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Notre Dame seeking huge bump in annual media rights payout to remain independent, per report
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Notre Dame is trying to avoid joining a conference during the ongoing realignment saga. To remain independent might require a huge boost in the annual media rights payout that the Irish are receiving.
According to a Monday afternoon report from Dennis Dodd with CBS Sports, Notre Dame is seeking a large increase to its annual media rights. The Irish are currently receiving $22 million annually on a deal that averages $15 million.
The current deal Notre Dame has with its broadcast partner – NBC – expires in 2025. According to Dodd, Notre Dame is seeking $75 million per year in order to retain its independent designation outside of a conference.
Dodd also reports NBC is seeking “shoulder programming” from a Power 5 conference in order to feel comfortable bringing up Notre Dame’s valuation. The conference emerging as a strong option to fill that need is the Big 12.
Ongoing negotiations at NBC are expected to continue over the next 2-3 weeks. It will be interesting to see if Notre Dame is able to land enough to stay independent or finally feels forced to join a conference.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.