The Big West and ESPN have struck a new multi-year, multi-platform media rights agreement.
The conference is continuing its relationship with the league for years to come. 600-plus live events are airing on ESPN+, and the networks are continuing their coverage of the semifinals and finals of the men’s basketball tournament. Additionally, nine regular-season events are being broadcasted on ESPN and ESPN2, including five men’s basketball games.
“The Big West has been a mainstay of our men’s basketball programming for decades, and we’re excited to further highlight the conference, its student-athletes, and member institutions with this new, dynamic media rights agreement,” ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions Dan Margulis said. “ESPN platforms will now be the destination for the best of the Big West’s 18 sponsored sports.”
The conference houses schools like the University of Hawaii, Long Beach State, and many of the University of California School System campuses. The Big West Conference was formed in 1969 and is a part of NCAA Division I with 11 academic institutions. The conference sponsors 18 sports at the NCAA Division I level.
“The exposure generated in this agreement sets a new standard by delivering a tenfold increase in the number of Big West games and content available to our fans on ESPN networks,” Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly said. “Aligning the Big West with the strongest and most innovative sports media company in the world, as well as the creativity and storytelling of Disney, is an unmistakable opportunity for us to engage our fan base with compelling content both live and on-demand.”
The Big West has been a part of the ESPN family of networks for nearly forty years, with the relationship beginning in the late-80s. The Big West Men’s Basketball Championship has been a consistent mainstay during ESPN’s Champ Week. Now it’ll be in that rotation for years to come.