Reworded: The author of this article is Ralph D. Russo, a sports writer for the Associated Press covering college sports.

On Thursday, the NCAA and ESPN revealed a new agreement worth $920 million over eight years. This deal grants ESPN sole rights to broadcast 40 championships, including the Division I women’s basketball tournament. This tournament has been gaining popularity, but the association has faced criticism for not recognizing its value in the past.

Charlie Baker, the President of NCAA, informed The Associated Press that the agreement is valued at an average of $115 million per year. This marks a significant rise of over 300% from the previous 14-year deal with ESPN.

Baker stated that while it is indeed a bundle, it is a larger and improved bundle.

The agreement includes 21 sports for women and 19 sports for men, including tennis, track and field, men’s gymnastics, and the championship events for women’s Division II and III volleyball and basketball, as well as the men’s DII and DIII basketball championships.

The agreement ensures that national championship competitions for Division I women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, women’s gymnastics, and the FCS division of Division I football will be broadcasted on ABC. However, specific start times are not guaranteed.

At least 10 championships will have selection shows aired on ESPN’s linear networks.

Baker stated that they had numerous discussions with various third parties and interested parties. However, they ultimately stuck with ESPN as long as they showed progress on the agreement. He believes that this was the most favorable deal out of all the options.

According to Baker, the NCAA’s media consultant, Endeavor’s IMG and WME Sports, have approximated that 57% of the deal’s worth, which amounts to $65 million per year, is connected to the women’s March Madness tournament.

The women’s tournament, which is now owned by ESPN, has seen a consistent rise in popularity. This was evident in the record-breaking viewership numbers from last year. The final match between LSU’s Angel Reese and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark attracted an audience of almost 10 million people.

On the first day, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro stated to Charlie and his team that we wanted to extend the exclusivity and acquire more rights, not fewer.

Baker stated that the NCAA will consider the implementation of performance units for conferences based on their success in the women’s tournament, similar to those already in place for the men’s tournament.

CBS and Warner Brothers Discovery have exclusive ownership of the rights to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. This agreement results in the association receiving approximately $900 million annually and will continue until 2032.

Following backlash over unequal resources and facilities at the 2021 men’s and women’s single-site basketball tournaments, the NCAA, led by former president Mark Emmert, hired a law firm to conduct an independent assessment of gender equity within the organization.

The Kaplan report suggested separating the women’s basketball tournament from the other championships. It also included an assessment by Desser Sports Media stating that the tournament could generate $81 to $112 million each year starting in 2025 under the new agreement.

According to Endeavor’s executive vice presidents, Hillary Mandel and Karen Brodkin, the projected figures are not feasible and create unattainable goals.

Brodkin stated to the AP that there were numerous flaws in the report. He also mentioned that all media partners they have communicated with shared the same opinion and did not alter their views, despite their interest in the property or properties.

Mandel stated that Endeavor created valuations for the women’s basketball tournament in both bundled and unbundled formats.

Mandel stated that the exercise was completed and thoroughly evaluated without any bias, as all options were considered. The decision ultimately favored ESPN as they presented the most suitable package for the women’s basketball championship.

Patrick Crakes, a former executive at Fox Sports and current media consultant, expressed doubt about the projected worth of the women’s tournament as a single entity. This is due to the current challenges faced by traditional media companies as consumers shift away from cable television.

“According to Crakes, a few of the numbers being discussed were not feasible or accurate.”

According to Crakes, ESPN is the most logical choice for the NCAA as it offers ABC broadcast, various cable networks, and a paid streaming service.

The speaker stated that ESPN would benefit more from packaging the women’s basketball tournament with other events rather than offering it separately to a specific network. They questioned where the tournament would fit in the schedule and who would be willing to pay for it.

The agreement was made during ESPN’s designated time for negotiations and was not offered to other buyers.

Brodkin stated that they were well aware of the individuals’ interests, their intended placement, and the potential financial, production, promotion, and distribution outcomes.

According to Brodkin and Mandel, the evolving media environment has increased the risk of bringing a property to the open market. They pointed out how the Big 12 acted swiftly to renew partnerships with ESPN and Fox, while the Pac-12 ventured into the market and was unsuccessful in securing a deal to maintain conference unity.

Mandel stated that there is currently a more cautious strategy due to shifts in basic economic principles.

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You can find Ralph D. Russo on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and tune in to his podcasts on http://www.appodcasts.com.

Source: wralsportsfan.com