PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference and American Sports Network (ASN) have announced a multi-year partnership through a sublicense agreement with ESPN. As part of the agreement, ASN will televise 10 men’s basketball games this season, including conference and non-conference matchups.
“We are excited to partner with the American Sports Network to feature our student-athletes, coaches and facilities on this rapidly growing network,” American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco said. “This partnership allows us to distribute even more of our men's basketball to our fans across the country and will provide great exposure for our conference and member institutions.”
All ASN games will also be streamed live on ESPN3 through WatchESPN, accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider. Sinclair owned and operated television stations in the conference footprint include WSTR (MyTV 33) and WKRC (CBS 12) in Cincinnati and KTUL (ABC 8) in Tulsa. Sinclair syndicates its events for distribution on other broadcast and cable outlets.
"We're pleased to enter into this relationship, and provide American Athletic Conference events to our communities," said Doron Gorshein, COO of Sinclair Networks Group. "The American is a great addition to our robust schedule of live basketball programming. The relationship further extends our commitment to serve communities by providing relevant live programming to students, alumni, and fans in the American Athletic Conference."
Additional telecasts, including ASN selections, will be announced at a later date. The complete conference schedule, which includes 56 nationally televised matchups on ESPN networks and a total of 26 on CBSSN and CBS, was released on Sept. 1.
About American Sports Network (ASN)
ASN is a division of Sinclair Networks Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., the largest and one of the most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country with 163 television stations it owns, operates and/or provides services to in 79 markets, broadcasting 379 channels. Sinclair's portfolio reaches approximately 43 million television households and is affiliated with all the major networks. In addition, ASN's content is syndicated to other broadcasters and regional sports networks. ASN, which launched in August 2014, produced 250 college events in nine sports in its first year and plans to air more than 375 events in the 2015-2016 academic year.
About American Athletic Conference
With the conference office in Providence, Rhode Island, The American is comprised of 11 institutions with full membership: UCF, Cincinnati, UConn, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, USF, SMU, Temple, Tulane and Tulsa. Navy is a football-only member, and is currently playing their first season as a member of a conference after 135 seasons of football independence.
Under the leadership of Commissioner Mike Aresco, The American sponsors 20 championships – 10 for men and 10 for women; is a member of the College Football Playoff; began new television partnerships with ESPN and CBS Sports in 2014; and has a marketing partnership with IMG College.