Jan. 29, 2010
INDIANAPOLIS - The Horizon League and ESPN have announced a multi-year agreement through 2013 for continued coverage of League basketball on the ESPN family of networks.
The announcement was made by Burke Magnus, senior vice president of college sports programming for ESPN, and Horizon League Commissioner Jonathan B. LeCrone, and makes ESPN the exclusive national cable home for Horizon League men's basketball events.
The new pact includes distribution rights for Horizon League programming across multiple ESPN platforms, including ESPNU.com, ESPN360.com, ESPN Pay-Per-View, ESPN Video-on-Demand, ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, ESPN Deportes and more.
"We are excited to extend our exclusive agreement with the Horizon League and to add more coverage to our schedule," said Magnus. "With this agreement, college sports fans will continue to see the quality and depth of the Horizon League in more ways than ever before."
Over the three-year deal, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN360.com will provide coverage of a minimum of 60 Horizon League events, including men's basketball regular-season games and selected rounds of the League's men's and women's basketball championships.
Coverage of at least seven regular-season basketball games as well as the men's basketball championship semifinals and the women's basketball championship game each year of the contract on ESPNU.
A minimum of four regular-season men's basketball appearances annually on ESPN or ESPN2, plus the men's basketball championship game during "Championship Week."
Annual coverage of seven men's basketball games exclusive to ESPN360.com, ESPN's live broadband sports network, as well as simulcasts of additional ESPN Full Court games. Continued participation by all 10 Horizon League teams in the annual BracketBusters event.
"We are extremely pleased to extend our agreement with ESPN, which has been a long-time partner with the Horizon League," said LeCrone. "This extension recognizes the growth of our League and also takes advantage of new and emerging technologies while taking into account the fluid distribution-marketplace of today's media world."
The ESPN agreement is part of the Horizon League's comprehensive approach to content distribution. In addition to ESPN's platforms, the League's television distribution currently includes the new eight-game Horizon League Network Game of the Week men's basketball syndicated series, free video streaming of more than 400 live events -- including more than 250 basketball games -- on HorizonLeagueNetwork.tv, and more than 70 locally televised games.
Fans can listen to podcasts featuring exclusive interviews with UIC head coaches, staff and student-athletes in two ways:
1. Download the free UIC Athletics Widget and click on the "UIC Flames Podcasts" link
2. Download podcasts for free on iTunes by searching "UIC Flames."
Fans wishing to learn more about affordable and flexible UIC ticket plans are encouraged to call 312-413-UIC1 or visit www.uicflames.com and click on the "Tickets" tab on the Flames home page.
