What fans need to know about the move from SNY

The UConn women’s basketball phenomenon was broadcast from the station home to Barney, your child’s beloved purple dinosaur.

Geno Auriemma’s ascent to national prominence was supported by Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) from 1994 to 2012. The initial seven NCAA championship teams reached viewers’ living rooms across the state thanks to the PBS affiliate before SNY, based in New York, took over as the main station 12 years ago.

When the Huskies switched channels in 2012, there was considerable concern, but fans have since grown accustomed to the familiar voices of Kara Wolters, Meg Culmo, and their colleagues.

Now, prepare yourself for another episode of TV upheaval.

The Big East has secured a new, more lucrative media rights deal that will enhance platform options for its games. Starting in 2025, the six-year agreement will include NBC Sports and TNT Sports alongside the primary partner, Fox Sports.

A key aspect of the deal for fans of Auriemma’s team is that UConn women’s basketball will no longer be broadcast by SNY starting in the 2025-26 season.

Big East commissioner Val Ackerman stated that all UConn games will still be available on linear TV through the conference’s media rights agreement, but the broadcasts will lose that Husky-centric focus. Fans will need to do a bit more research to find where to watch the games, as they will be aired across various networks.

This isn’t entirely unprecedented. The 2023-24 schedule featured five games on major networks (ABC and Fox) and seven on national channels like FS1, FS2, ESPN, and CBS Sports, along with games streamed on FloHoops from the Cayman Islands.

The remaining 17 regular season games were shown on SNY.

From the 2025-26 season onward, these games will be distributed among affiliates of Fox Sports, NBC Sports, and TNT Sports. Given the growing popularity of women’s basketball, it’s likely that more games will also appear on national networks like Fox and ESPN.

“We’re going to be all over the place,” Ackerman told CT Insider. “How we communicate with our fans about where to find us on any given night is something we need to address. … UConn is highly sought after, and we have strong linear coverage.”

The new media rights agreement will bring in increased revenue for the Big East, which is crucial as expenses in college athletics continue to rise. With two consecutive men’s national titles and a strong, iconic women’s basketball program, UConn has become an attractive target for networks seeking sports content.

However, this change will require an adjustment for UConn women’s basketball fans.

Auriemma’s program gained recognition in the early 1990s, and CPTV recognized the growth potential of the brand when it began airing games in the spring of 1994. During the 1994-95 NCAA championship season, CPTV broadcast 16 games, followed by 18 games in 1995-96 before finalizing a contract with the university.

The PBS affiliate aired nearly 400 games along with specials and documentaries before the coverage transitioned to SNY in May 2012.

“This agreement will continue to give our loyal fans in Connecticut the chance to watch our team, while also helping us attract a new audience of UConn women’s basketball fans across the Northeast and the nation,” Auriemma stated when the deal was announced. “SNY will help us showcase UConn women’s basketball to a wider audience, which will aid our recruiting efforts and help us sustain our program’s success.”

Fans eventually adapted as SNY became a prominent force in the state, heavily investing in UConn with reporters frequently visiting Storrs on non-game days.

However, most of the time on SNY occurred while UConn was in the American Athletic Conference. The Big East has drawn interest from both men’s and women’s fans, and the school remains tied to the league as long as it stays outside the power conference realm.

The new media deal will enhance revenue as UConn enters a new chapter in college athletics.

“They’ve been great partners,” Ackerman told CT Insider. “They’ve really engaged as a member and contributor.”