fee from $22 million to $65 to $75 million when its current NBC Sports deal expires after the 2024 season.
Although getting on broadcast TV represented a landmark deal when Notre Dame aligned with NBC in 1991, the prestigious program now doesn’t receive the same media revenue as schools from major conferences. Big Ten schools will receive up to $90 million per year with the conference’s new $7 billion deal beginning July 1.
Notre Dame is looking to TRIPLE its football rights fees to $65M-$75M annually during its next cycle of media negotiations, sources told FOS.
To do so, the Fighting Irish may have to join a power conference.@MMcCarthyREV and @achristovichh‘s story » https://t.co/txQ7dkhO6t pic.twitter.com/GUFPiwkZA2
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) June 28, 2023
Some analysts thus think Notre Dame won’t get its wish without sacrificing its independent status.
“My big-picture thought is that Notre Dame will need a conference to support a three-time bump long term,” media consultant Patrick Crakes told Front Office Sports. “I think either the Big Ten or SEC would do. Also, don’t rule out a third new conference in several years. A lot of assumptions are falling apart as pay-TV-bundle economics go flat.”
While Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick identified finding “a committed partner to our message” as his top priority earlier his year, he also stressed the importance of keeping up with other programs.
“We need the financial resources to compete with the schools in the Big Ten and SEC,” Swarbrick said in February, per Blue Gold’s Patrick Engel. “As we enter into new negotiations, we have a very specific goal of making sure we reach those levels. We want to compete.”