The Big South Conference is sticking with ESPN for the foreseeable future. The network announced on Wednesday that the two sides have reached a six-year extension to its media rights agreement that will see the Big South remain on ESPN platforms through the 2030-31 season.
At the conclusion of this extension, the Big South will have spent 40 years airing on ESPN platforms.
Per ESPN’s press release, the six-year extension will see the Big South’s basketball championship games continue to air on ESPN’s linear networks; the men’s game on either ESPN or ESPN2 and the women’s game on ESPNU. Additionally, ESPNU will televise six events per season with a minimum of four men’s basketball games, with two additional linear windows set aside for ESPNU or ESPNEWS.
ESPN+ (now branded ESPN Select) will remain the exclusive digital home for Big South content. All football, men’s and women’s basketball, and Olympic sports broadcasts produced by the Big South will stream on ESPN+. The agreement will also allow the Big South to shop up to 50 games each season to local networks, with those games also remaining on ESPN+.
“Our extended agreement is a testament to ESPN’s strong commitment to our Conference, the compelling experiences of our student-athletes, and the competitive excellence that defines our sport programs — especially in basketball,” Big South commissioner Sherika A. Montgomery said in a press release.
The new extension should provide a level of stability for the Big South knowing its content will remain on a widely accessible platform for the next several years.
Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.