The Basketball Tournament (TBT) has locked in a two‑year extension of its media partnership with Fox Sports, guaranteeing that 20 of its games will be broadcast on Fox, FS1 and FS2.
Under the new deal, three marquee matchups — including the $2 million winner‑take‑all championship slated for August 2 — will air on the broadcast network Fox, while 14 additional contests will be shown on FS1 and three on FS2.
A Revamped Tournament Structure
For its 13th edition, TBT is abandoning the traditional 64‑team, single‑elimination format in favor of two distinct brackets. The first bracket assembles eight alumni teams — Kentucky, Louisville, Kansas, Kansas State, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Wichita State and New Mexico — and will be played in venues near each fan base, with matchups seeded by historic rivalries. The second bracket features eight non‑alumni teams competing in a single‑site tournament in Las Vegas.
First‑round series will be best‑of‑three, a departure from the previous knockout model, and the winners of the Alumni and Vegas brackets will meet in a $2 million winner‑take‑all game at the home arena of the Alumni champion.
The championship broadcast will mark the third straight year that TBT’s title game airs on network television, underscoring the tournament’s growing visibility.
Last year’s final on Fox drew an average of 444,000 viewers, a 67 percent jump from the prior season, and the expanded schedule is expected to further boost those numbers as the field has been trimmed from 64 to just 16 teams.
What This Means for Fans
The changes promise more high‑stakes games, regional storytelling and a clearer path to a lucrative finale, all of which should keep viewers engaged throughout the summer. With the new format and a strengthened Fox partnership, TBT is positioning itself as a must‑watch event on the sports calendar.