ESPN, NCAA Agree to Eight-Year Rights Deal Worth $920 million
ESPN and the NCAA on Thursday announced a new eight-year rights agreement to broadcast championship events, including swimming.
The deal begins in September and runs through the end of the 2031-32 academic year. It covers events on broadcast, cable and streaming, with an agreement to “maximize exposure opportunities on ABC and ESPN.”
Reports indicate that the total amount is $920 million, an annual amount of $115 million. The deal includes the coverage of swimming and diving championships and both men’s and women’s water polo championships.
The deal covers 40 NCAA championships – 21 women’s, 19 men’s – extending right agreements that ESPN already had in place. It adds Division I men’s and women’s tennis championships and collegiate men’s gymnastics coverage while expanding lower-division coverage in football and basketball in particular. ESPN already broadcasts more than 2,300 hours on all platforms yearly with more than 800 hours on linear networks.
It includes a “significant increase in value,” particularly from the women’s basketball tournament, which will lead to the NCAA to exploring new revenue distribution models. (Reporting from The Wall Street Journal indicates that the value of the women’s basketball tournament has grown from $6-$7 million a year to more than $60 million.)
The deal governs the following:
- Men’s championship events: soccer, football (FCS, DII & DIII), cross country, water polo, indoor track & field, swimming & diving, wrestling, ice hockey, gymnastics, fencing, volleyball, lacrosse, outdoor track & field, tennis, baseball and basketball (including DII semifinals & DIII semifinals and championship)
- Women’s championship events: soccer, field hockey, volleyball (including DII & DIII), cross country, indoor track & field, swimming & diving, basketball (including DII & DIII), ice hockey, bowling, gymnastics, fencing, beach volleyball, lacrosse, outdoor track & field, tennis, softball, and water polo
- Other events: men’s National Invitation Tournament (NIT), Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT), NCAA Div I Men’s Basketball Championship international rights
“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,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a press release. “The ESPN networks and platforms will exclusively present a record number of championships, including all rounds of several marquee events that, together with the NCAA, we have grown over time. This unprecedented deal also further strengthens The Walt Disney Company’s industry-leading commitment to women’s sports and will help fuel our continued growth, including in the critical streaming space.”
“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. “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.”
The deal was done in consultation with Endeavor’s IMG and WME Sports, the media advisor to the NCAA.