ESPN has secured the rights to Big East Conference events for the next six years following a new digital media rights agreement. As part of the deal, ESPN’s family of networks, including ESPN+, will air hundreds of Big East live events. The new deal begins with the 2025-26 academic season, and ESPN+ will stream a minimum of 75 women’s basketball games, 200 Olympic sports events, and a minimum of 25 Big East non-conference men’s basketball games.
Back in 1980, the Big East called ESPN home after agreeing to its first national TV deal with the network. That partnership ran for three decades until 2013. That year, the conference saw its biggest shakeup when the Catholic Seven members (DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s, and Villanova) decided to split from the football-playing schools, who would later go on to form the American Athletic Conference.
“We’re pleased to welcome the BIG EAST back to ESPN,” said Nick Dawson, ESPN senior vice president, programming & acquisitions. “This agreement returns one of the country’s premier conferences and its tradition of excellence to ESPN platforms, and continues to strengthen the college offering on our industry leading direct-to-consumer streaming services. We look forward to this new chapter in our relationship with the BIG EAST.”
“This exciting relationship with ESPN reinforces our commitment to placing BIG EAST teams front and center on the leading digital sports platform,” said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. “Streaming on ESPN+ gives all 22 of our sports — especially women’s basketball and Olympic sports — the visibility they’ve earned and the access our fans expect. We look forward to delivering elevated coverage and a streamlined viewing experience to fans and family members who want to follow BIG EAST action across our wide array of sports offerings.”
For ESPN, the addition of the Big East provides the company more content as it continues rolling out its “Sports Forever” campaign ahead of the launch of its highly anticipated direct-to-consumer app. The new ESPN app is expected to launch ahead of the college football season and it will bring all of ESPN, including ESPN+, into one place.