American Sports Network to Broadcast American Athletic Conference Basketball Games

BALTIMORE, Sept. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- American Sports Network ("ASN"), a division of Sinclair Networks Group, which is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) announced that it has entered into a sublicense agreement with ESPN to televise men's basketball games from the American Athletic Conference (The American), beginning with the 2015 academic year.

Under the agreement, ASN will air up to 10 men's basketball games per year on Sinclair broadcast stations as well as on other syndicated platforms, both broadcast and cable. Sinclair owned and operated television stations in The American footprint include WSTR (MyTV 33), WKRC (CBS 12) in Cincinnati and KTUL (ABC 8) in Tulsa.  All ASN games will also be streamed live on ESPN3 through WatchESPN, accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.

"We're pleased to enter into this relationship, to provide American Athletic Conference events to communities in our and in The American's respective footprints," said Doron Gorshein, COO of Sinclair Networks Group. "The addition of American live events further extends our commitment to providing relevant, live sports programming to our viewers, and to the students, alumni, and fans of The American."

"Our new relationship with the American Sports Network enables us to feature our student-athletes and schools on this rapidly growing and impressive platform," American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Aresco said. "This further extends exposure of American men's basketball, which is an exciting development for The American and our member institutions." 

About American Sports Network

ASN is a division of Sinclair Networks Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., the largest and one of the most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country with 164 television stations it owns, operates and/or provides services to in 79 markets, broadcasting 384 channels.  Sinclair's portfolio reaches approximately 43 million television households and is affiliated with all the major networks.  In addition, ASN's content is syndicated to other broadcasters and regional sports networks. ASN, which launched in August 2014, produced 250 college events in nine sports in its first year and plans to air more than 375 events in the 2015/2016 academic year. 

About American Athletic Conference

With the conference office in Providence, Rhode Island, The American is comprised of 11 institutions with full membership: UCF, Cincinnati, UConn, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, USF, SMU, Temple, Tulane and Tulsa.  Navy is a football-only member, and is currently playing their first season as a member of a conference after 135 seasons of football independence. Under the leadership of Commissioner Mike Aresco, The American sponsors 20 championships – 10 for men and 10 for women; is a member of the College Football Playoff; began new television partnerships with ESPN and CBS Sports in 2014; and has a marketing partnership with IMG College.

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SOURCE Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.