As the college basketball season hits its stride with conference play, ESPN’s coverage continues to deliver marquee matchups and compelling stories across both the men’s and women’s games.
Sr. Director of Programming & Acquisitions Dan Margulis shared insight into how ESPN navigates scheduling decisions during one of the busiest times on the sports calendar.
On navigating scheduling overlapping seasons with massive programming demands:
Well, there are certainly a lot of grids (laughs). But it’s really about attention to detail and the behind-the-scenes work to secure strong windows for each sport, and the flexibility (and oftentimes patience) to adjust as our other sport schedules change. We identify wildcard selections and network flexes as the season evolves, while also recognizing which teams draw audiences and which stories will resonate.
On priorities as conference play ramps up:
Our goal every year is to carve out windows that truly stand out on both the men’s and women’s sides. For the men, we’re especially excited about our Big Monday and Super Tuesday slates, showcasing three of the top conferences in the ACC, SEC and Big 12, as well as all of our Saturdays which often feature 12 straight hours of hoops. On the women’s side, we’ve found Thursday nights and Sundays to be prime opportunities to showcase the sport in the biggest way. It’s about putting the best games in the best windows to engage both die-hard fans and casual viewers.
On what he’s most looking forward to in the second half of the season:
College basketball is fun! College sports is in a time of change no doubt, but the quality of play on the court right now is as good as it has ever been. The amount of talent in this year’s freshman class in the men’s game is staggering and I’m excited we get to showcase so many of them on our networks.
On the women’s side, I’m especially looking forward to our first ever Saturday primetime women’s game on ABC. We’re pulling out all the stops for the Valentine’s Day showdown between South Carolina and LSU. There’s no love lost between those programs, and they always deliver an incredible matchup.
Colin Bradley also contributed to this post.
