Washington DC — The Atlantic 10 Conference has secured new five-year agreements with longtime partners CBS Sports, ESPN and NBC Sports to bolster media and television rights. The agreements, announced Thursday, significantly increase men’s and women’s basketball’s national exposure, brand marketing, production investment and rights fee revenue for the A-10 membership starting with the 2024-25 season.
The new agreements represent a 40 percent increase in rights fee revenue, a significant expansion of the league’s robust linear television coverage, and a 30 percent increase in the number of NBA Championship games compared to previous agreements. Endeavor’s WME Sports and IMG advised A-10 on the new deals.
“This media rights agreement is an important part of maintaining the National League’s stature, brand and importance in men’s and women’s basketball. Our organizations, student-athletes, coaches and fans will benefit because the A-10’s coverage will remain comprehensive,” said Bernadette McGlade, Atlantic 10 Commissioner. Our relationship with CBS Sports, ESPN and NBC Sports and to expand these distinguished partnerships. I thank each media company and their leadership as well as Endeavor’s WME Sports and IMG teams for their commitment to the Atlantic 10 Conference.”
CBS Television Network and Paramount+ will continue to present the men’s basketball tournament final as part of their NCAA Selection Sunday coverage, while ESPN will retain the women’s basketball tournament final. CBS Sports Network will continue to carry the men’s and women’s semifinals.
“As partners of the Atlantic 10 for more than two decades, we are thrilled to expand our long-standing relationship with the conference,” said Dan Weinberg, executive vice president of programming, CBS Sports. “We look forward to remaining the primary home of A-10 basketball for the postseason, including the men’s tournament final and the men’s and women’s semifinals, as well as offering an expanded slate of regular-season men’s and women’s basketball games across our platforms.”
ESPN Networks will continue to broadcast the top A-10 regular season picks in men’s and women’s basketball. The league also strengthened its broadcast rights agreement with ESPN+. Combined with linear expansion, and additional television markets created in recent years, A-10 now has exceptional distribution to serve its fans in a national media footprint. All basketball games not broadcast by a line partner will be broadcast on ESPN+, as will a large number of Olympic sports competitions. Over the past two years, A-10 organizations have produced more than 1,000 events each year on ESPN+, the leading sports streaming service.
“ESPN has had a collaborative and productive relationship with the Atlantic 10 Conference for more than 25 years, and we are very pleased to continue working together through this media rights extension,” said Dan Margolis, senior director of programming and acquisitions at ESPN. “We look forward to showcasing more top competition and exceptional student-athletes in the coming years across a variety of A-10 sports on our networks and ESPN+.”
All fourteen (14) games of the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball Tournament will be broadcast on linear television. NBC Sports will add three opening games to its linear coverage to cap full national television coverage of the tournament. The A-10 Women’s Championship quarterfinals, and four additional games, will now be carried by NBC Sports to bring the women’s national broadcast to seven (7) championship games. NBC Sports games will be broadcast on USA Network. Tournament coverage as well as 28 regular season games are broadcast by NBC Sports.
“NBC Sports is pleased to continue our partnership with the Atlantic-10 Conference for the next five seasons,” said Matthew Grassi, director of programming and rights management at NBC Sports. “Adding more men’s tournament games and the first set of women’s tournament games to our platforms will only increase the exposure of the A-10 to college basketball fans.”
Atlantic 10 affiliates are present in states with 39.9 million TV households, 33 percent of the total national market. A-10 organizations are located in seven of the top 30 media markets, including New York (1), Chicago (3), Philadelphia (4), Washington (8), Charlotte (21), St. Louis (24), and Pittsburgh. (26). All 15 organizations are in or near the top 60 media markets.
During the term of this decade, the A-10 will celebrate its 50th anniversaryy Anniversary as a Division I conference during the 2025-26 academic year. All three media partners are committed to participating in this festive season.
“This is a strong and exciting result for the A-10,” said Dr. Eric Spina, President of the University of Dayton and Chairman of the A-10 Presidents Council. “The A-10 is a proud basketball conference with competitive and dynamic games all season long. We value and value our broadcast partners, and it is clear they value the A-10.”
Convention facts
conditions
- • Five-year agreement
- • The 2024-25 sports season until the 2028-29 sports season
financial affairs
- • Not disclosed
- • Providing a significant increase in fees for television broadcast rights for the conference
Platforms
- • LINEAR: ESPN, CBS/Paramount+, CBS Sports, USA Network/NBC Sports
- • Streaming: ESPN+ (excluding nationally-selected games)
- • Additional: Select regional/local linear coverage of non-national games
Regular Season Basketball Programming – Linear Coverage
- • 98 men’s and women’s basketball games
- • 28 men’s regular season games and eight women’s regular season games, plus additional studio coverage and original programming on CBS Sports Network
- • ESPN Networks will broadcast 11 men’s regular season games and two women’s games
- • NBC Sports will broadcast 25 men’s regular season games and three women’s regular season games
Basketball tournament programming – linear coverage
- • All 14 men’s basketball tournament games
- o Rounds 1 and 2, Quarterfinals – USA Network/NBC Sports
- o Semifinals – CBS Sports Network
- o Final – CBS and Paramount+
- • Women’s basketball quarter-finals, semi-finals and final (7 matches)
- o Quarterfinals – USA Network/NBC Sports
- o Semifinals – CBS Sports Network
- o Final – ESPN Networks
Broadcast coverage
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- • Linear games will be streamed via the partner that carries that game
- • All other basketball games not selected for national linear coverage on ESPN+
- • Women’s Basketball Tournament First and Second Rounds on ESPN+
- • At least approximately 650 Olympic sporting events on ESPN+
About the Atlantic 10 Conference
The Atlantic 10 Conference was founded in 1975 and consists of 15 diverse members across nine states and Washington, D.C. The mission of the Atlantic 10 is to provide an enhanced student-athlete experience through 22 nationally competitive sports leagues. The basketball-focused conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing high-quality tournament experiences for student-athletes, coaches and support staff. Membership consists of Davidson College, University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, George Mason University, George Washington University, La Salle University, Loyola University Chicago, University of Massachusetts, University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph’s University, and St. Louis and Virginia Commonwealth University. For more information visit www.atlantic10.com.
About ESPN and ESPN+
ESPN, the world’s leading multi-platform sports entertainment brand, includes eight U.S. television networks, the leading sports app, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, and leading social and digital platforms, ESPN.comESPN Audio, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent to Hearst.
ESPN+ is the #1 sports streaming platform, serving fans in the U.S. with exclusive access to over 27,000 live sporting events each year, an unparalleled library of on-demand replays and popular original content, and premium written pieces by top reporters and analysts. From ESPN.com. Fans sign up for ESPN+ for just $10.99 per month (or $109.99 per year) on ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or in the ESPN app on mobile and connected devices. For more visit ESPN+ Press Kit.
About CBS Sports
CBS Sports, the year-round leader in cross-platform sports coverage, broadcasts a range of events on the CBS Television Network, including NFL ON CBS; College football, including BIG TEN ON CBS; College basketball, including the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament; Golf, including The Masters®, PGA Championship and PGA TOUR; Football, including the Champions League and NWSL; and CBS SPORTS SPECTACULAR. Additionally, the division includes CBS Sports Network, the 24-hour flagship cable network of CBS Sports that broadcasts live sports programming year-round, including football, college basketball, and Champions League soccer games, and European Championship, League One, and CONCACAF. and NWSL, plus a full slate of original programming and studio coverage. CBS Sports also offers a wide range of global soccer coverage on Paramount+, including every match in UEFA club competitions, all Serie A matches as well as Concacaf national team competitions. CBS Sports’ multi-platform offerings include CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports apps for mobile phones and connected TVs; 24/7 streaming sports news network CBS SPORTS HQ; CBS SPORTS GOLAZO NETWORK, a 24-hour free-to-air football broadcast network; 247Sports; maxPreps; CBS fantasy sports; And SportsLine.
About NBC Sports
NBC Sports connects people to the moments that matter most and serves sports fans 24/7 with premium live events, insightful studio shows and engaging original programming. As the sports division of NBCUniversal, NBC Sports delivers premium content across the linear platforms NBC, USA Network and Golf Channel, as well as numerous digital sites, including Peacock. NBC Sports has an unparalleled portfolio of media rights agreements, partnering with some of the world’s most prestigious sports organizations: International Olympic Committee, US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, NFL, Big Ten Conference, NASCAR, INDYCAR, PGA TOUR, Notre Dame, R&A, PGA of America, USGA , Churchill Downs, Premier League, MLB, Tour de France, Roland Garros, and many more. It also consists of NBC Sports Next, a subdivision of NBC Sports and home to all of NBCUniversal’s digital apps in sports and technology within its three groups: Youth, Sports Entertainment, Golf, and Betting and Gaming.
About WME
WME is a leading entertainment agency representing the world’s greatest artists, content creators and talent across books, digital media, fashion, film, food, music, sports, television and theatre. Named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, WME is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company.
About IMG
IMG is a global sports, events and representation company. It is a leader in rights management, multi-channel content production and distribution, consulting and fan engagement; Owns, produces and commercially represents hundreds of live events and experiences; It manages licensing programs for the world’s most famous brands and trademarks. IMG is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company.
The Atlantic 10 conference has reached a milestone in securing media rights deals with three major networks – CBS Sports, ESPN and NBC Sports. The agreement ensures that Atlantic 10 events and games will be prominently featured on these platforms, providing increased visibility and exposure for the conference and its member institutions. This significant partnership is a testament to the growing strength and appeal of the Atlantic 10, and sets the stage for an exciting future for the conference and its talented student-athletes.