PROVIDENCE—The American Athletic Conference and ESPN have reached agreement on a 12-year media rights extension
beginning in 2020-21. ESPN has been the conference’s principal media rights
holder for football, men’s and women’s basketball and Olympic sports since the
league’s inception. Financial terms of the agreement, which will run through
2031-32, were not disclosed.
With the new deal, The American will have a stronger and more
extensive presence on ESPN’s primary TV networks— ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.
More than 135 games involving American teams will air on the networks each
year, totally more than 1,650 events throughout the duration of the contract.
Among the annual events to be televised on the ESPN family of networks will be
the American football championship game, all rounds of the men’s basketball
championship, and multiple rounds of the women’s basketball championship.
In addition to the traditional TV deal, the conference will also
be a valuable part of ESPN+, ESPN’s industry-leading direct-to-consumer sports
streaming service. At least 1,000 American events will be featured on the
platform beginning in 2022-23 and in each subsequent year of the contract. In
the first two years, 1,250 events (500 in 2020-21 and 750 in 2021-22) will be
distributed on ESPN+.
“I am thrilled with our conference’s multi-year contract extension
with ESPN,” , American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco said. “ESPN
is unquestionably the best media company with which to partner, not only in
television but in overall distribution capabilities and reputation. ESPN’s
multiple linear platforms, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, will provide
unprecedented exposure for our conference and will assure our continued growth
and national impact.
“We are also delighted to be a major part of ESPN+, a fast-growing
and innovative digital platform which will make more of our games, and more of
our sports, available to more fans than ever before," continued Aresco. "I want to thank ESPN President
Jimmy Pitaro and Senior Executive Burke Magnus for their roles in this landmark
negotiation and agreement, and for their support of our conference and their
vision for ESPN.”
“This long-term, multifaceted agreement with The American allows
us to build upon our existing relationship and deliver a comprehensive,
end-to-end exposure solution to the conference for all their content,” ESPN
executive vice president of programming and scheduling Burke Magnus said.
“On our
television networks, The American will continue to be a significant and
consistent component of our industry-leading college sports portfolio of events from the conference we plan to
showcase on ESPN+ will add to a robust programming lineup that includes a vast
array of other college sports events, UFC, MLB, NHL, Top Rank Boxing,
first-tier soccer from around the world, plus high-quality original content and
on-demand offerings," Magnus continued. We are thrilled to showcase the conference across our
platforms and thank American Commissioner Mike Aresco and its member
institutions for the collaborative effort to further enhance its brand’s
national exposure.”
A breakdown of the Conference games that will air across ESPN’s
linear networks throughout the duration of the contract are as follows:
Football
New to ESPN’s TV rights beginning in 2020-21 are all Navy-controlled
football games vs. Notre Dame, plus first pick of the remaining Navy-controlled
football games each year (excluding any games versus Army and Air Force).
Beyond select Navy football games and select men’s basketball games, all
conference controlled football and men’s basketball games from The American will
air on an ESPN network or ESPN+. All women’s basketball controlled games
will also be carried across ESPN’s platforms.
Men’s
Basketball
A minimum of 65 regular-season games per season on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, with at least 25 on ESPN or ESPN2.
Complete annual coverage of the conference tournament across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, including the championship game on ESPN.
Women’s
Basketball
A minimum of 13 regular-season games per season on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, with a minimum of five on ESPN and ESPN2.
Conference Tournament Semifinals on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU and the Conference Final on ESPN or ESPN2.
Olympic
Sports
ESPN+
ESPN+ will carry more than 11,000 events during the term of the agreement, including football, men’s and women’s basketball and Olympic sport contests. It is estimated that between 30-35 conference-controlled football games and approximately 135 men’s basketball games will be distributed annually on the cutting-edge platform. An estimated 160 conference-controlled women’s basketball games, plus first and quarterfinal rounds of the women’s basketball championship, will also be streamed on the digital platform. In addition, hundreds of Olympic sports events will appear on ESPN+, including baseball, women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer, softball and volleyball.
ESPN+ also will be the home to championship action from cross country, golf, indoor and outdoor track & field, soccer, swimming & diving and tennis, as well as select games during the baseball, women’s lacrosse, rowing, softball and volleyball tournaments.
As part of the agreement, all ESPN+ events will be produced
and branded as the American Digital Network, and accessible to fans of the
Conference alongside live streamed events from ESPN networks and other related
video in an American-branded landing page on the ESPN App, providing a one-stop
destination for fans to view conference events. The content will also be served
to fans who select American member schools among their favorites in the ESPN
App. ESPN also is committed to enhancing The American’s brand during all of its
TV Network telecasts.
American content will be available as part of any ESPN+
subscription. Fans can subscribe at www.espnplus.com.
The American and ESPN will operate under the terms of the
existing agreement for the 2019-20 season.
“Our schools are committed to our Power 6 campaign and to
providing our student-athletes with the highest level of competition.” Aresco
added. “This agreement furthers these goals and allows us to continue our
mutually-beneficial relationship with our valued media partner.”
The American Athletic Conference (The American), a member of the
NCAA, was reconstituted in 2013. The American, headquartered in Providence, is
comprised of UConn, UCF, Cincinnati,
ECU, Houston, Memphis, Navy (in football only), USF, SMU, Temple, Tulane and Tulsa.
Wichita State (basketball and Olympic sports) joined the conference in 2017.
Under the leadership of Aresco, The American sponsors 22 championships— 10 for
men and 12 for women— is a member of the College Football Playoff, began new
television partnerships with ESPN and CBS Sports in 2013-14, and has a
marketing partnership with Learfield. For more information, please visit www.TheAmerican.org.
#uconn #espn @espn #ncaa #espn+
—Staff
Reports
