Television

Deal . . .

 

STORRS – Local fans of the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team – those without season tickets, especially – will be happy to learn that the UConn Division of Athletics and Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) have signed a new, wide-ranging four-year contract extension.

CPTV will continue to be UConn’s exclusive local market television broadcast partner, televising a minimum of 68 games over the four-year life of the contract. As part of the deal, CPTV will also broadcast up to three UConn football games each of the next three seasons in addition to expanding live production of other UConn athletic programs  on CPTV2.

The new four-year agreement with CPTV supersedes the final year (2000-2001) of a four-year contract signed by UConn and CPTV in September of 1997. The latest four-year agreement, valued in excess of $4 million, will generate of minimum of $2.2 million in cash for the university. Also, other programming opportunities built into the contract and game production fees paid by CPTV are valued at $2 million. CPTV will pay a seasonal rights fee of $450,000 to UConn for the 2000-01 women’s basketbal;l local market television telecast rights and that fee will escalate each of the following years – from $500,000 in 2001-02 to $600,000 in 2003-04.