College football fans who want to enjoy the thrill of watching their favorite teams on the big screen will have a new option this season. ESPN has announced a deal with Theater Sports Network to televise 75 college football games at movie theaters across the U.S. and Canada in 2023-24.
ESPN and Theater Sports Network Partner to Bring College Football to Movie Theaters
ESPN and Theater Sports Network, a company that specializes in bringing live sporting events to movie theaters, have reached an agreement to broadcast 75 college football games at movie theaters in 2023-24, ESPN announced on Tuesday. The deal includes games from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the College Football Playoff (CFP), as well as six bowl games on New Year’s Day.
The games will be available in the away team’s market, while any game played at a neutral site will be available in both the home and away team’s markets. The attendance costs will be determined by participating theaters, which will be announced in the coming weeks.
The deal follows a successful partnership between ESPN and Cinemark, which showed the CFP and national championship games at movie theaters for the previous two seasons.
College Football Fans Can Enjoy a Stadium-Like Experience at Movie Theaters
Theater Sports Network president and COO Scott Daw said that he believes “movie theaters are the next great frontier for live sporting events” and that he is “elated” with the agreement with ESPN. He said that the theater screenings will replicate the feel of a football stadium experience, as fans gather and fill theaters to watch the games on the big screen.
“We look forward to bringing these games to ACC football fans,” Daw said. “We believe that theaters have the ability to generate excitement around live sporting events.”
Theater Sports Network also noted that it has partnered with MetaMedia, a digital media firm connected to “cinemas, drive-ins and other out-of-home venues”, to broadcast the games to more than 500 local theaters across the U.S. and Canada.
Movie Theaters Expand Their Alternative Programming Options
The agreement between ESPN and Theater Sports Network is part of a larger trend of movie theaters expanding their alternative programming options for audiences, as the theater industry continues to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Several movie theater companies have screened Broadway shows, Metropolitan Opera performances, live concerts, comedy shows and sporting events—including some recent UFC bouts—over the last two years.
Cinemark has previously broadcast groups of people playing Dungeons & Dragons, according to CNBC.
The alternative programming is aimed at attracting more customers to movie theaters, especially during off-peak hours or days, and providing them with a unique and immersive experience that they cannot get at home.
