Editing Southeastern Conference (section)

== Broadcasting and media rights ==
SEC sports are televised exclusively by the [[ESPN]] family of networks, which includes [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], [[ESPN]], [[ESPN2]], [[ESPNU]], [[SEC Network]], [[ESPN+]], and SEC+.

For football scheduling, the SEC designates start windows (either Noon–1 EST, 3:30–4:30 EST, 3:30–8 EST, or 6–8 EST) before the season begins and schedules start times as the season progresses. ABC serves as the primary broadcaster of SEC football games with three possible broadcast windows available to air games: noon, 3:30 EST, and 7:30 EST. Every week, ABC designates its 3:30 EST window for an SEC game, carrying on the SEC's traditional window from its previous media rights agreement with CBS.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 11, 2008 |title=CBS Sports TV Schedule |work=CBSSports.com |url=http://www.cbssports.com/cbssports/schedules/page/collegefootball}}</ref> However, unlike with CBS, the marquee game of the week does not necessarily air at 3:30 EST. The marquee game can air in any of the three windows that maximizes exposure, which is usually ABC's ''[[Saturday Night Football]]'' window at 7:30 EST. There is no limit to the maximum number of SEC games that can be designated for ''Saturday Night Football''. This allows for ABC to air as many SEC doubleheaders, or tripleheaders in some weeks, as they would like throughout the season (compared to a limit of two doubleheaders per season with CBS). ABC broadcasts are presented under the ''SEC on ABC'' banner. ABC also broadcasts the [[SEC Championship Game]].<ref>{{cite web |title=SEC on ABC and ESPN |url=https://www.secsports.com/sec-on-abc-and-espn |website=secsports.com |publisher=Southeastern Conference |access-date=24 October 2024}}</ref>

Remaining football games are assigned to ESPN and its other networks. Each season, one football game and a few men's basketball games for each team are broadcast on ESPN+ and SEC+, the online component of the SEC Network. Most other sports are broadcast on the SEC Network or on SEC+.

All SEC schools broadcast their radio play-by-play through [[Sirius XM]], and the conference carries its own full-time radio network on satellite channel 374, and via Sirius XM Online.

=== History ===
The SEC created the [[College Football Association]] in 1977 with other major conferences to negotiate contracts for broadcasting college football games.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Exploring the history of college football media rights |url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/college/cowboys/2013/08/25/exploring-the-history-of-college-football-media-rights/60887384007/ |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=The Oklahoman |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Jefferson Pilot Sports]] began syndicated television coverage of men's basketball games in 1986 and football games in 1992, which were picked after the CFA allocated games for its national contract.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-08-25 |title=ESPN signs 15-year TV coverage deal with SEC |url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/news/story?id=3553033 |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>

In 1994, the SEC became the first conference to leave the CFA when it announced a deal with CBS to televise one game each week. CBS paid about $17 million per season for the right to show the best game of the week. The network was required to televise each team at least once per season. The Conference soon reached a deal with ESPN to broadcast games in primetime.<ref name=":2" />

In August 2008, the SEC announced an unprecedented 15-year television contract with CBS worth an estimated $55 million a year. This continued the previous deal that made CBS the exclusive over-the-air broadcaster of SEC sports.<ref name="about" /> In the same month, the league also announced another landmark television contract with ESPN worth $2.25 billion or $150 million a year for fifteen years. The ESPN deal replaced the syndicated contract and ensured that all SEC football games would be televised nationally. The deal also committed ESPN and the conference to the creation of the SEC Network, which was finally created in 2014 and allowed for a significant increase in television coverage of SEC sports. Together, these contracts helped make the SEC one of the most nationally televised and visible conferences in the country.<ref>{{cite web |title=www.secspors.com – ESPN, SEC Reach Unprecedented 15-Year Agreement |url=http://secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=3&url_article_id=11428&change_well_id=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829213225/http://www.secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=3&url_article_id=11428&change_well_id=2 |archive-date=August 29, 2008 |publisher=Secsports.com}}</ref>

In 2020, the SEC announced a new deal that made ESPN the sole televisor of SEC sports starting in 2024. The ten-year contract was reported to be about $300 million per year and will allow ESPN to broadcast the SEC on ABC as well as rights to the SEC Championship Game.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Dellenger |first=Ross |date=2020-12-10 |title=Inside SEC's 10-Year Deal With ABC Starting in 2024 |url=https://www.si.com/college/2020/12/10/sec-espn-abc-tv-contract-leaving-cbs |access-date=2023-05-31 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |language=en-us}}</ref>

===SEC Network===
{{Main|SEC Network}}

The [[SEC Network]] is a television and multimedia network that features exclusively Southeastern Conference content through a partnership between [[ESPN]] and the SEC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/NEWS/tabid/473/Article/244762/sec-and-espn-announce-new-tv-network.aspx |title=SEC And ESPN Announce New TV Network > SEC > NEWS |publisher=Secdigitalnetwork.com |date=February 5, 2013 |access-date=September 8, 2013}}</ref> The network launched on August 14, 2014, with the first live football game scheduled for two weeks later between Texas A&M and South Carolina on Thursday, August 28 in Columbia, South Carolina.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/NEWS/tabid/473/Article/246413/sec-releases-2014-conference-football-schedule.aspx |title=SEC Releases 2014 Conference Football Schedule > SEC > NEWS |publisher=Secdigitalnetwork.com |date=August 21, 2013 |access-date=September 8, 2013}}</ref>

The network is part of a deal between the Southeastern Conference and ESPN which is a 20-year agreement, beginning in August 2014 and running through 2034. The agreement served to create and operate a new multiplatform television network and accompanying digital platform in the hope of increasing revenue for member institutions and expanding the reach of the Southeastern Conference.