ESPN and the NCAA have agreed to an eight-year media rights deal, extending a contract that’s been in place since 1979, when the sports-focused cable network was founded.
Running through 2032, the contract includes the rights to 40 NCAA championships — 21 women’s and 19 men’s events — and exclusives for all rounds in sports like women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, women’s gymnastics, softball, baseball and FCS football. It also provides international rights to the Division I men’s basketball championship. (U.S. rights to men’s March Madness are covered by a seperate rights deal with CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery.)
