ESPN Named Exclusive Broadcast Partner for Expanded 2026 Players Era Men’s Championships

Players Era and ESPN have partnered on a new multi-year agreement that will bring expanded early-season college basketball championships to a national audience beginning in 2026.

What’s Happening:

• Players Era and ESPN announced a multi-year agreement making ESPN the exclusive broadcast partner for the Players Era Men’s Championships beginning in 2026.
• The tournaments will take place in Las Vegas this November.
• ESPN Events and Players Era will also collaborate on tournament staging and operations.
• The 2026 Players Era Men’s Championships will expand to 24 teams competing in two separate bracket-style tournaments.
• Teams from seven major conferences will participate, including eight schools from the Big 12 Conference.
• Thirteen teams that made the 2026 NCAA Tournament are scheduled to compete in the championships.
• Featured programs include recent national champions Michigan and Florida, along with Alabama, Tennessee, Houston, Gonzaga, Kansas and Louisville.
• The Players Era Eight tournament will take place during the week of November 16.
• The Players Era Sixteen tournament will be held over Thanksgiving Week and will feature reigning national champion Michigan and 15 other teams.
• Additional details about matchups, schedules, broadcasts and ticket sales will be announced soon.
• Information about the 2026 Players Era Women’s Championship will be released at a later date.

What They’re Saying:

• Ian Orefice, EverWonder CEO: We couldn’t be more excited to forge this new partnership with ESPN, which will deliver an even larger platform for what has become the best college basketball tournament outside of March and create new opportunities to engage with fans across the country. I also want to thank TNT Sports for giving us the opportunity to launch this signature showcase event; they have been outstanding partners over the past two years and played a tremendous role in our success.”
• Seth Berger, Players Era CEO: “College basketball is the hottest and one of the fastest-growing sports properties in the country. The players have never been better, and record ratings for early season college basketball reflect that. Led by top programs from multiple conferences across the sport, the teams in our field are stronger than ever. We can’t wait to bring March to November with the number one college basketball network in the world, ESPN.”
• Dan Margulis, ESPN Senior Director of College Basketball Programming & Acquisitions: “Players Era features elite programs, meaningful competition and high-stakes matchups to start each season. These tournaments immediately strengthen ESPN’s industry-leading college basketball portfolio and underscores our commitment to showcasing the best teams and storylines across the sport. We’re excited to partner with the Players Era team to continue to elevate the Players Era Men’s Championships and showcase them to fans across the country.”

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• ESPN Jeopardy! will be hosted by Monday Night Football’s Joe Buck, and is currently on the way to bring the fun of trivia to sports fanatics around the globe. 

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