A total of 10 Division I-AA college-football conferences are teaming up with
National College Sports Network to launch a game-of-the-week package on the
service beginning next fall.
Under a seven-year agreement, NCSN will get games from the Atlantic 10, Big
Sky, Gateway, Ohio Valley, Southern, Southland and Southwestern Athletic
conferences, plus the Patriot League and two other leagues, representing more
than 90 colleges and universities nationwide.
The deal covers football only. Monetary details were not disclosed.
Earlier, the Atlantic 10 and Ohio Valley conferences crafted separate
multiyear, multisport agreements with NCSN.
Many Division 1-AA football schools, including the ones in these conferences,
compete in Division 1-A basketball, hockey and other sports. Division 1-A is the
highest level of play in college sports, with all of the football conferences at
that level covered by national/regional cable- and broadcast-network
contracts.
The deal is a first of its kind for Division 1-AA activity.
'All of us believe this will become a benchmark in 1-AA football history, and
we look forward to the increased visibility NCSN offers our programs and. most
important, our student-athletes,' 1-AA TV committee chairman Linda Bruno said in
a prepared statement.
NCSN -- an independently owned cable channel from Classic Sports Network
co-founders Brian Bedol and Stephen Greenberg, as well as former Nike Inc.
senior executive Chris Bevilacqua -- plans to launch in the first three months
of 2002.
The channel has not announced a specific launch date, charter affiliates, or
advertisers.
