On January 4, 2024, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and ESPN announced a new eight-year NCAA championships media rights agreement that will begin on September 1, 2024. Per ESPN’s press release, the deal includes domestic media rights to 40 NCAA championships – 21 women’s and 19 men’s events – and international rights to those same NCAA championships, including the Division I men’s basketball tournament. The deal is worth $920 million ($115 million per year) and values the Division I women’s basketball tournament alone at $65 million annually.
Of the 40 championships included under the agreement, it includes the following:
- Men’s Championships – soccer, football (FCS, Division II & Division III), cross country, water polo, indoor track & field, swimming & diving, wrestling, ice hockey, gymnastics, fencing, volleyball, lacrosse, outdoor track & field, tennis, baseball and basketball (including Division II and Division III semifinals and championships)
- Women’s Championships – soccer, field hockey, volleyball (including Division II & Division III), cross country, indoor track & field, swimming & diving, basketball (including Division II & Division III), ice hockey, bowling, gymnastics, fencing, beach volleyball, lacrosse, outdoor track & field, tennis, softball, and water polo.
- Also: men’s National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT); and NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship (international rights).
Interestingly, while the deal does not include the FBS, the College Football Playoff, or the Division I men’s basketball tournament, the deal does include the media rights to the Division I women’s basketball tournament, despite speculation that the NCAA would look to adopt a similar model to how it sells the media rights to the Division I men’s basketball tournament, given the influx of viewers and interest in the women’s tournament. Regardless, the new deal will undoubtedly draw more attention to all sports included, which in turn will likely create more name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities for student-athletes participating in these championships. Lastly, considering NCAA President Charlie Baker’s recent comments about the potential future of the NCAA, it certainly bears watching where these funds are dispensed.