KU, K-State, other Big 12 schools will get record revenue from conference distribution

The Big 12 announced that it will distribute a record $38.8 million per school for the 2018-19 school year.

Primary sources for the revenue are the league’s television contracts and bowl and NCAA Tournament shares.

“We’re enjoying a period of prosperity,” Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said at the conference meetings in Irving, Texas.

Bowlsby said he expects those numbers to increase to $44 million to $45 million before the current rights fees end in 2024-25.

The revenue does not include TV and media rights, third-tier rights, owned by the school.

This will be final school year that some schools, including Kansas and Kansas State, will control those rights. In April, the Big 12 and ESPN announced that the third-tier rights will belong to the national cable provider. Fans will need a subscription to the ESPN+ streaming service to watch some football and men’s basketball games that had previously aired on local cable and TV networks.

A year ago, the Big 12 distributed an average of $36.5 million per school.