New York Road Runners has reached an agreement with New York’s WABC and ESPN to broadcast several races year-round as part of a pact to provide local and national coverage.
The three year deal, announced on Tuesday, will include exclusive broadcast rights to air the TCS New York City Marathon, United Airlines NYC Half, New Balance 5th Avenue Mile and women’s-only New York Mini 10K.
“New York Road Runners is excited to grow our partnership with ABC7/WABC-TV and ESPN as the appetite for running content continues to grow out of the post-pandemic running boom,” New York Road Runners CEO Rob Simmelkjaer said. “This is a significant expansion of our long-standing relationship that will increase the visibility of New York Road Runners’ year-round races and events like the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile and New York Mini 10K, in addition to the TCS New York City Marathon, the best day in New York City.”
The Disney-owned WABC and ESPN2 has broadcast the New York City Marathon since 2013, with additional coverage to be streamed on ESPN+ and the new deal extends the partnership through 2026.
“The TCS New York City Marathon represents the heart and soul of New York City and is one of the most spirited days of the year to be part of.” said John Suchenski, Senior Director of Programming & Acquisitions at ESPN. “We are thrilled to continue to work with New York Road Runners and WABC to showcase the powerful stories and remarkable athleticism of this extraordinary event to a national audience, as well as expanding our coverage to showcase New York Road Runners’ other events throughout the year.”
Meanwhile, a new live two-hour show at the New York City Marathon finish line will broadcast nationally on ABC to cover a range topics during the race, like a recap of the professional runners, celebrities and everyday participants on their quest to complete the 26.2 mile trek through the five boroughs. WABC will still air its pre-race show and coverage of the opening ceremony.
However, the deal means that NBC and Peacock will no longer broadcast the New Balance 5th Avenue Mile, as New York’s WABC and ESPN+ will air the one mile showdown for the first time on September 9.
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