Big East Signs Six-Year Digital Media Deal With ESPN+

The Big East Conference has signed a new six-year digital media rights agreement with ESPN, beginning in the 2025-26 academic season, which will bring over 300 live events annually to ESPN+. This deal includes a minimum of 75 women's basketball games, 200 Olympic sports events, and 25 non-conference men's basketball games each year, all streamed exclusively on ESPN's subscription service. The agreement marks a reunion between ESPN and the Big East, a partnership that originally spanned from 1980 to 2013, and it strengthens ESPN's college sports streaming portfolio as it prepares to launch a new direct-to-consumer platform. Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman emphasized that the deal enhances visibility for all 22 sports sponsored by the conference and provides fans with streamlined access to games. Despite this new deal, the Big East's media rights remain fragmented across several networks, including Fox, TNT, NBC, and Peacock, requiring fans to subscribe to multiple platforms to catch all games. ESPN senior vice president Nick Dawson highlighted the return of one of the premier conferences to ESPN platforms and the continued growth of their direct-to-consumer streaming services.