NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- The Atlantic 10 Conference and CBS Sports have agreed to a three-year extension for a selection of the league’s media television rights. The extension retains the league’s extensive TV coverage CBS Sports Network.
 
The agreement provides a potential 76 total basketball exposures for Atlantic 10 teams on linear television, including 56 potential men's basketball appearances. CBS Sports Network will also air the semifinals of both basketball championships.
 
“CBS Sports Network and the Atlantic 10 have a long history of collaboration and extensive coverage to bring Atlantic 10 basketball to our fans and alumni,” stated A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. “It made all the sense in the world to extend this partnership for another three years, with CBS Sports’ dedication to high-quality broadcasts, extensive coverage of regular season and postseason and studio programming that features college basketball experts and influencers.”
 
“We are excited to extend CBS Sports’ long and successful partnership with the Atlantic 10,” said Dan Weinberg, EVP, Programming, CBS Sports. “The Conference consistently delivers a deep roster of strong teams each year and further demonstrates the network’s commitment to showcasing high-quality college basketball on a national stage.”
 
Ancillary programming, such as a special Atlantic 10-focus version of the popular Inside College Basketball studio show, will also be a part of CBS Sports Network’s coverage. 
The CBS Television Network will still continue to carry the A-10 Men’s Basketball Championship game, as part of a separate sublicense deal with ESPN.
 
CBS Sports Network, the 24-hour home of CBS Sports, is available through all major cable, satellite and telco distributors as well as via OTT streaming service providers YouTube TV, fuboTV, DirecTV and Hulu. Additionally, a live CBS Sports Network stream is available through CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App with select providers. 
 
The agreement was originally signed in October of 2012 and as part of the total A-10 media rights package, gave the league unprecedented reach, distribution and marketing. Atlantic 10 institutions reside in states that comprise 33.3 million television households, approximately 30 percent of the total national media market. There are eight A-10 institutions in the top 25 media markets in the country, and all 14 A-10 institutions are located in or adjacent to the top 65 media markets.
 
The extension keeps the Atlantic 10, which is celebrating its 45^th Anniversary in 2020-21, among the top basketball conferences in television coverage. The A-10 has boasted 65 postseason appearances in the last decade, 35 of which have been bids to the NCAA Tournament. The conference earned multiple at-large bids to 13 of the last 14 NCAA Tournaments. Over the past six years, every A-10 member has made at least one postseason appearance. League member Dayton had a magical season last year, reaching a No. 3 ranking in the AP and Coaches’ Polls. The Flyers, behind National Player of the Year Obi Toppin and National Coach of the Year Anthony Grant, were being forecasted as a Final Four team in media predictions before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the postseason.