Scripps Sports, the parent company of ION, is adding more live sports to its programming after agreeing to a multi-year deal with the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off. The five-year deal will make ION the exclusive TV home of the early-season college basketball tournament for the next five years.
Since 2022, the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off has brought the best women’s basketball teams in the country to Southwest Florida, including South Carolina, Tennessee, and other national title-winning programs. Oklahoma, Iowa State, and Michigan are just a few notable teams that have participated since its launch.
Suncoast Credit Union Arena on the campus of Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers will host this year’s tournament on Thanksgiving weekend (November 28 and 29), and every game will air live on ION via streaming, over-the-air, and on cable and satellite providers.
“As the popularity of women’s sports among audiences and advertisers continues to explode, the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off will immediately become another major sports property for ION,” said Brian Lawlor, Scripps Sports president. “We’re proud that women’s sports have found a home on ION, and we look forward to bringing fans the action-packed world of women’s college basketball this fall.”
This deal gives Scripps Sports its first national women’s college basketball rights deal and makes it a go-to destination for women’s sports. ION currently airs professional women’s leagues, the WNBA and NWSL, which reached 9.4 million and 13.5 million unique viewers last season on ION, respectively
“Scripps Sports and ION are now a top destination for women’s sports, and we’re thrilled to partner with them for the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off,” said Mark Starsiak, Senior Vice President of Intersport. “This tournament has proven to be an exciting one for college basketball fans everywhere, and the Scripps Sports team will elevate this event even further.”
Participating teams and the schedule will be announced at a later date, but you can find out more information at WomensFortMyersTipOff.com.
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