Becoming the first college sports conference to sign with the NBC Sports Group, the Colonial Athletic Association signs a five year deal giving TV and digital rights to NBC Sports Network, Comcast SportsNet and NBCSports.com.
Over the life of the contract that begins with the 2012-13 season, NBC Sports Network will air give CAA football games, at least 12 men’s basketball games as well as the CAA Tournament semifinals and championship game.
The Comcast SportsNet regional affiliates will air 13 regular season football games along with 39 men’s and women’s basketball games, the CAA Men’s Tournament quarterfinals plus the CAA Women’s Tournament.
Additional CAA championships will be streamed on NBCSports.com. We have the joint CAA/NBC Sports Group press release below.
CAA AND NBC SPORTS GROUP REACH FIVE-YEAR AGREEMENTS FOR NATIONAL BASKETBALL AND FOOTBALL RIGHTS
RICHMOND, Va. – February 13, 2012 – The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) has reached five-year agreements with the NBC Sports Group that will provide the most extensive and comprehensive exposure of the conference in its history with coverage on NBC Sports Network and across the group’s regional sports networks.
The agreements, which begin with the 2012-13 season and runs through 2016-17, will provide national television coverage of CAA men’s basketball and football games on the NBC Sports Network, regional television coverage of CAA men’s and women’s basketball and football through the Comcast SportsNet regional networks and coverage of a variety of other CAA sports through NBCSports.com. The CAA is the first collegiate athletic conference to sign a broadcast agreement with the NBC Sports Network, which launched on January 2, 2012.
“We are thrilled to be associated with the NBC Sports Group,” CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager said. “The NBC Sports Network now provides a national platform to elevate the conference in conjunction with the relationship we’ve had with the Comcast SportsNets, which have been the foundation of our television package for almost three decades.”
“We are very excited to begin our new relationship with the Colonial Athletic Association and extend our college sports offerings,” said Michael Sheehey, Senior Vice President, Sports Content and College Sports, NBC Sports Group. “Given our unique four-tier portfolio of assets, we are able to deliver high-quality production of the conference’s football, basketball and other sports to viewers nationally, regionally and online unlike anyone else.
NBC Sports Network will provide national television coverage for a minimum of 12 men’s basketball games each year, including the semifinals and finals of the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship. In addition, the NBC Sports Network will televise a minimum of five CAA Football games annually. CAA Football is regarded as the top conference in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
The Comcast SportsNet regional networks, which have partnered with the CAA for the past 28 years, will regionally televise 39 additional men’s and women’s basketball games, including the quarterfinals of the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship and the semifinals and finals of the CAA Women’s Basketball Championship. The Comcast Sports Group will also televise an additional 13 regular-season CAA Football games.
Throughout the term of the agreement, there are plans to telecast numerous additional CAA games and various CAA championships on NBCSports.com.
SUMMARY OF CAA AGREEMENT WITH THE NBC SPORTS GROUP
- 12 national telecasts of CAA men’s basketball games, including national television coverage of the semifinals and finals of the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship for the first time.
- Five national telecasts of CAA Football games for the first time in conference history.
- A strong regional television package maintained with the Comcast SportsNet regional networks, featuring 39 men’s and women’s basketball games and 13 football games.
- Numerous other CAA games and CAA championships broadcast on NBCSports.com.
The Colonial Athletic Association is a 12-member Division I athletic conference with a geographic footprint that stretches from Boston to Atlanta and encompasses five of the nation’s nine largest metropolitan areas. The CAA has had two men’s basketball teams (George Mason – 2006, VCU – 2011) and one women’s basketball team (Old Dominion – 1997) advance to the NCAA Final Four and has produced 16 national team champions in five different sports. Member schools include the University of Delaware, Drexel University, George Mason University, Georgia State University, Hofstra University, James Madison University, the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Northeastern University, Old Dominion University, Towson University, Virginia Commonwealth University and the College of William and Mary.
CAA Football is an 11-member Division I conference that competes in the Football Championship Subdivision. CAA Football has produced five national champions (Massachusetts – 1998, Delaware – 2003, James Madison – 2004, Richmond – 2008, Villanova – 2009) and has had a team advance to the national title game in five of the last six years. Member schools include the University of Delaware, Georgia State University, James Madison University, the University of Maine, the University of New Hampshire, Old Dominion University, the University of Rhode Island, the University of Richmond, Towson University, Villanova University and the College of William and Mary.
More stuff as it becomes available.
