ESPN and the Big South Conference have reached a comprehensive extension to its existing media rights deal, resulting in ESPN becoming the exclusive rights holder of the conference and greatly increasing the conference’s presence on its platforms. ESPN has extended their deal with the Big South Conference while becoming the exclusive rights holder for the conference.
What the Deal Includes:
- More than 900 events on ESPN+ including men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and lacrosse, baseball, and softball
- Select events on ESPN TV including the men’s basketball conference championship game and at least four regular season men’s basketball games
- Every football, men’s and women’s basketball game will be available on a ESPN platform
What They Are Saying:
- ESPN Executive Vice President of Programming and Scheduling Burke Magnus: “Through this innovative multi-platform extension, we have simultaneously bolstered our ESPN+ lineup and continued a long-standing relationship with the Big South Conference. We are thrilled to become the exclusive rights holder for the conference, carrying nearly 1,000 games each year on our platforms, including numerous conference championship games. The Big South also adds to the exclusive content fans can find on ESPN+, which now includes more than 15 college conferences, to go along with professional leagues such as MLB, NHL, MLS and premier events from Grand Slam tennis, Top Rank boxing, UFC and the PGA Tour.”
- Big South Commissioner Kyle Kallander: “This is a great day for the Big South! For 27 years ESPN has carried compelling Big South content, and for 27 years the Big South has been a willing partner for the company’s latest innovation — whether it was ESPNU, ESPN3, or now ESPN+. We have benefited tremendously from ESPN’s leadership in the media landscape, and are thrilled to provide seven more years of comprehensive exposure for Big South student-athletes and member institutions.”
Members of the Big South:
- Campbell University
- Charleston Southern University
- Gardner-Webb University
- Hampton University
- High Point University
- Longwood University
- Radford University
- University of North Carolina at Asheville
- University of South Carolina Upstate
- Winthrop University