NCAA, ESPN reach broadcast deal for championships that creates women's basketball payouts

[SHGopher]

NCAA, ESPN reach broadcast deal for championships that creates women's basketball payouts

The NCAA and ESPN announced that 40 NCAA championships, including women's basketball, baseball and softball, will be on ESPN for the next eight years.

www.usatoday.com

"Less than a year after the NCAA women's basketball tournament, softball and women's volleyball championships all drew record-breaking television ratings, the NCAA has a new media rights deal to broadcast its postseason sports outside of the Bowl Subdivision football and the men's basketball tournament.

And while the deal is significantly more than the last, it’s also considerably less than some were expecting."

Also see:

NCAA agrees to $920 million, 8-year deal with ESPN for women's March Madness, 39 other championships

The NCAA and ESPN have agreed to a $920 million, eight-year deal that will give the network exclusive rights to 40 championships, including the Division I women’s basketball tournament.

apnews.com

NCAA secured media rights deal for women's college basketball ... but now the real work begins

NCAA president Charlie Baker can make two strong moves that will build trust with women's basketball coaches and grow the sport.

theathletic.com

ESPN and NCAA Reach New, Eight-Year Media Rights Agreement - NCAA.org

ESPN and the NCAA have reached a new, eight-year agreement beginning Sept. 1, 2024, for NCAA championships media rights. The deal includes domestic rights to a record 34

www.ncaa.org

 

[Katogopher]

Not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand like that women sports are being recognized as being able to draw viewers in when given a chance. On the other hand, ESPN has a definite preference for the SEC. I hate the god awful whip around coverage of SEC and UConn games in the NCAA’s. I’m sure we’re gonna have to ante up for ESPN plus if we want to see a Big Ten or PAC 12 or any mid major team in the tournament. Yes let’s all watch South Carolina slaughter a 16 seed In WBB.

 

[SHGopher]

"With the significant increase in value of the new agreement, NCAA members will explore revenue distribution units for the women's basketball tournament," the NCAA said in its statement. "The Division I Board of Directors Finance committee began discussion of revenue distribution philosophies and new models this year, and those discussions will continue with membership in the coming year."


More details are emerging.

Women’s Sports Drive Value of NCAA’s New ESPN Deal

The eight-year broadcast-rights contract for 40 sports’ championships is worth $115 million a year, triple the value of the previous deal.

www.wsj.com

The eight-year broadcast-rights contract for 40 sports’ championships is worth $115 million a year, triple the value of the previous deal​

Some women’s basketball coaches wanted the NCAA to sell their tournament rights separately. But ESPN’s versatility in producing a range of NCAA championships and its work to grow women’s basketball made keeping the tournament in a bundle the best option, those who worked on the deal said.

The new deal does create a path to something else women’s basketball coaches want: a system of sharing tournament revenues with participating schools like the men’s tournament has. That would have to be approved by NCAA member schools.

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NCAA signs lucrative TV deal for championships, but women’s college hoops stays in bundle

Despite lobbying from coaches, women's college basketball won't have a stand-alone broadcasting deal for March Madness.

theathletic.com

Ultimately, the NCAA and ESPN agreed to keep the bundle and valued the women’s basketball tournament at about $65 million per year under its portion of the agreement.

NCAA president Charlie Baker acknowledged in an interview that selling women’s basketball on its own was not viable given the realities of the market.

“We said from the beginning that we wanted the best deal that we could get for all of our championships,” Baker told The Athletic. “There was a lot of informal conversation that took place with many other potential participants in this negotiation, but the one who constantly engaged and the one I would argue was the most enthusiastic in a significant way throughout the course of this was ESPN.