The Southern Conference and ESPN have agreed to a multi-year extension of their media rights partnership, a move that strengthens the conference’s national visibility while continuing a relationship that has connected the two organizations for more than two decades.
Conference officials announced the agreement Monday, confirming that the new deal will run through the 2031–32 academic year while expanding both television and streaming opportunities for SoCon athletic programs across ESPN’s portfolio of networks and digital platforms.
Beginning with the 2026–27 academic calendar, the arrangement will deliver a larger lineup of regular-season contests and championship events across ESPN’s traditional television outlets, including ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.
At the same time, hundreds of additional matchups will continue to stream across ESPN’s digital ecosystem, reinforcing the company’s strategy of blending linear distribution with direct-to-consumer access.
The most visible change arrives within the conference’s basketball package, where the men’s tournament championship will receive multiple years of placement on ESPN’s flagship network. Semifinal matchups will rotate among ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, providing the league with expanded national exposure during championship week. In addition, the contract guarantees regular-season men’s basketball games on ESPN or ESPN2 for the first time, while the women’s tournament title game secures an annual broadcast window on ESPNU.
SoCon Commissioner Michael Cross said the extension reflects ESPN’s continued belief in the conference’s athletic programs and its student-athletes.
“This six-year extension with ESPN enhances national exposure opportunities for our member institutions while reinforcing the network’s confidence in Southern Conference athletics,” Cross said in a statement. “Our student-athletes will continue to appear on ESPN’s industry-leading digital and linear platforms, providing a national stage for the conference and our programs.”
Although the television component increases the conference’s national profile, the digital side of the agreement will account for the largest volume of content. ESPN platforms will carry at least 750 live SoCon events each year, a slate that includes all home football and basketball games alongside a wide range of Olympic sports competitions.
Fans will continue to find those events primarily on ESPN+, which remains the central streaming destination for conference matchups throughout the academic year. The platform will also deliver championship coverage across sports such as soccer, volleyball, track and field, wrestling, softball and baseball, while early rounds of both the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will also appear digitally.
From ESPN’s perspective, executives view the agreement as another step in strengthening its long-standing college sports portfolio while continuing a partnership that began more than 20 years ago.
Mallory Kenny, ESPN Director of Programming & Acquisitions, said the company values the conference’s history and believes the renewed deal will continue delivering compelling college sports programming to fans nationwide.
“ESPN is pleased to extend our long-standing relationship with the Southern Conference,” Kenny said. “This agreement ensures the accomplishments of SoCon student-athletes and member institutions continue reaching audiences across our platforms.”
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