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ESPN and the Southeastern Conference have just signed a 10-year deal giving exclusive airing and coverage rights on all SEC Football and Men's Basketball games, effective in 2024. Talks of a deal had been in-the-making between the two for some time, and they have now agreed to make it official.
This deal will include ABC, which like ESPN is owned by Disney, and will give air time to at least one SEC game per week, with the option to air a second prime-time game. ABC's Saturday Night Football program did not have the rights to air SEC games prior to this agreement, and will not have rights to do so until the deal becomes active in 2024. This deal will provide a huge SEC fanbase with even more coverage of their favorite school's football and basketball teams. The SEC will subsequently end their deal with CBS when this deal kicks in in 2024.
"This is a significant day for the Southeastern Conference and for the future of our member institutions. Our agreement with ESPN will greatly enhance our ability to support our student-athletes in the years ahead and to further enrich the game day experience for SEC fans around the world," said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey to ESPN.
ESPN+ also benefits, gains SEC airing rights
ESPN+ has also benefited from this agreement, acquiring the rights to up to 14 football games and over 20 basketball games featuring SEC schools per year. The 10-year deal is following a 20-year deal, signed in 2013, between the SEC and ESPN that is also due to expire in 2033-34. These deals will coincide and give ESPN and its partner networks nearly full control over SEC football and college basketball.
Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN Chairman of Sports Content, had this to say regarding the agreement, "With all the conference's games under the ESPN umbrella and adding ABC and ESPN+ to our distribution channels, ESPN will have complete scheduling flexibility, resulting in maximum exposure and adding significant benefits for SEC schools and fans."
SEC fans should be very excited, not just for the upcoming coverage of their teams, but for the direction of the conference as a whole. This amount of air-time will undoubtedly assist SEC schools in their recruiting process and improve their already top-of-the-line facilities. SEC schools are already a hot-spot for big talent, and it could be only the beginning.
