Allen Media’s HBCU Go Tackles Southwestern Athletic Conference Rights

Alabama State vs. Jackson State in SWAC football
The SWAC deal gives HBCU Go rights to games involving conference members such as Jackson State and Alabama State. (Image credit: Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)

HBCU Go, Allen Media Group’s free streaming platform serving the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, has reached a multi-year agreement with the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

HBCU Go

The deal gives HBCU Go cable, linear, streaming, broadcast, VOD and pay-per-view rights to the conference’s games in sports including football, basketball and volleyball starting with the 2022-23 season.

 The agreement includes live coverage of more than 2,000 conference games and clients. Some games and events will also air on Allen Media's free-streaming digital platforms theGrio, Local Now, and Sports.TV

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“Some of the world’s greatest athletes have come from, and continue to play and coach for, these excellent Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of HBCU GO parent company Allen Media Group. “These HBCUs will continue to deliver historic events such as sports icon and coach Deion Sanders signing the number one overall prospect in the class of 2022 — five-star cornerback Travis Hunter — making this a truly amazing league.”

Allen acquired HBCU Go last year from Symonds-Evans Media LLC. It had a rights deal with the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association to televise football and basketball games.

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“We’re extremely excited to partner with the Allen Media Group and HBCU GO,” said SWAC commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland. “This partnership will be a game-changer for our league along with the 12 member institutions that we serve. The ability to showcase our sports programs across such a wide variety of multimedia and digital platforms will undoubtedly take SWAC sports programming to the next level while providing our fans and supporters with unprecedented access to SWAC events in all the sports that our league currently offers.” ■

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.