For the first time ever, CUNYAC will enter a new era of exposure for its student-athletes, with the production of this year’s 49th Annual CUNYAC Basketball Finals.The four-year basketball finals on February 28th will be made available to a national audience of 85 million households and millions more online via ESPN3, the worldwide leader in multimedia sports. In addition to its viewership on televisions across the country, ESPN3 is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, through smartphones, tablets, and other smart devices with the WatchESPN app.
“Broadcasting the CUNYAC Championship on ESPN3 is an amazing opportunity for the CUNY teams to showcase all the talent and hard work that the players in this conference put into each season” said Brooklyn junior point guard Nicole Francomano. “Thanks to ESPN3 more people will be able to see the high quality of athletics that Division III has to offer.”
CUNY fans and alumni throughout the country will be able to watch their favorite institutions go toe-to-toe for the championship trophies in what will certainly be one of the most exciting events in CUNYAC history, slated for 6:00 pm (women’s final) and 8:30 pm (men’s final) from CCNY’s Nat Holman Gymnasium.
“The CUNYAC Tournament is a great showcase for the talent that this city holds. This partnership is a great opportunity to have this talent on display through the television media. It’s an exciting venture and we are looking to the postseason and hope to be a part of it,” said Tony Petosa, head men’s basketball coach at CSI, the #21 ranked team in NCAA Division III.
“Providing our student-athletes, our member schools, and our university with the most visibility possible is our goal year-in and year-out,” said Taylor Polchinski, CUNYAC External Communications and Multimedia Manager. “This year we have truly taken major steps to reaching our ultimate goal and I think everyone in and around CUNY will be excited to see their teams on the most recognizable sports network in the country.”
While this will mark first time ever that the four-year college men’s and women’s finals can be seen nationwide on ESPN3, the community college men’s and women’s final will be seen on a tape-delay basis on CUNY-TV channel 75 and BronxNet channel 67. The ESPN broadcast will be made possible thru CUNYAC’s production partner EMSECO Media, LLC and our corporate champions Con Edison, Modell’s, Hospital for Special Surgery, Pepsi, Applebee’s, Municipal Credit Union, US Army ROTC, and Time Warner Cable.
“ESPN3 continues to adopt innovative production and distribution practices in an effort to achieve our commitment to provide unmatched quality and availability of thousands of live college events from across the country,” said John Lasker, Vice President, Digital Media Programming & Acquisitions, ESPN.
About ESPN3
ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of global sports events annually and accessible online via WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members. It is currently available to 83 million homes at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. The network is also available at no cost to approximately 21 million U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers connected to on-campus educational networks and on-base military networks.
About CUNY and CUNY-TV
The City University of New York provides high-quality, accessible education for more than 269,000 degree-credit students and 247,000 adult, continuing and professional education students at 24 campuses across New York City.
The University is an integrated system of senior and community colleges, graduate and professional schools, research centers, institutes and consortia. From certificate courses to Ph.D. programs, CUNY offers postsecondary learning to students of all backgrounds. It provides the city with graduates trained for high-demand positions in the sciences, technology, mathematics, teaching, nursing and other fields. As CUNY has grown, the University also has strengthened its mission as a premier research institution, building an array of modern facilities and expanding the ranks of its world-class faculty.
For many years, CUNYAC has worked with CUNY’s very own television station, CUNY-TV to air both the four-year and community college finals for all of New York City to see. This year will be no different as both productions will be aired on the City Station. All games will be broadcast on a tape-delayed basis CUNY-TV (channel 75).