Big 12 Men’s Basketball Television Schedule Unveiled With Five National Partners

Big 12 men’s basketball just got a facelift on the national stage. On Tuesday, the conference unveiled its 2025‑26 television schedule featuring five national partners, marking a new era in exposure and distribution. Games will now appear across the ESPN family (ESPN, ESPN2, ABC), FOX (FOX, FS1), CBS (CBS, CBS Sports Network), Peacock, and TNT.

One big upgrade: up to 20 games will be available over the air (FOX, CBS, ABC), allowing broader, free access beyond cable. FOX will carry 11 or 12, CBS 6, and ABC 2. FOX’s network coverage begins December 13, with Oklahoma State hosting Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. CBS starts its lineup January 3 with BYU at Kansas State, and ABC’s opening feature will be Kansas at Iowa State on February 14.

Within the ESPN realm, 55 conference games will air on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2, and 11 more will be streamed on ESPN+. FOX/FS1 will carry 31 league games, while CBS supplements its network lineup with 15 extra games on CBS Sports Network. Peacock will stream 18 Big 12 games, and TNT contributes eight games, all simulcast on truTV.

Interestingly, all the partners will also carry non‑conference matchups controlled by the Big 12, including road and neutral-site games, a push toward deeper coverage beyond league play. Conference play officially begins January 2, when Iowa State hosts West Virginia at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2, and runs through the final weekend on March 7, with games across platforms like CBS, ESPN, FS1, Peacock, and TNT.

This is a clear signal: the Big 12 is doubling down on multimedia reach. Fans gain more flexibility, schools gain more visibility, and the league establishes itself as a conference with significant broadcasting heft.

The key will be execution, ensuring marquee games receive priority slots, minimizing overlaps, and striking a balance between streaming and over-the-air access. But on paper, this is a win for fans, players, and programs alike.