Questions or comments? E-mail me Barrett Sallee
The landmark, 15-year deal that was announced today between the SEC and ESPN comes on the heels of the massive national TV deal that CBS and the SEC announced just two weeks ago. The deal with ESPN will bring more SEC content to virtually every medium that ESPN offers. So, what will change once the deal kicks in next season? For the SEC football fan, lots.
CBS will get the first pick of which game they would like to broadcast every week. However, after that, ESPN will have the rights to every other SEC home football game. And, from the looks of it, they are going to be showing virtually all of them. ESPN and ESPN2 will broadcast a minimum of 20 SEC home games per season, including primetime games and at least two Thursday night games. ESPNU will show a minimum of 13 SEC home football games per season, most of which will be primetime games. ESPN Regional Television will have a minimum of 13 games per season, which will take the place of the 12:30pm ET slot formally occupied by Raycom Sports. These games will be offered as syndicated programming in local markets across the SEC viewing area, exactly the same way the Raycom broadcast is currently offered.
In addition to the traditional lineup of games being broadcast, the deal incorporates an abundance of online content. ESPN360.com will offer select live simulcasts of SEC football games online, ESPN.com will offer video highlights, and ESPN Mobile TV will offer mobile users the ability to watch games on their cell phones.
The deal also includes rights to show SEC games live on ESPN International, the option to show live, historic and “Instant Classic” games on ESPN Classic, and Spanish-language rights to ESPN Deportes.
So, what does this mean to SEC fans? It means that the SEC just upped the ante. The league already has locked up the only true national broadcast with the CBS deal, but now it’s got the Worldwide Leader in Sports making the biggest commitment that they’ve ever made to any national entity. You, the consumer, will be able to have SEC football at your fingertips no matter where you are. It raises the national and international perception of the SEC and gives access to millions of people, who wouldn’t have had it before. And to think, some people think that ESPN hates the SEC. Well, so much for that!
Story Archive:
SEC and ESPN Reach Mega Deal – August 25, 2008
What Will Happen In The SEC – August 18, 2008
Bama Is Not Back – August 5, 2008
SEC Under-The-Radar Games – July 26, 2008
Enough With The Buckeyes – July 16, 2008
SEC Coaches: How Many Is Too Many? - July 8, 2008
New Coordinators No Problem For Auburn - July 1, 2008
Questions or comments? E-mail me Barrett Sallee