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Continuing a relationship that spans more than 31 years, the Western Athletic Conference and ESPN have announced a new multi-year, multi-platform media rights agreement that will see over 500 annual events on ESPN+ and the ESPN App. ESPN will also televise select regular season men’s basketball games and the championship games for the WAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments on ESPN linear networks.
“The WAC and ESPN have a long history together and it’s exciting to continue that relationship into the future,’ said WAC commissioner Jeff Hurd. “ESPN remains the gold standard when it comes to sports and this multi-year agreement will continue to assist in the WAC’s growth nationally.”
“As the WAC expands its fan base into new markets across the country, we’re pleased to continue ESPN’s association with the conference, which started more than three decades ago. With more than 500 annual events included in this new agreement, we look forward to showcasing the WAC’s talented student-athletes and member institutions,” said Dan Margulis, ESPN senior director, programming and acquisitions.
All home football and men’s and women’s basketball games will reside on ESPN platforms, as well as selected other events. The WAC will also produce and air over 70 championship events on ESPN+ in the upcoming year.
“Enhancing our relationship with ESPN allows fans around the WAC and the country to see our stellar brand of college sports,” added WAC executive director of broadcasting Eric Danner. “ESPN+ has grown exponentially in the past three years and we are thrilled to now have hundreds of regular season events and WAC championship productions associated with the strongest brand in sports.”
In May 1995, the WAC became the first conference in the country to have an exclusive contract with ESPN for football and basketball games. The conference’s extensive history with ESPN includes having nearly all WAC championship events on ESPN+ since the platform launched in the summer of 2018.
About the WAC
The WAC is a Division I conference located in the southern metro Denver area. The member institutions are Abilene Christian University; California Baptist University; Chicago State University; Dixie State University; Grand Canyon University; Lamar University; New Mexico State University; Sam Houston State University; Seattle University; Stephen F. Austin State University; Tarleton State University; The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; and Utah Valley University. In addition, Southern Utah University joins the league on July 1, 2022. The WAC crowns team and individual champions in 20 sports – 10 men’s and 10 women’s. For more information, visit WACsports.com and follow the WAC on Twitter @WACsports.
About ESPN+
ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 14.9 million subscribers.
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads).
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