MAC confirms ‘historic’ broadcast agreement

Monday it was reported that the Mid-American Conference had reached an agreement with ESPN on an extension of its broadcasting agreement.

Tuesday said agreement came to fruition.

The MAC announced in a press release this morning that it has reached a 13-year rights agreement with a ESPN that will be, the league wrote, “the largest and most extensive agreement in the 68-year history of the Conference.” The WWL will now control the broadcasting of all MAC sports, football in particular, through the 2026-27 season.

Every MAC football game, for instance, will be broadcast on one of ESPN’s myriad platforms. Also from the release:

The Marathon MAC Football Championship Game and the MAC football regular season is the foundation for the national deal with ESPN. The 2014 MAC football regular season will be highlighted by national coverage of 14 mid-week games during the month of November on ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 as the Conference race unfolds in both the East and West divisions. The Marathon MAC Football Championship Game on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 pm ET will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

“This is a historic day for the Mid-American Conference,” said MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher. “ESPN and the MAC have a long history together and were visionary in embracing mid-week football which continues to be a significant presence on the ESPN college football calendar. The length of this partnership brings long-term stability for the Conference well into the next decade.”

While no specific financial terms have been released, it’s believed the MAC’s new deal will put it on par with other non-Power Five conferences such as Conference USA and the Mountain West.