Sports TV

FILE - The national championship trophy is seen before a new conference for the NCAA college football playoff championship game between Clemson and Alabama, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. The university presidents who oversee the College Football Playoff voted Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, to expand the postseason model for determining a national champion from four to 12 teams no later than the 2026 season.(AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

Venues, dates, TV, NFL: How to assemble CFP expansion puzzle

By Ralph D. Russo Sep. 20, 2022 12:09 PM EDT

FILE - Robert "Bojo" Ackah, center, and Fik-Shun, left, perform during the announcement of the first Thursday Night Football on Prime Video matchup featuring the San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs at the 2022 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 28, 2022 in Las Vegas. The Thursday night, Sept. 15 game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs kicks off Amazon Prime Video's 11-year agreement with the NFL to carry “Thursday Night Football". (AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis, File)

NFL on Prime Video latest foray by leagues into streaming

By Joe Reedy Sep. 14, 2022 09:34 PM EDT

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch (55) gives chase as Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette (7) runs the ball for a long gain in the second half of a NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)

Football's return dominates Nielsen television ratings

Sep. 13, 2022 06:50 PM EDT

FILE - Serena Williams, of the United States, returns a shot to Ajla Tomljanovic, of Australia, during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, in New York. It could have been just one night, but Williams' exit from tennis turned into a boon for ESPN. Williams' third-round defeat at the hands of Ajla Tomljanovic had the largest audience of any tennis match in ESPN's 43-year history, beating the 3.9 million who watched the 2012 Wimbledon men's final between Roger Federer and Andy Murray. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Serena Williams' goodbye to U.S. Open a ratings boon to ESPN

By David Bauder Sep. 07, 2022 03:26 PM EDT

FILE - Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman holds a helmet while posing for a portrait with University president John I. Jenkins, left, and Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick during a news conference on Dec. 6, 2021, at the Irish Athletic Center in South Bend, Ind. Swarbrick told The Associated Press on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, that the Fighting Irish's position is even stronger now than when he stepped into the job in 2008, bolstered by success on the football field and investments in the program. (Michael Caterina/South Bend Tribune via AP, File)

Recent success secures Notre Dame's treasured independence

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 30, 2022 06:24 PM EDT

FILE - Texas A&M students celebrate with Texas A&M defensive lineman Isaiah Raikes (34) as they packed Kyle Field after upsetting Alabama 38-41 in an NCAA college football game on Oct. 9, 2021, in College Station, Texas. The “Beef Bowl,” which draws from comments Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher and Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban made about each other over concerns about NIL after Fisher brought in one of the top recruiting classes in history. (AP Photo/Sam Craft, File)

College media rights: What has happened and what's next?

By Joe Reedy Aug. 25, 2022 05:50 PM EDT

FILE - Georgia tight end Brock Bowers (19) runs into the end zone for a touchdown against Alabama defensive back Jordan Battle (9) during the second half of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game, Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021, in Atlanta. Bowers was named to The Associated Press preseason All-America team, Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

Supreme Court paved way for shifting college TV landscape

By Joe Reedy Aug. 25, 2022 05:44 PM EDT

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh talks to reporters during an NCAA college football news conference at the Big Ten Conference media days, at Lucas Oil Stadium, Tuesday, July 26, 2022, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

B1G deal: Big Ten lands $7 billion, NFL-style TV contracts

By Ralph D. Russo Aug. 18, 2022 09:27 AM EDT

FILE - Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick attends an NCAA college basketball game between Notre Dame and Mount St. Mary's on Nov. 13, 2017, in South Bend, Ind. Swarbrick says the coming Big Ten television contract with NBC is a “perfect” way for the network to complement its deal with the Fighting Irish during a live online chat for the university's alumni association on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Robert Franklin, File)

Notre Dame AD: Big Ten deal with NBC 'perfect' for Irish

Aug. 10, 2022 03:58 PM EDT

AP sources: ESPN out of Big Ten TV rights negotiations

By Joe Reedy And Ralph D. Russo Aug. 09, 2022 12:05 PM EDT

FILE - UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr., right, tries to get by Southern California forward Isaiah Mobley during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game on March 5, 2022, in Los Angeles. UCLA and Southern California are planning to leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten Conference in a seismic change that could lead to another major realignment of college sports. A person who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday, June 30, 2022, on condition of anonymity because the schools' talks with the Big Ten have not been made public said the schools have taken steps to request an invitation to join the conference. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

Pac-12 facing uncertain future after losses to Big Ten

By John Marshall Jul. 07, 2022 07:09 PM EDT

Conference realignment makes another seismic shift

By John Marshall Jul. 01, 2022 07:00 PM EDT

Auburn's Sunisa Lee raises her arms after competing in the vault during the NCAA women's gymnastics championships Thursday, April 14, 2022, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

In college gymnastics, the ripple effect of real "air time"

By Will Graves Apr. 15, 2022 07:05 PM EDT

FILE - Fans watch from the stands during the first half of the championship game between Stanford and Arizona in the women's Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament in San Antonio, April 4, 2021. A year after the NCAA got called out for gender inequities between its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, the organization has made changes over the past six months to make it more equitable. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

ESPN treats NCAA Women's Tournament as premier event

By Joe Reedy Mar. 18, 2022 02:39 AM EDT

FILE - Washington Redskins Senior Vice President of Player Personnel Doug Williams walks the sidelines before an NFL football game between the Washington Redskins and the Minnesota Vikings, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019, in Minneapolis. The inaugural Legacy Bowl in New Orleans is giving top football players from historically black colleges and universities a new level of exposure to pro scouts and executives. The Legacy Bowl is the brainchild of former NFL quarterbacks Doug Williams and James “Shack” Harris, who both played at Grambling. (AP Photo/Jeff Haynes, File)

New Legacy Bowl enhancing exposure for HBCU all-stars

By Brett Martel Feb. 18, 2022 03:17 PM EST

Arizona State hires Billick as offensive analyst

Jan. 24, 2022 08:10 PM EST
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State has hired former Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick as an offensive analyst and adviser to coach Herm Edwards. “I...

Mississippi quarterback Matt Corral (2) is tackled by Baylor defensive tackle Cole Maxwell (96) and linebacker Matt Jones (52) during the first half of the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football game in New Orleans, Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022. Corral left the field after the play. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)

Analysis: Expanded CFP gives more players reward worth risk

By Ralph D. Russo Jan. 02, 2022 05:00 PM EST

School scrutinized after ESPN blowout is 'scam,' Ohio finds

Dec. 18, 2021 10:03 AM EST
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio school whose legitimacy was scrutinized after its supposedly top-tier football team got clobbered in an ESPN-televised game didn't live...