WVU events that were televised through a Learfield IMG College contract will now be part of ESPN+'s Big 12 dealgetty images
West Virginia Univ. will see its Tier 3 media rights streamed on ESPN+ as part of the Big 12 Now package beginning in '20-21, and WVU AD Shane Lyons said he sees "a lot of value to it," according to Greg Hunter of the MORGANTOWN NEWS. The Big 12’s Tier 1 and Tier 2 TV package will "remain unchanged through the life of the current contract with games appearing on the Fox or ABC/ESPN networks." But now those WVU events that were televised through WVU’s Learfield IMG College contract, be it through AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh or streamed at WVUsports.com, will "instead be part of the ESPN+ streaming service at Big 12 Now." Lyons said, "I’m sure there will be some hiccups, like there are whenever you start something new, but it’s a partnership agreement that I don’t see any problem with." Lyons said WVU is "trying to make a short-term decision based on a long-term revenue impact." He noted the Big 12's TV contracts expire in ’24-’25, so this "gives a chance to see over the next few years how the digital platform actually works." Lyons: "Hopefully when we do the next TV deal in ’24-’25, we can show them we have a lot of value in this" (MORGANTOWN NEWS, 10/15).
