New ESPN TV deal for the WCC

[ZagNative]

From Jon Wilner:

West Coast Conference basketball: The new ESPN contract

The West Coast Conference has agreed to a new television contract with ESPN that will provide unprecedented exposure for its men’s basketball programs, a source said Wednesday.

The deal, which takes effect for the 2011-12 season, is expected to include approximately 50 appearances per season – that’s a 33 percent increase over what the WCC has averaged on the ESPN family of networks in past years.

The conference is expected to announce details later today.

Based on the number of appearances, the contract is the most extensive basketball deal ever signed with ESPN by a non-football playing conference – better than the network’s current contracts with the Atlantic 10 and Missouri Valley.

(A conference game counts as two appearances, a non-conference game as one.)

“Having BYU helped,’’ a source said, referring to Brigham Young’s decision to join the conference in all sports except football.

Good deal! Lots more in Wilner's preface to the story here.

Here is the release from ESPN.

Here is the WCC's official release, which includes a link to a video from the league's commissioner about the deal.

[madness]

This is great news IMO. Maybe ESPN will also buy an HD Camera Setup for Spokane?

The fact that ESPN will also be covering other WCC sports like Volleyball and Baseball will also help the conference.

Madness = happy

[Kiddwell]

Nice stuff! Definitely worthy of a chocolate chip cookie celebration!



<Now if we only had some up-to-date 2012 recruitment info to otherwise satiate the b-ball appetite till November tipoff. BZ? ZN? Hint, hint.>


:]

[gamagin]

I wonder how this will conflict with

BYU's new multimillion $$ tv network and plans, presumably, to show all BYU games. I'm reasonably sure something will be worked out. But who's on first ?

[Angelo Roncalli]

WCC Press Release

ESPN, West Coast Conference Sign Eight-Year Contract Extension
New Deal Runs Through 2018-19 School Year

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – The West Coast Conference and ESPN announced today an eight-year contract extension that will make the ESPN networks the conference’s men’s basketball national television home through the 2018-19 school year.

“We are elated to reaffirm our long term partnership with ESPN for another eight years,” West Coast Conference Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich said. “ESPN has played a critical role in helping build and extend our brand as a premier national basketball conference, and this agreement will ensure that more West Coast Conference events will be telecast across more national television platforms than ever before.”

According to terms of the agreement, the West Coast Conference will receive a minimum of 48 annual men’s basketball appearances on the ESPN networks from the 2011-12 through 2018-19 seasons. The 48 annual appearances include conference games and home non-conference games that are televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. The WCC has averaged 38 ESPN annual men’s basketball appearances over the last three seasons with conference games counting as two appearances and non-conference games as one appearance.

Burke Magnus, ESPN senior vice president, college sports programming, said, “We are thrilled to continue our exclusive long-term relationship with the West Coast Conference and its member institutions. The WCC is a premier conference, recently made even better by the addition of Brigham Young University. This agreement allows us to showcase more WCC content than ever before to fans through all our networks and platforms, and via any available technology or device.”

As part of the agreement, ESPN will continue its commitment to regular telecasts of Conference men’s basketball games on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU. A minimum of seven conference men’s basketball games will be televised on ESPN or ESPN2, with a minimum of seven additional games on ESPNU. All nine institutions are guaranteed a minimum of one men’s basketball exposure per year, and all of the WCC’s appearances will be distributed across ESPN’s wide range of mobile and online platforms.

The agreement will also feature expanded coverage of the Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball Championships. In addition to continuing coverage of the men’s basketball championship game on ESPN and semifinals on ESPN2, both quarterfinal games will be televised live on ESPNU beginning in 2012.

“We are pleased that our institutions and student-athletes will be showcased on theESPN networks for the next eight years,” University of Portland President and WCC Presidents’ Council Chair Father William Beauchamp said. “ESPN has played an important role in helping to build the West Coast Conference brand, and we are excited that this relationship will continue.”

Including the men’s basketball telecasts, the ESPN networks will air a total of five exposures across women’s basketball/soccer/volleyball/baseball for each year of the agreement. The WCC will also have the right to re-air all of its ESPN telecasts on the official conference website.

The West Coast Conference has enjoyed unprecedented men's basketball success on the national scene in recent years. Over the last three seasons, WCC teams have combined for 15 postseason victories while at least half of the WCC teams have earned postseason berths in each of the last two years. Only eight Division I programs have won at least 25 games in each of the last four seasons. Three of those programs (BYU, Gonzaga, Saint Mary's) now reside in the West Coast Conference.

The West Coast Conference was founded in 1952 to provide a venue for five San Francisco Bay Area schools to compete in basketball. Three of the conference's current institutions - Saint Mary's College, University of San Francisco and Santa Clara University - have been in the West Coast Conference since the outset and both Loyola Marymount University and Pepperdine University have been members of the WCC since 1955. The WCC added Brigham Young University on September 1, 2010, marking the first time a full member had been invited since the 1970’s after the University of Portland joined in 1976 and Gonzaga University and the University of San Diego joined in 1979.

About the West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference was formed in 1952 and has evolved and grown to become a nationally recognized and competitive force in Division I intercollegiate athletics, with 13 conference-sponsored sports: baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, women’s rowing, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis and women’s volleyball. The WCC is characterized by the stability of its membership and its unique emphasis on combining excellence in athletics with excellence in academics.

Scott Leykam
Associate Commissioner/External Relations
West Coast Conference
1111 Bayhill Drive, Suite 405
San Bruno, CA 94066
(650) 873-8622

https://www.wccsports.com

[Angelo Roncalli]

The new deal is not only better in terms of the # of games, the monetary side is significantly improved.

[DADoZAG]

But who's on first ?

If BYU isn't, they struck out. Couldn't be.

Seems to me that BYU should have at least gotten a stand up double with the way this all timed out.

Go ZAGS!

[btzag]

The new deal is not only better in terms of the # of games, the monetary side is significantly improved.

That was my first thought, and question, after seeing this post... Any idea what each school nets in $'s from this deal? Whatever that number is the other schools better send GU and BYU some nice Christmas presents for the gift to them...

[Angelo Roncalli]

That was my first thought, and question, after seeing this post... Any idea what each school nets in $'s from this deal? Whatever that number is the other schools better send GU and BYU some nice Christmas presents for the gift to them...

Great question. Not clear yet what the paychecks to the conference, schools will be.

[Once and Future Zag]

Whatever that number is the other schools better send GU and BYU some nice Christmas presents for the gift to them...

If the conference was just GU and BYU and a bunch of bottom feeders... no contract of this quality. That the conference is usually pretty solid down to the #6 (now#7) team each year (you can usually count on two teams a year having either some sort of upheaval/rebuild/injuries/really bad luck) also makes for some good basketball.

The continued improvements at SMC, USF, Portland, as well as the signs of life being displayed by SC and LMU are very much a factor in this.

[229SintoZag]

If BYU isn't, they struck out. Couldn't be.

Seems to me that BYU should have at least gotten a stand up double with the way this all timed out.

Go ZAGS!

What are the time slots we are looking at? My fear is that we get preempted into 9 pm or later games by the new Pac 12 deal. Is my fear justified?

[NewLookZag]

This is great news IMO. Maybe ESPN will also buy an HD Camera Setup for Spokane?

The fact that ESPN will also be covering other WCC sports like Volleyball and Baseball will also help the conference.

Madness = happy

Pretty sure all the 2010-2011 ESPN games in Spokane were in HD..

[MJGoGaels]

Saint Mary's Addition in Press Release

SMC

Saint Mary's has enjoyed significant television exposure the last few seasons. A total of 12 of its 22 television appearances in 2010-11 were on an ESPN network and nearly every conference game was televised internationally.

"The profile of the West Coast Conference has been enhanced greatly the last few years and that is largely attributed to exposure from its television partners," said Saint Mary's Director of Athletics Mark Orr. "This expanded relationship with ESPN will allow the league to continue to grow in stature and enhance its position as one of the top college athletics destinations on the West Coast. "Our basketball program at Saint Mary's has enjoyed tremendous growth and success the last several seasons. Our exposure through ESPN, both domestically and throughout the world, has allowed us to take a progressive, global approach toward building one of the top programs in the country."

[webspinnre]

I agree with MJ that these ESPN deals have been a huge benefit not just to GU, but the entire conference, really raising the awareness level and allowing all of the programs to increase their profile if they take advantage of it.

[Lewey]

The WCC will also have the right to re-air all of its ESPN telecasts on the official conference website.

Have they posted full games before?