Cal Poly football extended its media rights deal with the Big Sky Conference until the end of the 2029-30 academic year.
According to a press release by the Big Sky on Monday, Jan. 6, the conference and ESPN announced “a five-year extension to their current media rights agreement” beginning in the 2025-26 academic year through 2029-30.
The deal will double the televised football coverage while providing all games on ESPN+ and the ESPN App for the entire conference. It also inks a new exposure clause for nationally televised football games: a minimum of four regular-season games airing on Friday or Saturday, with at least two on ESPN or ESPN2.
“Extending this agreement between the Big Sky and ESPN ensures that Cal Poly fans will be able to see every single football game via the ESPN+ streaming service or on one of the linear ESPN channels,” Athletic Director Don Oberhelman wrote to Mustang News.
Although the exact monetary distributions of the deal are not disclosed, the new agreement will ensure a higher viewership rating across the conference, increasing the football program’s budget.
Cal Poly’s continued investment in the conference’s future signals a decision to keep football in the Big Sky, even as other universities are beginning to consider alternatives.
One of Cal Poly’s closest athletic allies, UC Davis, announced on December 10, 2024, their departure to the Mountain West Conference starting in the 2026-27 academic year, with Athletic Director Rocko DeLuca not ruling out the possibility of leaving the Big Sky, as reported by ESPN’s Kyle Bonagura.
UC Davis is not the only Big Sky school that is rumored to be leaving the conference. Amanda Christovich of Front Office Sports reported that Sacramento State University’s football program’s Name, Image, and Likeness funding committee, the Sac 12, is openly campaigning to leave the Big Sky and enter the Pac-12 Conference as quickly as possible.
With the Mustang’s closest allies in the Big Sky threatening to leave, the university has suggested no such interest. Cal Poly believes the Big Sky is the perfect home to continue growing its football program and has no plans to leave the conference anytime soon.
“This has been a great partnership,” Oberhelman wrote with optimism for the continued exposure on ESPN platforms, “This is similar to what we do with our other sports in the Big West Conference. There will be 90+ Cal Poly home events each year broadcast with our ESPN partners.”
Eight games are scheduled to air on ESPN+ next season for the Mustangs. They will be played within two months and cost a total of $23.98 to watch on the platform.