Utah fans will be able to watch their team on some familiar channels this season, but there are some broadcast changes coming with the Utes’ move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12.
The Big 12 Conference inked a nearly $2.3 billion media deal with ESPN and Fox that reportedly will pay out $31.7 million per year to each of its schools when it takes effect in 2025. The current media deal in place, which runs through the 2024-25 academic year, is also with ESPN and Fox, two longtime partners of the Pac-12.
The vast majority of Utah’s 2024 football games will be found on the ESPN and Fox family of networks — ABC, ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNU, Fox and FS1 — with games against Baylor (Sept. 7) and UCF (Nov. 29) being aired on Fox. When Utah travels to Tempe to face Arizona State on Oct. 11, that game will be available on ESPN.
The season opener against Southern Utah on Aug. 29 is available on streaming only — more on that in a minute — on ESPN+.
The only game that’s not on the ESPN or Fox family of networks will be on Sept. 14, when the Utes make the trip to Logan to play Utah State. Because the Aggies are the home team, and the Mountain West has a broadcasting agreement with CBS, that game will be aired on CBS Sports Network.
TV details for Utah’s remaining games have not been announced, but will be on the ESPN and Fox family of networks.
The Big 12 doesn’t have a traditional cable network like the Pac-12 Network, which aired select football games and a lot of other sports such as men’s and women’s basketball and gymnastics, instead broadcasting those events on ESPN+, which is ESPN’s streaming service.
For example, during Utah men’s basketball’s last season, the Pac-12 Network aired 20 games. Any game that the ESPN network channels or Fox channels don’t pick up will now be streamed on ESPN+.
The positives of this approach mostly outweigh the negatives. The Pac-12 Network was never carried on DirecTV and some live TV streaming services like YouTube TV. ESPN+ is available nationwide to anyone who subscribes — even if you don’t have a cable subscription.
ESPN+ is available on pretty much any device connected to the internet — computers, smartphones, smart TVs and streaming devices like Apple TV, Chromecast and Roku.
The downside is that it’s another additional cost for the fan who wants to watch every Utah football and basketball game, since an ESPN+ subscription on its own includes access to only the games streamed on it and does not include access to live games aired on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.
ESPN+ — which currently costs $10.99 per month or $14.99 bundled with the ad-supported versions of Hulu and Disney+ — is a separate purchase from a cable or live streaming TV subscription. The exception is Hulu Live TV, which includes it and Disney+, along with traditional TV channels like the ESPN and Fox family of networks, in their $76.99 per month live TV streaming package.
The change from the Pac-12 Network is one of the more significant changes for Utah’s athletic department in the move to the Big 12. The Pac-12 Network had national announcers for the majority of games, compared to the Big 12 on ESPN+, where schools supply announcers and produce games themselves.
“I would say of all the changes that we’re managing, that one is probably the most awesome in terms of what it can be and will be, but also one of the most challenging,” Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in July.
Utah Athletics hired play-by-play voice Bill Riley full time to be their new director of broadcasting as the school prepares to self-produce over 50 games for ESPN+. While Riley will continue to be the voice of football and men’s basketball radio broadcasts on ESPN 700, the acceptance of the job at the U. meant he had to step down from hosting his afternoon talk show — Sean O’Connell took over his 11 a.m.-2 p.m. time slot — and his role of program director at the station.
Now, Riley is in charge of everything Utah is doing on ESPN+, from hiring and scheduling announcing talent to planning the broadcasts.
“For 12 years, the Pac-12 Network produced games, they produced content, shows, all of that. That’s not the case here,” Harlan said.
“We have an opportunity now and an expectation to do 50 live events Year 1, and that doubles in Year 2 and going forward. So we’ve got an interim plan. We’ve got some trucks that we’re going to have, they’re going to have the Utes marked on it. Bill (Riley), along with other great individuals have been recruited in to generate content, do these games.”
The bottom line for Utah fans? The events that used to be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network, and more, will now be found exclusively on ESPN+.
“Everything ESPN+, which is so easy to find on Big 12 Now there,” Harlan said. “It’ll be a great exposure mechanism and we get to do some more storytelling — coming from us, who know the stories the best. So it’s been fun. Paul Kirk leading that initiative and his team, a lot of work ahead, a lot of deep breaths ahead, but we’re really excited about it.”