The Colonial Athletic Association has signed a five-year deal with NBC Sports Group beginning with the ’12-13 season. NBC Sports Network will provide national coverage of CAA men’s basketball and football games and regional coverage of men’s and women’s basketball and football through Comcast SportsNet regional networks. The CAA is the first conference to sign a deal with NBCSN since it changed its name from Versus on Jan. 2. NBCSN will cover a minimum of 12 men’s basketball games each year including the semifinals and finals of the CAA men’s basketball tournament. It will additionally televise a minimum of five CAA football games annually (NBC). Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but CAA Commissioner Tom Yeager said, “It is a significant enhancement of our position from where we’ve been.” In DC, Patrick Stevens reports the CAA had "eight men’s basketball games shown nationally each season under its expiring deal with ESPN.” The “most curious impact of the deal could be if there are any changes to the CAA tournament.” The Richmond-based event “is played the Friday through Monday before most power conference tournaments, and Yeager said no decisions have been made on the event’s format" (WASHINGTONTIMES.com, 2/13). On Long Island, Greg Logan noted the CAA men's tournament previously only had the “basketball tournament title game on ESPN2.” Hofstra AD Jack Hayes: "It's going to lead to more opportunities to be on TV and, hopefully, more opportunities to be on TV in New York. We're getting in on ground level with NBC to help it grow. They have the Olympics this summer to increase visibility, so, the timing was very favorable for the CAA" (NEWSDAY, 2/14).
