ESPN signs 15-year, 2 Billion deal with SEC

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The Southeastern Conference has signed a 15-year deal with ESPN reportedly worth more than $2 billion to televise sporting events, including football and men’s and women’s basketball.

The deal will end the SEC’s affiliation with Raycom Sports, which has aired basketball since 1986 and SEC football since 1992.

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12 Responses to ESPN signs 15-year, 2 Billion deal with SEC

  1. choppack1 08/26/2008 at 12:38 PM #

    I predict that ESPN’s glorification of the Pac 10 ends today!

  2. Dr. BadgerPack 08/26/2008 at 12:52 PM #

    The Pac who???

  3. Ismael 08/26/2008 at 1:02 PM #

    i know the SEC is a good product, but doesn’t this bias recruiting?

  4. choppack1 08/26/2008 at 1:09 PM #

    Nonsense Ismael – just look at the objective, low-key manner in which they’ve handled the Duck-UNC-Ch matchups in basketball.

  5. EverettBeez 08/26/2008 at 1:10 PM #

    So can we know make Raycom into the ACCNetwork?
    I suggest the SEC add two more divisions in football, and then have a 3 game play off to determine their champion.
    This truly a huge win for the SEC – they are saving all the headaches and cash of starting their own network, with all the benefits – wall-to-wall coverage.

  6. EverettBeez 08/26/2008 at 1:30 PM #

    Here are some other tidbits from this deal not in the linked article:
    “Slive stressed the importance of the academic initiatives included in the deal. They are:
    * Two 1-hour programs per season dedicated to the academic achievements of students.
    * As part of “Campus Connection,” SEC students will produce, direct and serve as talent for a live event on ESPN.
    * Each year a student from each school will be hired as an intern at ESPN.
    * A weekly one-hour program on ESPNU will be dedicated to SEC sports with one feature per episode focusing on academics.

    ESPN will provide the technology to create an online SEC academic network.”

    I think the jokes write themselves in this case.

  7. primacyone 08/26/2008 at 1:42 PM #

    Does Lee Fowler know about this?

  8. PackerInRussia 08/26/2008 at 1:45 PM #

    Does Lee Fowler know about anything?

  9. primacyone 08/26/2008 at 2:57 PM #

    Lee knows his “Cougars”, but that’s about it.

  10. Ismael 08/26/2008 at 3:01 PM #

    Lee probably brokered the deal in anticipation of going to Vandy

  11. choppack1 08/26/2008 at 3:58 PM #

    One thing to think about here – will this make it less likely for us to get coveted night games spot offered by ESPN?

    I’m thinking that in the past several ACC conference games were played Sunday evening?

  12. ADS95 08/27/2008 at 6:57 AM #

    choppack, you can kiss the coveted night slot on ESPN goodbye. They are gonna put every SEC game they can on TV…the only one they don’t get is the CBS 3:30 game.

    This was a good move for ESPN for two reasons:

    1. It will force cable companies in the Southeast to put ESPNU on their channel lineup, or move it to a larger audience if its there already

    2. It prevents the SEC from forming a TV network

    If we were smart (we’re not, we’ve got Swofford), but if we were, we’d try to get a deal with Raycom for a 3:30 game every week.

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