American touts ESPN deal as similar to conference network

Posted March 27, 2019 7:00 am

By RALPH D. RUSSO

American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco says the league's new media rights deal with ESPN gives the AAC a platform similar to having its own branded network.

The American and ESPN announced a 12-year agreement that runs through the 2031-32 school year.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but previous media reports put the total value of the deal at $1 billion, paying each school about $7 million per year. AAC and ESPN's previous six year deal, which expires in 2020, allowed the league to distribute about $2 million per year to the school.

The new deal puts more than 1,000 events on ESPN-plus, the network's new digital subscription service, including about 30 football games.

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AP Sports Writer Pat Eaton-Robb in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

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