NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Atlantic 10 Conference and ESPN agreed to a two-year television contract extension to televise both men’s and women’s basketball games through the 2012-13 season as announced on Wednesday, April 6 by A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade and ESPN Senior Vice President, College Sports Programming, Burke Magnus.
Atlantic 10 basketball will make at least 32 appearances in each of the next two seasons across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. The agreement also includes a live telecast of the women’s championship finals in 2012 and 2013. With the contract, ESPN will select eight prime match-ups totaling up to 16 appearances for telecast on either ESPN or ESPN2. The remaining selections will air on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.
“We are extremely pleased to have an outstanding partnership with ESPN,” stated McGlade. “The exposure, quality of the telecasts and national reach of ESPN and its networks is invaluable to A-10 Basketball and the league.”
“You cannot have a discussion about top college basketball programs without including Atlantic 10 member institutions,” said Magnus. “We are thrilled to continue our long and successful relationship with the conference and to provide fans with the best Atlantic 10 action across multiple ESPN platforms.”
The media relationship with ESPN is part of a total conference television package that includes 70 televised games exceeding over 119 appearances for A-10 basketball.
During the 2010-11 season, Atlantic 10 men’s and women’s basketball made 56 total appearances on ESPN’s networks. On March 7, 2011, the women’s championship game at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass., aired on ESPN2, marking the 14th consecutive year that ESPN2 has televised the women’s tournament final.
About the A-10
The Atlantic 10 Conference was formed in 1976 and celebrates its 35th anniversary as a Division I Conference in 2010-11. Currently comprised of 14 member institutions and sponsoring 21 championship sports, the mission and goal of the Atlantic 10 is to preserve, protect, and enhance the academic and athletic pursuits of the membership. The conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable championship experiences for more than 6,000 student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. The member institutions of the Atlantic 10 are the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, University of Massachusetts, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph’s University, Saint Louis University, Temple University, and Xavier University.
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