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, an event growing in popularity that the association has been accused of undervaluing in the past.
NCAA President Charlie Baker told The Associated Press the deal has an average annual value of $115 million, an increase of more than 300% per year on what the previous 14-year deal with ESPN was paying the association.
“Yes, it’s a bundle, but it’s a bigger bundle and it’s a bigger bundle that will be much better,” Baker said.
The deal covers 21 women’s and 19 men’s sports, 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.
The deal guarantees national championship events in Division I women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, women’s gymnastics, and the second-tier of Division I football known as FCS will be aired on ABC, though it does not guarantee any start times.
ESPN will also air selection shows for at least 10 championships on its linear networks.
“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,” Baker said. “I do believe this was the best deal that was available.”
Baker said the NCAA’s media consultant, Endeavor’s IMG and WME Sports, has estimated about 57% of the value of the deal — or $65 million annually — is tied to the women’s March Madness tournament.
The popularity of the women’s tournament has steadily increased during its time as an exclusive ESPN property, setting viewership records last year. The title game between LSU with Angel Reese and Iowa with Caitlin Clark drew nearly 10 millions viewers.
“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,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said.
Baker said NCAA membership will discuss creating performance units paid out to conferences for success in the women’s tournament similar to those paid out for the men’s tournament.
The rights to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament are owned by CBS and Warner Brothers Discovery, a deal that…
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