About

François McGillicuddy sets the strategic direction and leads the business and content operations of the Big Ten Network (BTN), a joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and FOX Sports. McGillicuddy was named as the second president in network history in December of 2018. Under his leadership, BTN has driven consistent revenue growth and achieved its most profitable years on record, while also setting numerous viewership records for the most-watched seasons in network history across 11 different sports. Additionally, BTN has experienced its most-watched telecasts across 18 different sports during McGillicuddy’s tenure – including football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and wrestling – as well as the network’s most-watched studio program (B1G Tailgate) and original program (The B1G Moment). Beyond increasing the network’s live event count to an all-time high, nearly 3,000 per year, McGillicuddy also placed an emphasis on storytelling. Under his supervision, the network introduced several new franchises, including The B1G Trip, The B1G Story and B1G Trailblazers as well as sport-specific programming such as On The Mat (wrestling), At The Net (volleyball), On The Court (women’s basketball), At The Plate (baseball and softball), On The Ice (men’s hockey) and On The Beam (women’s gymnastics). In August of 2024, McGillicuddy led BTN’s expansion efforts following the addition of Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington to the Big Ten Conference. With 18 member institutions in the Big Ten, the network increased its live event count by +20%, produced an array of original programming dedicated to the four new institutions, and launched a redesigned network studio, while adding coverage for several more conference championship events. In 2022, McGillicuddy oversaw the creation of Big Ten Corporate Partnerships (BTCP), BTN’s dedicated, in-house team leading the Big Ten Conference’s league-level corporate sponsorships and partner activations. In 2021, McGillicuddy oversaw the relaunch of B1G+, the network’s streaming service and home for non-televised games, on-demand archives and school channels. In each year since the B1G+ platform was reimagined, it has set a record for both subscribers and revenue. McGillicuddy led a rebranding of the network in 2020, and in order to broaden and diversify the network’s on-air talent pool, he launched the BTN Broadcasting Experience, an annual program bringing former Big Ten student-athletes to Chicago for a broadcasting tutorial. To date, more than 20 participants from the program have served as on-air talent for the network. A 20-year media executive, McGillicuddy previously served as SVP and General Manager of FOX Sports Ohio and SportsTime Ohio, which became two-time winners of Regional Sports Network of the Year during his tenure. He oversaw all aspects of those channels, including studio and live event production, programming, advertising sales, marketing and team relations, while also working with FOX’s affiliate sales and marketing group on distribution matters. He managed the company’s relationships with the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Cavaliers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Columbus Crew. He assumed the position in February 2013 and managed the acquisition and integration of SportsTime Ohio into the FOX Sports portfolio of regional sports networks.