On the day Sharon Lokedi broke the women’s Boston Marathon record, ESPN and the Boston Athletic Association announced a multi-year media rights extension that will keep the Worldwide Leader the exclusive national broadcaster of the famous race. WCVB, a local ABC affiliate in Boston, will continue as the exclusive local broadcaster for the event.
ESPN has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the prestigious marathon since its early days as a cable network. The channel aired coverage of the race in the early 1980s before letting it go later in the decade. Then, ESPN picked up rights to air the race again from 1997 to 2004 before taking nearly two decades off. In 2023, ESPN resumed coverage of the Boston Marathon and will seemingly do so for at least the next two years.
Coverage of next year’s 130th Boston Marathon will air on ESPN from 9 a.m. ET until 12:30 p.m. ET, an upgrade compared to this year’s race which aired on ESPN2 during the same time slot. The race will also stream across ESPN’s digital platforms.
“The Boston Marathon is an iconic event, and we’re thrilled to continue our partnership with the B.A.A. and WCVB to showcase it across ESPN platforms,” ESPN programming executive Tim Bunnell said in a press release. “From the powerful stories to the incredible athleticism and endurance on display, this race inspires every year—and we’re proud to bring that experience to fans.”
Financial terms, and the exact length of the deal, were not disclosed.
