CBS SPORTS SIGNS MULTI-YEAR DEAL TO TELEVISE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE BASKETBALL ON CBS AND CBS SPORTS NETWORK

Missouri Valley Championship Game Remains on CBS; CBS Sports Network Adds Eight Regular-Season Games and Tournament Semifinals

CBS Sports has reached a multi-year agreement to televise Missouri Valley Conference college basketball games on the CBS Television Network and CBS Sports Network. The deal, which begins this season and continues through 2019-20, is through a sublicense agreement with ESPN.

CBS Sports will continue to broadcast the Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Championship game, which it has aired for ten consecutive years. Arch Madness coverage extends to CBS Sports Network, which for the first time will televise the tournament semi-finals, as well as eight regular-season games per year.

“We are excited to expand our relationship with the Missouri Valley Conference,” said Dan Weinberg, Executive Vice President, Programming, CBS Sports. “Given the national prominence of The Valley, this deal brings more high quality college basketball to CBS Sports Network, and returns the always exciting Missouri Valley Conference Championship to CBS.”

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“We’re very proud of the relationship we’ve had over the past decade with CBS Sports.  The network has secured the rights to our tournament championship game through 2020 which is clear recognition of the respect our league has earned in college basketball circles,” said MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin.  “Having our championship game aired on the first weekend in March by CBS Sports places our league in elite company.  We are elated to have CBS Sports Network televising a regular-season men’s basketball package and our tournament semifinals – a fitting tribute to our student-athletes and coaches.” 

The perennially strong Missouri Valley Conference saw two teams represent the league in the final Associated Press rankings in 2015 – Wichita State (14) and UNI (11).  Both teams played in the NCAA Tournament, with Wichita State reaching the Sweet 16 with victories over storied programs Indiana and Kansas. Wichita State’s run marked the sixth MVC team to reach the Sweet 16 in the past 10 years. The Valley also had the nation’s best post-season winning percentage (.824) in 2015, as the league’s five post-season qualifiers combined for a 14-3 record.

The Missouri Valley Conference, the nation’s second-oldest NCAA Division I conference, continues to be a leader in college athletics and is one of the nation’s most progressive conferences, celebrating its 109th season in 2015-16. League members have worked together to focus on common goals and objectives, placing a high value on league harmony, while continuing to invest in athletic programs to compete at the highest level.  MVC all-sport members include Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Loyola Chicago, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois and Wichita State.

CBS Sports Network, the 24-hour home of CBS Sports, is available across the country through local cable, video and telco providers and via satellite on DirecTV Channel 221 and Dish Network Channel 158. For more information, and to access the CBS Sports Network channel finder, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

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What They're Saying:

Clif Smart, Missouri State President; MVC Representative to the NCAA Board of Directors
"The CBS Sports agreement provides a unique opportunity for national exposure to each university in the Conference. At the end of this contract term, CBS will have carried 15 consecutive Missouri Valley Tournament championship games, and that streak demonstrates the strength of MVC basketball and the Arch Madness brand. The CBS extension and the addition of a regular-season package on CBS Sports Network underscores the MVC’s status as one of the elite athletic conferences in the nation."

Chris Reynolds, Bradley Director of Athletics
"For the past decade, the CBS coverage of the Arch Madness championship game has been the symbolic start of the greatest month in sports. The fact that CBS has now secured the rights to additional tournament and regular-season MVC games is a tremendous sign of the respect our league holds nationally and further increases the exposure of The Valley brand."

Larry Lyons, Illinois State Director of Athletics
"The continuation and expansion of the strong relationship between CBS Sports and the Missouri Valley Conference speaks volumes to quality of the men's basketball student-athletes and coaches in the league. It also speaks to the tremendous support that Valley schools bring to St. Louis each year for Arch Madness. High quality basketball in a tremendous environment makes for great live television. Expanding the coverage to the regular season certain makes sense. It's a win-win for CBS Sports and the MVC."

Ron Prettyman, Indiana State Director of Athletics
"This expanded partnership with CBS provides the Missouri Valley Conference with a tremendous opportunity to showcase our men’s basketball throughout the season. It is always special to have CBS televising your tournament teams in March, and the added bonus of the CBS Sports Network producing regular-season games represents another big step for our league.”

Troy Dannen, Northern Iowa Director of Athletics
“The expansion and enhancement of our broadcast agreement with CBS is significant recognition of the national standing of Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball. We’ve never taken CBS’ airing of the Missouri Valley Tournament title game for granted – that certainly groups us with a finite subset of elite leagues. And now, as we anticipate having a ‘Game of the Week’ regular-season package and our tournament semifinals airing on the CBS Sports Network, we have another reason to celebrate. The quality of basketball in The Valley has never been better.”

Kyle Moats, Missouri State Director of Athletics
"Having the championship and semi-finals on CBS Sports solidifies the Missouri Valley Conference as one of the premier basketball leagues in the country. The national exposure CBS brings, along with the quality of basketball in The Valley, continues to enhance the overall branding and exposure of our league."

Ray Giacoletti, Drake Men's Basketball Head Coach
“We are excited at the prospects for a broadened relationship with CBS. CBS has always amplified the drama of college basketball in March – and now, with the CBS Sports Network coverage of our regular season and the tournament semifinals, it will bring our league into a much sharper focus for basketball fans – and for our recruits – throughout the country.”

Marty Simmons, Evansville Men's Basketball Head Coach
“This is a great day for the Missouri Valley Conference and its member institutions. Being able to showcase Arch Madness on such a big stage as CBS provides such a great opportunity for the league and for our student-athletes. And to grow our regular-season and tournament coverage on the CBS Sports Network is another milestone for The Valley. We’re blessed to be able to continue our partnership with CBS.”

Porter Moser, Loyola Men's Basketball Head Coach
"Having the Arch Madness championship game on CBS puts us in unique company and gives us a platform to show how great Valley basketball is to a national audience. I’m especially excited about the regular-season package and the tournament semifinals that will air on the CBS Sports Network. This past March, we were fortunate to have both of our games of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) championship series televised on that network, and the exposure and recognition that our program received from those telecasts was immeasurable."

Barry Hinson, Southern Illinois Men's Basketball Head Coach
“We are extremely excited to be partnering with CBS and CBS Sports Network. When you combine the power and the aura of CBS with the second-oldest conference in college basketball, it is a ‘win-win’ for both. We are proud of our league and all of its accomplishments over the past 108 years. The CBS agreement will provide us with the opportunity to showcase our history, as well as our potential in the years to come.”

Gregg Marshall, Wichita State Men's Basketball Head Coach
“We've seen, firsthand, the positive publicity that CBS Sports generates for programs during March Madness. With this new extension, we now have two additional months to associate with that powerful ‘Road to the Final Four’ brand. More games on national television means more national exposure, and that’s obviously a great benefit to all of us."