(From left) Host Dave McCann and former BYU players Blaine Fowler and David Nixon on the set of “Countdown to Kickoff” on BYUtv Sports.

In September 2022, BYU hosted Baylor at LaVell Edwards Stadium in a clash of Top 25 football teams. New Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark attended the game and appeared as a guest on BYUtv’s pregame show.

Yormark was impressed.

“You do this every week?” he asked.

Yes, sir, every week.

The pregame show is just a small part of what BYUtv Sports has been producing alongside other studio shows and more than 130 televised or streamed athletic events over the course of a school year.

With BYU’s move to the Big 12 Conference on July 1, there are many changes and adjustments to be made throughout the school and among the fan base. One of those adjustments for the fans is how to watch BYU sports under the Big 12’s new media agreement, a deal worth $2.28 billion to the league over the next six years.

Football is very straightforward: All BYU games will be on the ESPN family of networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) or on Fox. That includes ESPN’s streaming platform, ESPN+.

ESPN+ is also where Cougar fans will find many of the school’s Olympic sports that have previously been on BYUtv. However, BYUtv will still be directly involved in the broadcast and streaming of athletic events on campus.

“When BYU got invited to the Big 12, we held the optimism that we had what it takes to do these games,” said BYUtv Head of Sports Broadcasting Dave Phillips Jr. “We really felt like we could be the ace in the hole and could jump right in without a learning curve. It’s an exciting opportunity to try something new. It’s really a win-win situation.”

Phillips said each school in the Big 12 will be responsible for at least 50 home sporting events. None of the Big 12 schools have the quality and quantity of equipment of BYUtv but are growing at a steady rate. Three years ago there wasn’t any sports production by Big 12 school but now they are all expanding their facilities and resources. According to Phillips, former ESPN producers and directors are starting to work for Big 12 schools to bring them up to speed.

“We’re very blessed at BYUtv with the ability to do multiple games on the same day,” Phillips said. “Not every school can do that and they may have to choose between two sporting events on a given day. In fact, fans of BYU Olympic sports will probably see more games in the Big 12.”

BYUtv will continue to broadcast men’s volleyball games since the Cougars compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

When ESPN or Fox comes to BYU for a football or men’s basketball game, they normally bring their own director, producer and talent. BYUtv will provide much of the rest of the crew, which is a boon for students to learn alongside some of the best in the business. An ESPN credit on a resume will also be a big plus in future job placement for students. Cougar fans will likely continue to hear the voices of studio hosts Jarom Jordan and Spencer Linton on BYU women’s soccer, volleyball and basketball play-by-play.

The Big 12 does have a platform for streaming (Big12Now) where fans can search for the growing library of BYU sports inventory. Fans will also benefit from an upgrade in quality and production from what they are used to seeing on the WCC Network.

“When ESPN or FOX does a game, there are usually a standard number of cameras each school will be required to provide,” Phillips said. “Coverage will be better across all sports with multiple cameras and replays for the majority of games.”

BYU fans will continue to be able to watch pre and post-game shows for football and men’s basketball on BYUtv, along with “BYU Sports Nation,” “After Further Review” and coach’s shows with Kalani Sitake and Mark Pope. Phillips said there is a possibility that BYUtv will be able to televise or stream Blue and White scrimmages for basketball, soccer and volleyball.

“ESPN and FOX are great to work with,” Phillips said. “We’ve already started discussions with them on how the partnership will work. The biggest thing is technology-wise, we’re there. We’re ready for this.”

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