ESPN expands Big 12 territory

ESPN and the Big 12 Conference tied up an expansion of the current rights agreement, which runs through the 2024-25 season. The tweaked deal now adds the Big 12 Football Championship exclusively on ABC or ESPN every year through 2024 – adding three additional championship games (2019, 2021 and 2023) overall. In addition, the del will bring hundreds of Big 12 events – including exclusive football and basketball games, as well as multiple other sports, conference championships and original content – to ESPN+. As part of the agreement, all ESPN+ events will be produced and presented under a Big 12-branded offering to be developed by the conference and ESPN, and launched on ESPN+ ahead of the start of the 2019-20 athletic season.

“We appreciate the continued collaboration with our friends at the Big 12 Conference and their commitment to innovation,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN executive vice president, programming & scheduling. “This enhancement to our rights agreement reflects an ongoing desire to give Big 12 fans access to their favorite teams and hundreds of more contests, while embracing the power of technology and the expanded nature of sports consumption with ESPN+.”

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