SEC on ABC
GenreCollege football telecasts
Presented byVarious broadcasters
Theme music composerBob Christianson
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons56
Production
Production locationsVarious NCAA stadiums
(Game telecasts and halftime show)
ESPN Studio F
Bristol, Connecticut, U.S.
(Studio segments)
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time210 minutes or until game ends
Production companyESPN (2024–present)
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseAugust 31, 2024 (2024-08-31)
Related
Saturday Night Football
College Football on ABC

The SEC on ABC is the branding used for broadcasts of Southeastern Conference (SEC) college football games produced by ESPN and aired on ABC. ESPN announced in December of 2020 that the had acquired the main package of SEC games from CBS Sports and that it would move from CBS to ABC, which would now air the top SEC game of the week and the SEC Championship Game.

History

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Prior to 2020, ESPN and the Southeastern Conference had been TV partners for decades with ESPN gaining the cable rights to the SEC in 1996 and agreeing to a much larger deal in 2008.[1] ABC had also aired SEC games in past with them airing the SEC Championship Game from 1992 to 2000 when the games were under the ABC Sports brand.

On November 21, 2020, ABC aired its first SEC regular season game since 1995, FloridaVanderbilt, which was moved from ESPN due to the postponement of an ACC game (ClemsonFlorida State) that was originally expected to air on the network due to COVID-19 pandemic complications.[2]

On December 10, 2020, ESPN announced that it had acquired the top-tier rights to the SEC under a 10-year, $3 billion contract to begin in the 2024 season; ABC will hold rights to the top SEC game of the week (replacing CBS). As before, they will primarily air in the 3:30 window, but there will also be the possibility for games to be carried on Saturday Night Football. ABC will also hold rights to the SEC Championship Game.[3][4] ESPN announced that the games would be branded as the SEC on ABC, with its own distinct on-air presentation separate from other ESPN College Football broadcasts. The games also use a rearrangement of the 1990s ESPN College Football theme music instead of the current theme.[5][6][7]

On-air talent

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At ESPN Studio F in Bristol, Connecticut, Kevin Negandhi and Booger McFarland provide in-studio game analysis. Negandhi also provides in-game studio updates.

References

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  1. ^ "www.secspors.com – ESPN, SEC Reach Unprecedented 15-Year Agreement". Secsports.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2008.
  2. ^ "Following Clemson-FSU postponement, Florida-Vandy moves from ESPN to ABC to fill open spot". Awful Announcing. 2020-11-21. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  3. ^ Draper, Kevin; Blinder, Alan (2020-12-10). "SEC Reaches $3 Billion Deal With Disney, Drawing CBS Ties Toward an End". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  4. ^ "SEC, ESPN strike 10-year deal starting in '24". ESPN.com. 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  5. ^ Weinstein, Arthur (2024-05-15). "'SEC on ABC' logo mixed reactions show fans' angst". Awful Announcing. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  6. ^ Leuzzi, John. "Social media reacts to ESPN release of preview of graphics and scorebug for SEC football on ABC". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  7. ^ "ESPN releases reimagined 1990s theme for 'SEC on ABC' games". NewscastStudio. 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
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