ESPN and Ohio Valley Conference Extend Partnership

ESPN and the Ohio Valley Conference have extended their long-standing collaboration with a new six-year media rights agreement.

What’s Happening:

The new agreement delivers unprecedented visibility for OVC student-athletes, coaches, and programs—anchored by a robust slate of events annually across ESPN platforms, including ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer offering, which is inclusive of ESPN+ and launched in August.
A minimum of 725 events per year will be available digitally on ESPN+
Linear exposure includes regular season basketball telecasts on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, the semifinals of the Men’s Basketball Tournament on either ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPNEWS and the Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship game on either ESPN or ESPN2.
Additionally, the agreement allows the OVC to retain the rights to telecast up to 50 linear events per year locally in the Conference footprint.
The OVC and ESPN have a relationship that spans multiple decades, dating back to the league playing midnight basketball games to a national television audience in the early 1980s, and continuing through several media rights agreements, including an extension in 2018 that first put contests digitally on ESPN+.

What They’re Saying:

Mallory Kenny, ESPN Director of Programming and Acquisitions: “We’re excited to build on our longstanding partnership with the OVC with this new agreement. This deal underscores ESPN’s commitment to elevating college sports and we look forward to showcasing the OVC’s student-athletes on a national stage across our platforms in the years ahead."
Beth DeBauche, OVC Commissioner: “We are thrilled to continue our valued partnership with ESPN through this new long-term agreement. This deal provides an exceptional platform to showcase the extraordinary talent of our student-athletes and the outstanding competition that defines the OVC. ESPN’s commitment to our conference supports our strategic growth initiatives and ensures our member institutions receive the quality broadcast coverage they deserve. We’re deeply grateful to our ESPN partners for their partnership and vision. Equally important, we thank our member institutions for their continued dedication to producing high-quality content that makes these broadcasts possible. This partnership represents more than just media coverage—it’s an investment in the future of OVC athletics and our student-athletes."

More ESPN News:

ESPN and the National Women’s Soccer League have reached a new agreement that adds much more coverage of the league’s games for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.
ESPN has re-signed a number of their NFL Analysts – Herm Edwards, Jeff Saturday, Andrew Hawkins, and Jason McCourty – to new multi-year deals.
First Take co-host Molly Qerim has announced she’s leaving the ESPN program.
A new ESPN docuseries will explore the enduring popularity of the Boston Red Sox over its 86 years of heartbreak, myth, and near-misses.

What We're Covering