ESPN announces new 12-year extension with the Rose Bowl, Big Ten and Pac-12
AnnArbor.com file photo
ESPN announced Thursday that it's come to an agreement on a 12-year contract extension with the Rose Bowl, the Big Ten and the Pac-12 to continue carrying the event at 5 p.m. (ET) on Jan. 1 (or Jan. 2) through 2026.
Long story short, even if the Rose Bowl isn't one of the new playoff-rotated semifinal games -- it'll have a New Year's Day slot on national television.
“We’re excited that the Rose Bowl Game will continue to be featured on ESPN through 2026,” Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said in a statement. “The Big Ten and Pac-12 have a tremendous history of exciting matchups on New Year’s Day in Pasadena that dates back more than a century.
"We look forward to continuing the great tradition of featuring the Rose Bowl Game on ESPN, which has been a Big Ten partner since launching in 1979.”
According to the release, the Rose Bowl game will continue to carry the champions from the Big Ten and the Pac-12, presuming a title member from each league isn't playing in the previously agreed-upon four-team playoff.
ESPN will showcase the Rose Bowl over multiple platforms -- including television, ESPN Radio, ESPN Mobile TV, smartphones, tablets, oneline and even on Xbox LIVE via WatchESPN.
ESPN also has rights to distribute the game on ESPN 3D and ESPN International.
The new agreement begins in 2015, the same year the new playoff format will debut.
Throughout the entire playoff discussion process, Delany and the rest of the Big Ten athletic directors held the upkeep of the Rose Bowl as an elite event as a high priority.
And with the new ESPN agreement, Delany and company seem to believe they've accomplished that mission.
"As we usher in the new era of a college football playoff, it is gratifying to know that the Rose Bowl will continue to be the premier Bowl game in college football," Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement. "With the signing of this landmark long-term broadcast agreement with ESPN, the history, tradition and success of the Rose Bowl Game will be assured for many years to come."
Nick Baumgardner covers Michigan sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2514, by email at nickbaumgardner@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @nickbaumgardner.
Comments
heartbreakM
Thu, Jun 28, 2012 : 4:54 p.m.
Uh, MR. Delany: ABC has had a relationship with the Rose Bowl for decades, not ESPN. ABC took over ESPN and renamed its brand to ESPN (rather than ABC sports) a few years ago, but really, to say that ESPN has had that relationship is not quite right. Why don't you go back to the library so you can continue to come up with stupid names for your conference divisions now.
garrisondyer
Thu, Jun 28, 2012 : 4:47 p.m.
If E$PN decides not to air the Rose Bowl on ABC but only through it's cable network of channels, this will prove to be a sad, sad turn of events. I've been disappointed over the last 2 or 3 years that the Rose Bowl just wasn't on ABC -- it couldn't be watched at home without buying some sort of cable package, with the exception of watching it on ESPN3.com, which is only accessible if you have your buy your internet through certain companies.... Sad, sad.
Spartan Bob
Thu, Jun 28, 2012 : 4:40 p.m.
The Rose Bowl no longer has the allure that it once had. Actually, none of the Bowl games do except for the title game. Does anyone even watch most of these games anymore other than to support your own team or root against the other? I never know what date or time any of these games are on anymore, so I mainly don't bother to watch unless I accidentally catch it while changing the channels.
heartbreakM
Thu, Jun 28, 2012 : 4:56 p.m.
I love bowl games because of the often decent matchups, and to close out the year of football. But I agree with you Spartan Bob. The bowl games have almost become an afterthought. The Sugar Bowl was at most half full for a high profile game in a good city. I think the Orange Bowl was also half empty. Rose Bowl usually does OK, but it seems the allure is somehow gone on all bowl games.