ESPN is locking in more college sports coverage for years to come. The network has reached a new multi-year agreement with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference that will keep MEAC football and basketball on ESPN platforms through the 2030-31 academic year.
The deal gives ESPN the rights to nearly two dozen regular-season MEAC football games each year, including select games on its linear networks. ESPN will also carry the MEAC Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship and Women’s Basketball Tournament Championship on a linear ESPN network, with other tournament games available through ESPN’s digital platforms.
Select regular-season men’s basketball games are also included in the agreement.
“The MEAC has a proud history and continues to play an important role in the HBCU sports landscape,” said Mallory Kenny, director, programming & acquisitions, ESPN, in a statement. “This agreement reflects ESPN’s commitment to providing meaningful exposure for the conference and ensuring fans can follow its premier football and basketball competition across our networks.”
The deal also extends ESPN Events’ relationship with the MEAC through two major HBCU football showcases. The Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff and Cricket Celebration Bowl will remain part of ESPN’s lineup through 2032.
“This agreement is an exciting step forward for the MEAC and reinforces the strong relationship we have built with ESPN to showcase the excellence of our student-athletes, coaches and member institutions, said MEAC Commissioner Sonja Stills.
The Celebration Bowl is one of the biggest annual matchups in HBCU football, bringing together the champions of the MEAC and Southwestern Athletic Conference. ESPN has also recently extended its rights agreement with the SWAC through 2030-31, keeping both conferences on the network’s college sports lineup.
The latest rights deals give ESPN a particularly strong position in one of HBCU football’s biggest rivalries. The MEAC and SWAC have long competed for bragging rights, with their rivalry reaching its biggest stage when their conference champions meet in the Celebration Bowl. The 2026 Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff between Alabama A&M and Howard in Atlanta is set for Saturday, August 29 at 7:30 PM ET on ABC and ESPN Unlimited.
“The MEAC has been instrumental in shaping the legacy of both the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff and Celebration Bowl, helping establish these events as premier showcases for HBCU football,” said John T. Grant, Executive Director of the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff and Celebration Bowl.
For ESPN, the new MEAC agreement adds another long-term college sports partnership to its lineup and ensures fans will continue to find the conference’s biggest football and basketball games across ESPN platforms for years to come.
