The American Athletic Conference and ESPN have reached agreement on a 12-year media rights extension beginning in 2020-21, according to American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco and ESPN Executive Vice President of Programming and Scheduling Burke Magnus.

ESPN has been the conference’s principal media rights holder for football, men’s and women’s basketball and Olympic sports since the league’s reconstitution in 2013-14. Financial terms of the contract, which will run through 2031-32, were not disclosed. 

With the new agreement, The American will have a stronger and more extensive presence on ESPN’s primary TV networks – ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. More than 135 conference-controlled games will air annually on the networks, and more than 1,650 events will be telecast throughout the duration of the contract. Among the annual events, the football championship game, all rounds of the men’s basketball championship, and multiple rounds of the women’s basketball championship, will be on ESPN TV networks.

The conference will also be a part of ESPN+, ESPN’s direct-to-consumer sports streaming service. At least 1,000 American events will be featured on the platform beginning in 2022-23 and in each subsequent year of the contract. 

A breakdown of the Conference games that will air across ESPN’s networks are as follows:

• Football – A minimum of 40 regular-season telecasts per season on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, including at least 20 across ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, which represents increased annual exposure across those ESPN networks.
• A similar number of Thursday and Friday contests.
• The American Championship game will be televised each year on ABC or ESPN.
• All conference controlled football and men’s basketball games from The American will air on an ESPN network or ESPN+.  All women’s basketball controlled games will also be carried across ESPN’s platforms.
• Men’s Basketball – A minimum of 65 regular-season games per season on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, with at least 25 on ESPN or ESPN2 plus complete annual coverage of the conference tournament across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, including the championship game on ESPN.
• Women’s Basketball – A minimum of 13 regular-season games per season on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU, with a minimum of five on ESPN and ESPN2 plus conference tournament semifinals on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU and the Conference Final on ESPN or ESPN2.
• Olympic Sports – A minimum of five additional Olympic sport telecasts per year will air as well.
• ESPN+ – ESPN+ will carry more than 11,000 events during the term of the agreement, including football, men’s and women’s basketball and Olympic sport contests. ESPN+ also will be the home to championship action from cross country, golf, indoor and outdoor track and field, soccer, swimming and diving and tennis, as well as select games during the baseball, women’s lacrosse, rowing, softball and volleyball tournaments.

American content will be available as part of any ESPN+ subscription. Fans can subscribe at www.espnplus.com.