ESPN, Ivy League announce ten-year partnership

Princeton fans will have a new and improved way to watch Ivy League sporting events next year: ESPN+.

Last week, ESPN and the Ivy League announced a ten-year deal in which ESPN agreed to cover over 1,100 events annually across 30 sports. Most of these events will be available through ESPN+, a new “upcoming direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service,” with a cost of $4.99 per month. Launching on April 12, ESPN+ is part of a redesigned ESPN app and will also be accessible through ESPN.com.

"We are significantly enhancing our existing relationship with the Ivy League, providing the conference, its institutions, and fans the most comprehensive coverage of the league to date across ESPN's networks and platforms, while also adding specific benefits that are made possible with the launch of ESPN+,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN's executive vice president of programming and scheduling, in an interview with ESPN.com.

A deal between the Ivy League and ESPN is only a small portion of increased access to thousands of events through ESPN+, including games from the MLB, NHL, MLS and various other sports.

Nonetheless, ESPN+ represents a victory for Ivy League fans. The streaming service will provide access to every Ivy League conference-controlled game in football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s ice hockey, and men’s and women’s lacrosse, as well as at least eight postseason events and various events across other sports.

For Ivy League fans, this announcement is particularly promising, given that a “League Annual Pass,” which is available for purchase on the Ivy League Network, the current prime airer of Ivy League events, costs $119.95 per year.

“It has been such a rewarding experience to watch and be part of the growth of the Ivy League Network as we have progressed over the last 5 years with all of the 8 schools working together … producing more than 1,100 events, and the quality continues to continually improve,” said Robin Harris, Ivy League Executive Director. “This takes us to the next level in providing an opportunity for all of our sports.”

On ESPN+, fans will be able to cater their sports experience and personalize their content. Harris assures future buyers that it will be “so easy for our fans to find our content” with the new service.

The emergence of ESPN+ offers Princeton fans a new opportunity to watch Princeton teams compete across a variety of sports and solidifies the Ivy League’s reputation as a conference.

Craig A. Sachson, Assistant Director of Athletics, said on behalf of Mollie Marcoux Samaan ’91, the Ford Family Director of Athletics at Princeton: “This comprehensive partnership with ESPN is a game changer for Ivy League athletics. It will provide our current fans with a highly cost-effective way to view all of our competitions, and it will expose a large new audience to the remarkable and unique talents of our student athletes. Our goal is to continue to display these talents and the Ivy League model on the national stage, and what better way to do that than to partner with the world’s leader in sports content?”