ESPN and the NCAA sign an 8-year, $920 million media rights agreement.

• The NCAA and ESPN have agreed on a new media rights deal that will last from 2024 to 2032.
• The deal is roughly triple the value of the current deal.
• The agreement will provide more exposure and revenue to women’s sports.

The NCAA and have agreed to a new eight-year media rights deal worth over $115 million annually, reflecting the increasing value of sports media rights.

The new agreement is worth approximately three times the current 14-year contract, which amounts to around $120 million annually.

An NCAA spokesperson confirmed that an additional 25% or $28.75 million annually will be allocated towards production and marketing expenses.

ESPN and the NCAA have had a successful and cooperative partnership for over 40 years, and we are excited that it will continue under this new, multi-year contract, stated ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro.

The new agreement, effective from September 1st, 2021, to 2032, grants the holder the rights to 40 NCAA championships, including 21 women's and 19 men's events. Additionally, it offers exclusive coverage of all rounds for women's basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, softball, baseball, and FCS football. Furthermore, the agreement provides international rights to the 40 championships and the Division I men's basketball championship.

NCAA President Charlie Baker stated that having a single, multi-platform platform to showcase championships offers additional growth opportunities and a superior viewing experience for both the audience and student-athletes.

Women's sports have been a shining light in the evolving sports media industry, with record ratings in recent years. ESPN has profited from broadcasting the NCAA women's basketball tournament and the WNBA playoffs, among other sports.

The NCAA's deal with IMG and WME Sports, as advised by Endeavor, is estimated to have 57% of its value tied to women's college basketball, according to Baker, who spoke to the Associated Press.

The NCAA announced that it will examine revenue distribution units for the women's basketball tournament due to the significant rise in the value of its media rights, a topic the organization has been discussing since last year.

The women's tournament was overshadowed by complaints of inequality last year, as several players shared on social media that their facilities were significantly worse than the men's facilities.

The new media rights agreement will result in several improvements to student-athlete benefits across all NCAA divisions. This deal will help fund these important programs. Additionally, the national, integrated platform provided by the ESPN family of networks will increase the visibility of many NCAA sports, particularly for women student-athletes, as stated by Linda Livingstone, chair of the NCAA Board of Governors and Baylor University president.

The partnership between ESPN and the NCAA has endured over 45 years, dating back to ESPN's inception in 1979.