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Lights, Camera, Maction: CBS Sports Network To Air MAC Games Via ESPN Sublicense

CBS Sports Network yesterday announced that it has reached a multiyear deal to televise Mid-American Conference football and basketball games via a sublicensing agreement with ESPN. The deal takes effect this season and continues through '18-19. The net will carry up to 12 football and 12 basketball games annually, with the first year calling for six football games and up to seven basketball games. The '15 football schedule will include two Thursday and three Saturday games, plus one the Friday after Thanksgiving (CBS). In Cleveland, Elton Alexander noted the MAC last year "signed a big deal with ESPN that extended its existing deal" through the '26-27 season for an estimated $100M. There have been "no numbers on the deal" with CBSSN. MAC Media Relations Dir Ken Mather said that the deal "was done through ESPN as part of its sub-licensing agreement with the MAC, so the MAC will not get a cut of that deal." Mather added that for this season, the "majority of the football games on CBSSN, but not exclusively, will be conference games" (CLEVELAND.com, 6/3).

GO TIME: NBCSPORTS.com's Kevin McGuire wrote under the header, "With Media Rights Deal On Horizon, Conference USA Needs Big 2015 Season." The conference "has three existing media rights deals set to expire" at the end of the '15-16 seasons for football and basketball, "which means it needs to come on strong as the negotiating is ongoing." And this is "not talking about on the field or court." C-USA "needs to show up in the TV ratings." The conference has a five-year deal with Fox Sports and a six-year basketball contract with CBS Sports "expiring in the coming year." C-USA also has the rights for its football championship game up for grabs as its "five-year contract with ESPN" is expiring. C-USA is due close to $130M between football and basketball deals in the coming year, "but if it is going to stay in the same territory as its other Group of Five conferences and not downgrade to a media presence similar to the Sun Belt Conference, now is the time to rally together and bring in the best TV ratings possible" (NBCSPORTS.com, 6/3).

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