ESPN and the NCAA on Thursday said they reached a new eight-year agreement for the network on media coverage and other exclusive rights for March Madness and 39 collegiate championships.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the companies said in a statement it represents a “significant increase in value,” including increases in rights fees, investment in production and promotion and original content and storytelling.
The companies said schools will explore “revenue distribution units for the women’s basketball tournament” that reflect the increase in value, with the Division 1 board of directors to start discussions this year.
The new pact includes 21 women’s and 19 men’s events, with sports like softball, volleyball, gymnastics and baseball joining the marquee basketball championship tournaments. It adds coverage of the Division I men’s and women’s tennis team championships and the national men’s gymnastics championship to the schedule.
Several of the events, including the basketball championships, women’s gymnastics and football championship tournament games, are guaranteeed to air on Disney’s ABC network, with others guaranteed to air on linear ESPN networks. All told, the agreement will see college sports tournaments air across the brand’s broadcast and cable networks, which include ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, as well as its streaming service, ESPN+.
“The NCAA has worked in earnest over the past year to ensure that this new broadcast agreement provides the best possible outcome for all NCAA championships, and in particular women’s championships,” said NCAA President Charlie Baker in the statement. “Over the past several years, ESPN has demonstrated increased investment in NCAA championship coverage, and the association is pleased to continue to provide a platform for student-athletes to shine.
“Having one, multi-platform home to showcase our championships provides additional growth potential along with a greater experience for the viewer and our student-athletes,” he continued.
The deal comes amid a time of reckoning for ESPN and its parent, Disney. The future of the sports network is Disney CEO Bob Iger’s “first priority,” former Disney executive and Candle Media co-CEO Kevin Mayer said recently. Iger is considering an eventual launch of a fully direct-to-consumer version of the network, and potentially offering multiple tiers for viewing content.
The agreement also includes what the company’s called “enhancements to student-athlete benefits across all three NCAA divisions.” Thanks to legal challenges, student-athletes as of 2021 can profit off their own names, images and likenesses.
Endeavor’s IMG and WME Sports served as the media advisor to the NCAA for the media rights negotiations.
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