Patriot League and ESPN Reach Multi-Year Extension to Continue Live Game Coverage

The Patriot League and ESPN have reached a multi-year extension that will keep ESPN+ as the exclusive digital home for live and archived Patriot League sporting events. The leading sports streaming service will be home to more than 750 annual events, including college football and men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s lacrosse games.

ESPN+ became the exclusive digital home for Patriot League live and archived events in 2020. During the past three years, more than 2,000 of the League’s live events have been streamed.

“The opportunity to present our live events and stories on the leading sports streaming service is important to our member institutions and fans,” Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel said. “That’s why we are thrilled to continue our relationship with ESPN to showcase the Patriot League and our student-athletes on a platform dedicated to excellence.”

“We’re delighted that ESPN+ will remain the exclusive home of more than 750 annual Patriot League events,” said Dan Margulis, ESPN Senior Director, Programming & Acquisitions. “We’ve enjoyed a successful collaboration with the Patriot League and look forward to continuing to showcase their talented student-athletes, competitive rivalries and wonderful institutions in the years ahead.”

The agreement will continue regular and postseason coverage of Patriot League baseball, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, softball, volleyball and other Olympic sports in addition to championship coverage for other League sports.

ESPN+ subscribers will have access to approximately 750 live Patriot League sporting events, in addition to thousands of college games from more than 25 conferences across the country – football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, wrestling, and more – as well as select conference and NCAA championship events.

ESPN+ also offers subscribers an unprecedented collection of live sports including UFC Fight Nights and exclusive UFC Pay-Per-View events; more than 75 exclusive and 1,000 out-of-market NHL Power Play games per season; top domestic and international soccer including LaLiga, Bundesliga, FA Cup, Copa Del Rey, EFL Championship, Carabao Cup and more; 4,300+ exclusive hours of golf coverage across 35 tournaments on PGA TOUR LIVE, as well as coverage from the Masters and PGA Championship; one exclusive international NFL game each year; F1 races; Top Rank Boxing; Grand Slam tennis; Major League Baseball; international cricket; and much more.

In addition to live events, ESPN+ gives fans exclusive access to on-demand original content and studio shows, plus the entire library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. ESPN+ subscribers also have exclusive access to in-depth written analysis and insights on players, teams and leagues from ESPN.com’s unmatched roster of industry-leading writers including Bill Barnwell, Jay Bilas, Heather Dinich, Ramona Shelburne, Greg Wyshynski, Pete Thamel, and more.

About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the No. 1 sports streaming platform, serving fans in the U.S. with exclusive access to more than 27,000 live sports events each year, an unmatched library of on-demand replays and acclaimed original content, and premium written articles by the top reporters and analysts from ESPN.com. Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $9.99 a month (or $99.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices).

About The Patriot League

The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.

By  Bill Hofheimer