The NCAA and ESPN announced on Thursday a $920 million, eight-year agreement that will give the network exclusive rights to 40 championships, including the Division I women’s basketball tournament.
NCAA president Charlie Baker told the Sports Business Journal that the contract is worth $115 million annually, an increase of more than 300% per year on what the previous 14-year deal with ESPN was paying the association. Baker said: “Yes, it’s a bundle, but it’s a bigger bundle and it’s a bigger bundle that will be much better …We had lots of conversations with lots of third parties and lots of interested parties, but we stayed with ESPN as long as they continued to make progress on the deal. I do believe this was the best deal that was available.” Baker added in an NCAA news release: “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.”
ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a news release: “ESPN and the NCAA have enjoyed a strong and collaborative relationship for more than four decades, and we are thrilled that it will continue as part of this new, long-term agreement,” adding, “From Day 1, we made it very clear to Charlie and team that we were interested in an extension on the exclusivity side as well as the fact that we were interested in acquiring more rights, not less.”
The broadcast deal includes domestic rights to 21 women’s and 19 men’s championship events, adding tennis, track and field, men’s gymnastics, the women’s Division II and III volleyball and basketball championships and the men’s DII and DIII basketball championships – as well as international rights to those championships — totaling more than 2,300 hours of championship event coverage each year. ESPN will also air selection shows for at least 10 championships on its linear networks.
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