UAC and ASUN sign new ESPN media rights deal

Central Arkansas and eight other United Athletic Conference schools are getting a bigger spotlight.

Unisun Sports announced a new long-term media rights agreement with ESPN that brings the UAC and the Atlantic Sun Conference together under one media plan.

It’s the first time two NCAA Division I conferences have teamed up this way for a media rights deal.

The agreement kicks off with the 2026 academic year. Starting now, ESPN will be the only home for both conferences.

That means a full mix of regular-season games and championship events will show up on ESPN+, and some of the bigger games will also make it to ESPN’s TV channels.

UCA is one of nine full UAC members, joining schools like Abilene Christian, Austin Peay and Tarleton State.

Bear fans won’t have to search far and wide anymore to catch the Bears in action, since so much of the schedule will live in one spot.

What’s included in deal

The agreement covers a lot of ground. Linear TV will carry the men’s and women’s basketball championship games for both the UAC and ASUN.

Regular-season men’s basketball games will also get linear coverage. Each conference gets to pick one extra game in any sport to feature on linear TV every year.

This year’s pick is Tarleton State hosting Prairie View A&M in a Week 0 football matchup.

On top of that ESPN+ will stream more than 1,200 digital productions across both leagues.

The deal also allows for 188 local linear broadcasts, giving even more programs a chance to get on screen.

Unisun Sports CEO Jeff Bacon called the deal a big step forward.

“This agreement is a transformational moment not only for our conferences but for the future of collegiate athletics,” Bacon said in a press release on the conference website. “By aligning media rights we’ve created a forward-thinking strategy that delivers greater exposure for our institutions elevates the student-athlete experience and provides fans unprecedented access to our championships and regular-season competition.”

ESPN calls it a fresh start

Mallory Kenny, ESPN’s Director of Programming and Acquisitions, said the network is glad to bring both leagues aboard.

“We’re pleased to welcome the ASUN and UAC to a new chapter with Unisun Sports on ESPN,” Kenny said. “By bringing a broad slate of regular-season and championship events to our networks we can showcase the depth of competition across both conferences and connect their student-athletes and programs with fans nationwide.”

Bacon added that the partnership shows what conferences can build together.

“This enhanced relationship with the industry leader in sports broadcasting demonstrates what is possible when conferences collaborate with a shared vision,” Bacon said. “Together we’re creating greater value for our member institutions.”

Unisun Sports itself is pretty new. It formed on July 1, 2026, when the old Western Athletic Conference rebranded into the UAC and joined forces with the ASUN.

CSMG, a sports and media company, helped both sides work out the details of the ESPN agreement.

Both conferences will still run their own championships and keep their own automatic NCAA bids, but now they’ll share one media home.