We have the press release from ESPN on its new 12 year agreement with the Pacific 12 Conference that begins in the 2012-13 season. Lots of interesting details in this new agreement.
For football:
- ESPN will share the Pac 12 Football Championship with Fox every other year starting in 2013.
- ESPN will air a total of 22 games on its networks (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3.com).
- ESPN will carry a weekly Saturday night game at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
- ESPN will air four Thursday primetime games and four Friday primetime games.
For basketball:
- ESPN will carry 46 games.
- Games will be aired on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday nights, mostly at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.
- ESPNU will air as many as 28 games.
- ESPN will have the rights to one Pac 12 Tournament quarterfinal and semifinal game.
- ESPN will alternate the Pac 12 Championship Game with Fox every other year starting in 2013.
- And ESPN will also have rights to the Women’s Championship Game.
The rights also include Olympic Sports
Here is the ESPN press release. I’ll post the Fox Sports press release when it becomes available.
ESPN and Pac-12 Reach Wide-Ranging, 12-Year Agreement
More Football Games, New Extensive Regular-Season Basketball Package, Rotating Football and Basketball Championships, and more
ESPN and the Pac-12 Conference have reached a 12-year agreement for extensive conference action across multiple ESPN platforms beginning with the 2012-13 season and continuing through 2024-25, it was announced by John Skipper, ESPN executive vice president, content and Larry Scott, Pac-12 Commissioner.
The deal will deliver more than 80 Pac-12 events each year, highlighted by more football games than the previous agreement, including new Saturday 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT) telecasts, plus the Pac-12 Football Championship Game every other year; the addition of an extensive schedule of men’s regular-season basketball games, as well as select Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament matchups and the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship every other year; and for the first time rights to women’s college basketball and Olympic sports content. As part of the agreement, Fox Sports will offer additional Pac-12 content on its networks.
Pac-12 content will be featured across multiple ESPN entities, including a significant schedule of game telecasts on ESPN, ABC, ESPN2 and ESPNU; rights to distribute Pac-12 action on ESPN 3D, ESPN International, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN FULL COURT, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Buzzer Beater, ESPN3.com, ESPN Classic and ESPN Deportes; and extensive coverage on ESPN.com.
All Pac-12 programming on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Goal Line and ESPN Buzzer Beater will be available online via ESPNnetworks.com and on mobile devices via the Watch ESPN app to fans who receive their video subscription through an affiliated provider.
“Significantly enhancing premier content from a conference with the tradition, passion and excellence of the Pac-12 strengthens our networks’ position as the home for college sports,” said Skipper. “As we grow our longstanding relationship with the conference, fans will be able to watch ESPN’s Pac-12 coverage on any screen they choose.”
Scott added, “We are excited to become a more integral part of the ESPN family. Long an innovator in sports programming, ESPN has truly earned a reputation as a leader in college sports. We look forward to adding to that legacy for the benefit of Pac-12 fans everywhere, and in providing dramatically enhanced national exposure for our institutions and their outstanding programs.”
Highlights of the new agreement include:
- Football: An expanded schedule of 22 regular-season games annually across ESPN, ABC, ESPN2 and ESPNU, highlighted by extensive Saturday night contests, including new 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. PT) telecasts, and four Thursday and four Friday primetime matchups. In addition, an ESPN platform will televise the Pac-12 Football Championship Game every other year beginning in 2013.
- Men’s basketball: ESPN will add men’s regular-season basketball with an extensive schedule of 46 telecasts each year across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, primarily on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday nights, including in new 11 p.m. ET (8 p.m. PT) windows. As part of the agreement, up to 28 games will be televised on ESPNU. ESPN receives the rights to one Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinal and semifinal game, and the championship every other year beginning with the 2012-13 season.
- Women’s basketball: For the first time, ESPN will have direct rights with the Pac-12 Conference for four women’s regular-season basketball games and the addition of the conference tournament championship.
- Olympic sports: As part of the agreement, ESPN will add regular-season Olympic sports contests across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, highlighted by baseball, softball and volleyball.
That will do it for now.
