After nearly four decades of working together, ESPN and the Horizon League are extending a relationship that dates back to the late 1980s, announcing a new multi-year, multi-platform media rights agreement designed to preserve the conference’s national visibility while expanding its digital footprint across ESPN’s ecosystem.
The renewed agreement keeps ESPN’s linear networks as the television home of the Horizon League men’s basketball semifinals and championship. The deal also includes six regular-season men’s games and the women’s basketball championship. The arrangement reinforces a consistent postseason presence. That exposure has helped shape the conference’s brand during March.
“We are thrilled to continue to provide major experiences for our incredible student-athletes through our continued relationship with ESPN,” said Horizon League Interim Commissioner Chris Neuman. “The significant exposure on ESPN’s platforms provides us a tremendous opportunity to showcase our nearly 4,000 student-athletes in great competition throughout the year.”
Equally significant, the deal ensures at least 500 Horizon League events will stream annually on ESPN’s digital platforms. The model began during the 2014-15 academic year. Since then, it has expanded as audiences migrated to the ESPN App and other streaming products.
From ESPN’s perspective, the renewal represents both continuity and strategic alignment, as Director of Programming and Acquisitions Mallory Kenny noted that the network values its long-standing ties to the conference and sees opportunity to further elevate the stories of its athletes and campuses while strengthening a partnership that now stretches into a fourth decade.
“ESPN is excited to continue its commitment to the Horizon League. This new agreement underscores our dedication to showcasing the success of Horizon League student athletes and member institutions, while expanding the reach of their stories to sports fans across our platforms,” said Kenny. “Our relationship with the conference has grown steadily over the years, and we are eager to strengthen that as our collaboration enters its fourth decade.”
Beyond game distribution, the new deal maintains ESPN’s role as the home of 15 Horizon League championship events each year and preserves revenue opportunities tied to commercial inventory and sponsorship assets in select contests, elements that remain vital as conferences seek diversified income streams in an increasingly competitive media landscape.
The collaboration traces its roots to 1988, when ESPN carried the Midwestern Collegiate Conference men’s basketball championship game, a broadcast that helped launch what would become one of the network’s longest-running conference partnerships outside the Power Five structure.
Looking ahead, the conference is preparing for additional growth, as Northern Illinois University is set to join the Horizon League on July 1, 2026, expanding membership to 12 institutions and potentially broadening the geographic and competitive scope of the league’s ESPN offerings.
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