TNT is treating the Big 12 like a flagship property. Why WBD’s investment is a game changer. If you’ve been paying attention, it’s clear: WBD/TNT is treating the Big 12 as a premium property, pouring resources into production like it’s their crown jewel. This is what happens when a network recognizes the value the Big 12 provides. It’s a tease of what could be with future investment. 1. Elite Production Value TNT has rolled out polished studio shows and dedicated shoulder programming. That’s real value creation for the schools and the Big 12 brand. The studio pre and postgame show is anchored by Adam Lefkoe, with analysts Victor Cruz, Champ Bailey, and Takeo Spikes. On the broadcast, you’ve got J.B. Long, Mike Golic Jr., and Allie LaForce. Recognizable, trusted names that make every Big 12 broadcast feel like a national event. 2. Shoulder Programming That Screams Investment TNT built a content ecosystem around the league: • XII Uncovered — docuseries-style all-access show providing a behind-the-scenes look at the teams and players. • Field Study — Bleacher Report original with players and coaches breaking down film. • Alumni Walk — B/R original showing legends at tailgates and gameday culture. • Inside the 12 — the Big 12’s official weekly show, produced by Big 12 Studios and airing nationally on truTV and HBO Max. It’s like they’re begging us to notice how undervalued we are. No one builds this level of original programming for a sublicense. It’s a statement of intent, proof they’re aiming at something bigger. Just a few years ago, many Big 12 games were buried on ESPN+. Now, TNT is giving us national pregame shows & documentary level storytelling. The shift is dramatic. 3. Promotional Muscle NFL Opening Weekend ads in front of the biggest audience in sports. Cross promotion during TNT’s French Open telecast. Bleacher Report, House of Highlights & HBO Max amplification to millions of fans beyond cable. This is a preview. WBD is proving to the Big 12 what’s possible, making their case for the next rights cycle before it even begins. 4. Basketball Is Next TNT will broadcast 15 Big 12 men’s basketball games. After seeing what they’ve done for football you know what’s coming: high energy broadcasts, elite studio shows & shoulder programming with true national spotlight. Combine that with the Big 12’s dominance on the court & it’s a monster waiting to happen. No network is better positioned for Big 12 basketball than TNT. They’ve perfected the NBA broadcast model & now they get to apply that magic to the best basketball conference in the country. 5. All-In On Just One Game a Week Here’s the kicker: this is all for one college football game per week. Just 13 games. A sublicense. And yet look at what they’ve built: full studio shows, shoulder programming, cross promotion, HBO Max integration & Bleacher Report delivering content across social, app & YouTube to millions. No one builds this for a sublicensed package unless they see long-term value. Imagine what they’d do as a full Tier 1 partner: Weekly showcases across TNT, TBS, truTV, and Max. Year-round shoulder programming. Elite production & promotion across every WBD property. This isn’t a sublicense. This is a showcase. If this is the floor, imagine the ceiling. Big picture: WBD/TNT coming on board is the best thing that’s happened to Big 12 media in years. They’re investing in elite production, storytelling, and promotion, positioning the Big 12 as a strategic asset that deserves center stage with real long-term leverage. Now it’s on fans to show up, watch & engage with the programming they’re offering. TNT is all-in on the Big 12, proving this league is worth investing in. And if you’ve ever wondered how powerful the Big 12 could be with true investment, you’re watching it unfold right now. The best part? Fans are finally seeing their conference get the spotlight it deserves. #BIG12onTNT

Big 12 football momentum continues to show up in the ratings. A week after BYU-Notre Dame delivered 9.2M viewers on ABC, the conference backed it up with another huge audience for BYU-UCF on FOX. The schools are investing and the national audience is responding while the value of the entire conference continues to rise.

Multiple College Football Playoff bids are still very much in play for the Big 12 but they lost all of their margin for error. The top teams absolutely have to keep winning the games they’re supposed to. If you think Tech is weak you want Arizona to throttle them next week and set up a top matchup with Utah later in the year. Will be a wild next couple of weeks.

Big 12 After Dark vs ACC After Dark:

BYU went with the very cowardly conservative possession and it just might cost them the game.

Cincinnati stadium operator playing George Strait’s “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” with 2:20 left in the game. Texas Tech getting clowned pretty badly right now.

I just heard the FOX commentator say “not over yet” after Cincinnati went up 19 on Texas Tech with six minutes left.

Big 12’s Replay booth just saved Texas Tech’s season overturning the targeting call. Cody Campbell and the fans better be thanking the Commish after that one.

Big 12 fam, I didn’t see the beginning of GameDay. Which fanbase and atmosphere was better between BYU and Utah?

Cincy Hoops might be back y’all. Would be terrific for the Big 12 if they can reach their historical heights again:

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark on if the Big 12 Championship goes away. Mentions wanting an alternate game but also a replacement event for that first weekend in December, possibly basketball:

I think the Big 12’s new Basketball Media Days format of having the Men’s and Women’s teams together is working quite well. You can tell it makes the coaches and players more relaxed and comfortable having their counterpart there, and allows them to feed off each other during the interviews and Q&A segments. Trying something new isn’t always easy, but this one paid off.

Interesting how Clay Travis was crying all over the internet last week when the SEC didn’t get College GameDay and the top ABC Primetime game but has been remarkably silent today after the viewership numbers were released showing the massive BYU-Notre Dame audience.

Give the Big 12 a prime national window and it can deliver premium numbers. 9.2M viewers with a 13.2M peak. Evidence the Big 12 has real national drawing power when its top teams are given the platform. Adding BYU was one of the smartest moves this conference has made. Their brand, fanbase and national reach raise the value of the entire league. The investment is showing up on the field, in the rankings, and now in the ratings.

Big 12 football sets the highest College GameDay viewership number this season and the 3rd highest in the history of the show. Regardless of what folks try and tell you, people care and actively seek out Big 12 football. The investment the schools are making is showing:

One thing I’ve noticed at Big 12 Media Days, both football and basketball is once the moderator opens things up for questions, some of the less prominent coaches and players occasionally get less engagement. It can create an awkward moment with the moderator searching the room for questions while the coaches and players who traveled to the event and made themselves available are left sitting there waiting. I think the conference could make that part a little more inclusive by having a handful of backup questions prepared for every school. If the room goes quiet, the moderator could keep the conversation moving and make sure every program gets to fully utilize its allotted time. It’s a small thing, but it would make the experience feel more respectful and worthwhile for everyone who shows up.

Texas Tech returning transfer Darrion Williams when asked on the difference between the Big 12 and The ACC: The Big 12 is a lot deeper.

So many much more intriguing and compelling questions could be asked by the Big 12 media to Commissioner Yormark. You have limited access to him, provide him with really thoughtful open ended questions that allows him to engage deeply with his responses.

Big 12 Basketball Media Days is live right now. Watch the following places: Big 12 Studios YouTube channel live right now ESPN+ on the ESPN App live right now ESPNU 11-2 CST

New Texas Tech linebacker Xavier Atkins