"ESPN And NCAA Reach New, Eight-Year Media Rights Agreement" - NCAA
Portfolio Pulse from Benzinga Newsdesk
ESPN and the NCAA have announced a new eight-year media rights agreement starting September 1, 2024, for exclusive coverage of 40 NCAA championships, including international rights to the Division I men's basketball tournament. The deal includes over 800 hours of NCAA Championships on ESPN linear networks and over 2,300 hours on ESPN linear and digital platforms annually. The agreement aims to increase exposure for student-athletes, particularly women, and is expected to impact revenue distribution for the women's basketball tournament. Endeavor's IMG and WME Sports advised the NCAA in the negotiations. The deal extends ESPN's relationship with the NCAA, which began in 1979, and will utilize ESPN's broad platform portfolio, including ESPN+, which has over 25 million subscribers.
January 04, 2024 | 4:16 pm
News sentiment analysis
Sort by:
Descending
POSITIVE IMPACT
The Walt Disney Company, through its subsidiary ESPN, has secured an eight-year media rights agreement with the NCAA for exclusive coverage of 40 championships. This deal includes significant content for ESPN's linear and digital platforms, which is likely to enhance Disney's sports programming and streaming service offerings, particularly ESPN+.
The new media rights agreement is directly related to Disney's ESPN and is significant due to the volume of content and the potential for increased viewership and subscriber growth on ESPN+. The focus on women's sports and the commitment to increased exposure align with growing market trends and could positively influence Disney's stock in the short term.
CONFIDENCE 90
IMPORTANCE 85
RELEVANCE 100