Friday night brings us a bombshell.
The SEC has reportedly walked away from TV rights negotiations with CBS. John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal reported Friday night that the relationship between the conference and TV channel is set to end following the 2023 season and that all signs are pointing to the conference being picked up by ESPN/ABC.
Shocker: CBS walks away from SEC negotiations. All signs point to ESPN/ABC picking up the package. SBJ has the details: https://t.co/rBcPfoEnUw
— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) December 21, 2025
The SEC has had a 22-season relationship with the SEC that will be 26 years by the time the conference’s current TV deal expires after 2023. The two have become synonymous with each other in the 21st Century, but as they say, all good (depending on your vantage point) things must come to an end.
One would think that the CBS will be gunning for another conference like the Big Ten or the Pac-12. But, that will be hashed out eventually. For now... well, wow. This is wild.