NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournament expansion is on the horizon, but the path forward remains murky.
Members of the basketball committees have effectively been given a gag order on discussing expansion. That said, sources with knowledge of the talks told Sports Business Journal that they had not seen any materials related to expansion as of late last week.
Non-FBS football conference commissioners were slated to meet with NCAA President Charlie Baker early this week. The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball oversight committees were also scheduled for a joint session.
In the wake of these talks, I’ve gotten plenty of questions from people in the industry and the broader media rights world on how the financial math related to expansion might work.
It’s believed neither CBS/TNT nor ESPN would be required to increase rights fees if the tournament expands, so don’t expect the networks to pay more if they don’t have to.
So, what’s the funding source for expansion? NCAA SVP/Basketball Dan Gavitt has teased that the NCAA is likely to open additional sponsorship categories. Combine that with new ad inventory from eight additional games and there’s more money to be made. Would it be enough to cover expansion costs? We’ll see.
Another consideration: Expanding now positions the NCAA for its next TV deal. The men’s basketball tournament’s contract isn’t up until 2032. The women’s tournament — which is part of a broader package that includes dozens of Olympic sport championships — expires the same year.
Think of expansion as a sampling of the options. If this were to go into effect in 2026-27, the NCAA would have at least three years’ worth of data and, if it gets its wish, proof that people will watch additional early-round games. That translates into more cash in the next media rights deal.
NCAA tournament expansion hasn’t exactly been a popular discussion. Public criticism has been widespread. The NCAA and Baker also have yet to give a clear explanation as to why the tournament needs to grow.
Either way, it’s likely tournament expansion is coming. Yippee?
