NEW YORK (July 20, 2021) – The BIG EAST Conference has announced an agreement with leading sports streaming service FloSports to become the home of the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) presented by SoFi for the 2021-22 academic year. FloSports served as the digital home of BIG EAST women’s basketball in 2020-21 and will now expand its BEDN lineup to include more than 500 Olympic sports events, as well as BIG EAST original content such as “Shootaround” and “Fast Break,” the Conference’s weekly men’s and women’s basketball feature shows. FloSports offers both monthly and annual subscriptions and as part of the expanded agreement, BIG EAST member institution student and faculty discounts will be made available.

The digital platform complements the BIG EAST’s expansive national television deal with FOX Sports, which offers comprehensive annual coverage of regular season men’s and women’s basketball games, including the BIG EAST Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments presented by JEEP, as well as BIG EAST Olympic sport championships. CBS Sports also annually airs select BIG EAST men’s and women’s basketball games along with several Olympic sport contests. Additionally, SNY annually airs upwards of 18 UConn women’s basketball games.   

“After our successful collaboration last year to make FloSports the digital home of BIG EAST women’s basketball, we’re very excited to expand the partnership by adding Olympic sports competitions and other programming to FloSports’ growing platform for the 2021-22 academic year,” said Rick Gentile, BIG EAST Senior Associate Commissioner, Broadcasting. “Our national TV agreement with Fox Sports has provided the BIG EAST with unrivaled linear coverage of all 22 BIG EAST sports over the last eight seasons, and our enhanced digital arrangement with FloSports will further broaden the reach of the BIG EAST Digital Network and grow our audience on a global level. The exposure from the increased distribution of our competitions and other content is sure to benefit our student-athletes, coaches, schools and fans.”

“We have found an incredible partner with the BIG EAST,” says Mark Floreani, CEO and Co-Founder, FloSports. “Rick and the BIG EAST team share our vision of expanding access to more sports through digital platforms and building stronger direct relationships with conference students, athletes and fans of the wide range of athletic programs offered through the BIG EAST.”

BEDN on FloSports is expected to produce more than 225 events in 2021-22, with a focus on women’s basketball, which accounts for over 75 streamed games per season. The BIG EAST’s 11 member institutions will also provide FloSports with additional regular-season streams, bringing the expected total number of events to nearly 600 for the year. With the increase in coverage across all BIG EAST campuses, the Conference will implement a number of production innovations, including the use of Kiswe, which will allow game talent to call the contest from any location, and the Pixellot camera system, which provides automated camera coverage. 

FloSports is an award-winning direct-to-consumer sports streaming and media company offering a network of 25+ sport verticals. FloSports provides live and on-demand event coverage, original content, breaking news, and more across a variety of sports including softball, track & field/cross-country, wrestling, motorsports, cheerleading and cycling as well as football, basketball and baseball. The FloSports network is available across multiple digital platforms including web, mobile apps (iOS, Android) and connected TV (Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire and more). FloSports has a wide array of collegiate partnerships, including all-in conference deals as well as hundreds of preseason and postseason tournaments in several collegiate sports.

The BIG EAST:

The BIG EAST Conference is an association of 11 nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments.  The athletic programs of BIG EAST institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 4,100 student-athletes on over 200 men’s and women’s teams in 22 sports.  Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST’s members are located in eight of the country’s top 36 largest media markets and include Butler University, University of Connecticut, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University.  For more information, visit www.bigeast.com.

The BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi:

The BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN), which launched in September 2014, is the home of 225 live regular season and championship events annually for the BIG EAST Conference, spanning women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, field hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball and baseball. Additionally, BEDN produces live championship coverage for indoor and outdoor track & field, men’s and women’s swimming and diving and, for the first time this year, men’s and women’s tennis. SoFi became the presenting sponsor of BEDN in 2017-18.

FloSports:

Founded in 2006, FloSports is a subscription video streaming service dedicated to sports, offering live and on-demand access to hundreds of thousands of competition events across 25+ vertical sport categories in the US and abroad. With a growing library of more than 300,000 hours of premium content including news, expert commentary, films, documentaries and more, FloSports has established itself as an innovator and leader in sports streaming. Finally, your sport has a home.