CBS Sports, MVC Agree to Extend Men’s Basketball Partnership

CBS Sports and the Missouri Valley Conference have agreed to a multi-year extension to televise Missouri Valley Conference college men’s basketball games on CBS and CBS Sports Network. The deal, which continues through 2023-24, is through a sublicense agreement with ESPN.

As part of the agreement, CBS will again broadcast the State Farm MVC Men’s Basketball Championship game, which it has aired since 2006. CBS Sports Network will televise eight regular season games, as well as the Arch Madness Conference Tournament semifinals, as it has since 2016.

“The 2017-18 basketball season was an extraordinary one for the Missouri Valley Conference, and this extension is a continuation of the respect shown by CBS Sports for our league,” says MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin. “This agreement means that CBS Sports will televise the title game of Arch Madness through the 2024 event — a span which dates back to the first championship contest telecast in 2006. Our staff and schools are also thrilled to continue the cooperative process necessary to produce a CBS Sports Network schedule of regular-season men’s basketball games and our tournament semifinals — recognition worthy of our student-athletes and coaches.”

The Missouri Valley Conference had its second NCAA Final Four appearance since 2013 as Loyola reached San Antonio with wins over Miami (Fla.), Tennessee, Nevada and Kansas State. The MVC has had a minimum of one NCAA tourney win in each of the past seven years (2012-present) for a cumulative 18-11 (.621) record — and that winning percentage is fourth-best among all conferences. Loyola’s first-round win against Miami gave the Valley a perfect 9-0 record in first-round games since Wichita State, then an MVC school lost a first-round game against VCU in 2012.

The Missouri Valley Conference is celebrating its 111th season in 2017-18. League members have worked together to focus on common goals and objectives — placing a high value on league harmony while continuing to invest in athletic programs to compete at the highest level. MVC all-sport members include Bradley, Drake, Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Loyola Chicago, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, and Valparaiso.

CBS Sports Network, the 24-hour home of CBS Sports, is widely available through all major cable, satellite, and telco distributors as well as via OTT streaming service providers YouTube TV, fuboTV, PlayStation Vue, DirecTV, and Hulu. Additionally, a live CBS Sports Network stream is available through CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App by authenticating with select providers.