Pac-12 will not announce media rights deal this week as talks progress with new bidders reportedly involved

Multiple reports claim new bidders have emerged for the Pac-12

The Pac-12 will not have a media rights deal to announce at its media day Friday as new bidders have emerged, according to multiple media reports. Sources confirm to CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd that no new television contract has been struck with days until its media day in Las Vegas. 

The search for a new television contract has involved several potential providers on both linear television and streaming. Anonymous sources told multiple outlets that they believe that "patience will pay off." There remains no timeline for a deal. 

"We've seen folks come to the table that were not at the table six months ago," an anonymous source told The Athletic. "The patience that the presidents and chancellors are showing is paying off, because waiting is going to result in better deals than the league would have gotten three, six, nine months ago."

The Pac-12 authorized the conference to begin negotiations for its next television contract on July 5, 2022, less than a week after USC and UCLA announced plans to leave the conference for the Big Ten. The league's current television rights deal expires in 2024. 

In the meantime, the Big 12 jumped in front of the Pac-12 and signed a new contract with Fox and ESPN that lasts through the 2031 season. The Big 12's previous television deal did not expire until 2025. 

Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff has not publicly taken questions from the media since Pac-12 Media Day last year, and is scheduled to take the podium on Friday. Multiple reports have indicated the Pac-12 within months of a new deal, but none has come to fruition. That leaves the Pac-12 as the only power conference without a television contract that extends through the end of the decade. 

Realignment rumors hang over the conference as it attempts to finalize a new television contract to stay competitive with the Big 12 and ACC. The so-called "Four Corners" schools of Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado have all been linked to the Big 12 at various points. The final value of the television contract could play a significant role in that resolution. 

Last month, San Diego State expressed interest in leaving the Mountain West for a potential Pac-12 invitation. However, lack of clarity on the Pac-12's expansion plans -- limited by lack of a television contract -- ultimately convinced the Aztecs to commit to the Mountain West for the 2023 season.