ESPNU and NCAA® reach agreement for extensive coverage of NCAA Championships
Year-Round Commitment Begins This Month With Women’s Basketball, Men’s Wrestling & Men’s Ice Hockey

March 16, 2005

ESPN, Inc. and the NCAA will build upon their wide-ranging, 25-year relationship with a new agreement that calls for extensive coverage of numerous NCAA championships on ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network . The multi-year pact (through 2012-13), which includes sports from each of the three collegiate seasons, was announced by Burke Magnus, ESPNU Vice President and General Manager, and Greg Shaheen, NCAA Vice President of Division I Men’s Basketball and Championship Strategies. Action will commence this month with various rounds of the NCAA Division I and II Women’s Basketball, NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling and NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championships. All of ESPNU’s NCAA championships coverage will supplement existing action from each event on ESPN and ESPN2.

In general, ESPNU will present additional rounds and/or live coverage from at least 10 NCAA Championships: Division I Women’s Basketball, Division II Women’s Basketball, Division I Men’s Wrestling, Division I Men’s Ice Hockey, National Collegiate Men’s Volleyball, Division I Men’s Lacrosse, Division I Softball, Division I Baseball, Division I-AA Football and Division I Women’s Volleyball.

In the case of the Division I NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship, all 63 games are currently televised on ESPN or ESPN2. As a result, ESPNU will offer complete-game telecasts of 14 first- and second-round matchups that are offered regionally and/or as part of whiparound coverage on ESPN and ESPN2. Nine first-round games will be featured on ESPNU March 19-20 (12 p.m. ET each day), while five second-round games will be televised March 21-22 (7 p.m.). With the addition of ESPNU, the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship will be featured in its entirety on the ESPN networks – from the selection show through the Men’s Frozen Four.

“NCAA championship events reflect the ultimate athletic accomplishment for any college team or individual,” Magnus said. “By going deeper and supplementing ESPN and ESPN2’s NCAA championships commitment, ESPNU will further showcase the storylines, student-athletes and teams that make these dramatic tournaments so special. We are thrilled to expand our NCAA relationship, which has served sports fans for the last quarter century.”

Shaheen added, “The additional exposure on ESPNU will be a tremendous benefit for our member institutions and our student-athletes. ESPN’s broad reach brings the additional coverage of our NCAA championships to more viewers, which puts a spotlight on student-athlete accomplishments and enhances the student-athlete’s championship experience. The increased visibility also helps multiple championships reach a broader audience, which generates more interest in a particular sport and college athletics overall.”

Following is an ESPNU/NCAA championships coverage overview (most action live):
Winter
NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball – 14 games from the first two rounds
NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball – both semifinals
NCAA Division I Men’s Wrestling – quarterfinals and semifinals
NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey – 12 games from the regional semifinals and finals, plus studio coverage, including cut-ins, highlights and more

Spring
NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball – both semifinals
NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse – all four quarterfinals
NCAA Division I Softball – two super regional sites (up to 6 games)
NCAA Division I Baseball – two regional sites (up to 14 games) plus a minimum of four super regional games

Fall
NCAA Division I-AA Football – three quarterfinals
NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball – all four regional finals

ESPNU
The ESPNU schedule will feature approximately 300 live events (regular-season and championships) in the network’s first year. Action will include a variety of top football and men’s and women’s basketball mixed with baseball, softball, volleyball, lacrosse, ice hockey, wrestling and more. ESPNU will also offer comprehensive studio programming, replays of ABC Sports, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Regional Television games, plus specials and more.

ESPNU has secured distribution agreements with DIRECTV, Adelphia, several smaller affiliates and is close to distribution agreements with others. The 24-hour television network is the key component of the multi-media ESPNU initiative that will deliver college sports content across ESPN’s family of services, such as ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Mobile (wireless), ESPN Radio, ESPN Interactive, ESPN360 (broadband), merchandising and more.

Original Dream Job winner Mike Hall serves as ESPNU’s signature anchor, hosting the majority of the network’s studio programming from Charlotte, N.C., headquarters of ESPN Regional Television (ERT), which handles production responsibilities for ESPNU.

ESPN AND THE NCAA
ESPN, Inc. and the NCAA have been aligned since 1979-80, the network’s first year on the air. Since then, numerous historic moments and memorable events have been featured, highlighted by the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. Today, ESPN and ESPN2 combine to televise action from 21 different NCAA championships. ESPN also features the Opening Round game from the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. In addition, coverage of NCAA championships is featured prominently on ESPN.com, ESPN Regional Television, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Classic, ESPN Radio, ESPNEWS, ESPN360, ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, ESPN SportsTicker and ESPN Deportes.