Atlantic 10 Inks TV Pact With NBC Sports Network

Conference also renews deals with ESPN, CBS Sports Network

By Tim Baysinger -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/2/2012 10:54:21 AM

The Atlantic 10 Conference announced a new nine-year national television agreement with NBC Sports Network.

NBC Sports Network will televise six games during the 2012-13 season (one non-conference game and five conference contests). Starting next year and continuing through 2021, the network gets 25 regular-season men's games, three regular-season women's games and the quarterfinals of both conference championships. The NBC Sports Regional Networks will also televise select games in local markets.

NBC Sports Network will also live-stream games on NBC Sports Live Extra.

This is the second NCAA Division I Conference to sign a TV deal with NBC Sports Network; the Colonial Athletic Association inked a rights deal with the network earlier this year.

"I am extremely excited to announce the new collaboration between the A-10 and NBC Sports Network. This is an unprecedented opportunity for the conference in terms of national distribution that will extend the Atlantic 10 inventory and brand into every one of our media markets for the league and throughout the country," stated A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. "NBC Sports Network is recognized worldwide and the A-10 will benefit greatly from this partnership."

The Atlantic 10 Conference also renewed its current agreements with ESPN and CBS Sports Network on Tuesday.

ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will carry 14 men's and two women's regular season basketball games per year. The network keeps its rights to the men's and women's conference championship game, televising the men's game on ESPN, ESPN2 or via sublicense and the women's game on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. CBS Sports Network will air at least 25 regular-season men's basketball games and eight women's games per year, as well as the semi-finals of both conference tournaments.

The deals with NBC Sports Network and CBS Sports Network run through the 2020-2021 season; ESPN's goes through the 2021-2022 season.