SEC Announces 10-Year TV Partnership with ESPN and ABC
The Southeastern Conference's time on CBS is coming to an end.
On Thursday evening, the league office announced a 10-year partnership with ESPN and ABC to broadcast exclusive, premier SEC football and basketball games beginning in 2024-2025 and continuing through 2033-2034.
After the current contract with CBS runs up after the 2023 season, ESPN and ABC will have first pick for the SEC's football game of the week and can shift the game times from 3:30 p.m (EST) to primetime.
In addition, eight marquee SEC men's basketball games will be on ABC or ESPN, exclusively. Some non-conference games will be spread out across ABC, ESPN, or ESPN2 for more national exposure.
"This is a significant day for the Southeastern Conference and for the future of our member institutions. Our agreement with ESPN will greatly enhance our ability to support our student-athletes in the years ahead and to further enrich the game day experience for SEC fans around the world," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said. "The broadcast industry's intense and widespread interest in securing the SEC's First Tier rights is a direct reflection of the sustained excellence achieved by our 14 member schools, and we are thrilled to have been able to maximize our current position of strength to benefit our student-athletes, the fans who go to our games and home viewers."
Here is a look into what will be shown on the ESPN family of networks:
- Regular SEC Football Game on ABC on Saturday Afternoons
- Additional football games on ABC Saturday Nights
- SEC Football Championship Game on ABC
- Introduction of a modernized, more fan-friendly scheduling process, with many game windows solidified earlier while providing flexibility to maximize the exposure of the Conference's biggest games
- More marquee men's basketball games on ABC or ESPN
- Additional non-conference men's basketball games on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2
- Beginning with the 2021-22 season, the right to place a limited number of non-conference football and men's basketball games on ESPN+ that will allow schools autonomy to determine start times
"One of our primary goals was to improve the television scheduling process in ways that will benefit our students, coaches, alumni and fans," Sankey said. "With all SEC events now under The Walt Disney Company umbrella, we were able to craft an agreement that includes more lead time for many game time announcements, and in many ways modernizes the college football scheduling process."
