ESPN and the Mid-American Conference (MAC) have announced an extension of their exclusive rights agreement that will deliver record coverage of the conference across multiple ESPN platforms through 2026-27. Highlights of the 13-year pact:
- ESPN, the MAC and its 12 member institutions working jointly to develop in-house production capabilities that will provide significant national coverage for MAC sports on ESPN3. As a result, ESPN3 will showcase a minimum of 420 events a year (a minimum of 120 men’s basketball) once all 12 institutions have launched a production program.
- Every MAC-controlled football matchup will be available on one of ESPN’s national networks or via an ESPN sublicense agreement with additional outlets. The football schedule will continue to feature regular Thursday, Friday and Saturday games, select Tuesday and Wednesday prime time matchups, and an annual “MACsgiving” contest on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
- ESPN will continue to provide multi-platform coverage of regular-season men’s basketball and the conference championship.
“This extension, and expansion, of our agreement significantly increases the live event coverage for fans while providing tremendous value to ESPN, the MAC and its member institutions,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN senior vice president, programming & acquisitions.
MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher added, “This is a historic day for the Mid-American Conference. ESPN and the MAC have a long history together and were visionary in embracing mid-week football which continues to be a significant presence on the ESPN college football calendar. The length of this partnership brings long term stability for the Conference well into the next decade.”
With the comprehensive deal, ESPN will receive rights to distribute MAC content across multiple entities, including: ESPN, ESPN on ABC, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN3, WatchESPN, ESPN Mobile TV, ESPN GamePlan, ESPN FULL COURT, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Buzzer Beater, ESPN International, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Classic and ESPN.com.