• What are the terms of the media rights agreement?
The NEWMAC has entered into a five-year agreement under which FloSports will become the exclusive media rights partner of the NEWMAC and Wheaton starting in the 2024-2025 academic year. FloSports will distribute more than 1,100 NEWMAC regular season and postseason events live and on-demand across 17 sports on an annual basis.
• Why is now the right time for a media partner?
Streaming is the future of college athletics. We are committed to ensuring that Wheaton and our fellow NEWMAC member institutions are well positioned to be at the cutting edge of the next significant shift in Division III athletics and able to deliver the best possible experience to our student-athletes.
• Why is FloSports the right partner at this time?
Working with a full-service media company provides us with the ability to enhance our overall production quality and extend our media operations over the term of the agreement. FloSports is an established media company with a platform that contains hundreds of thousands of contests across 25+ sports. FloSports is making a significant investment and committing meaningful resources that will increase our visibility and give our institution and our student athletes a national and international platform.
• How will having a dedicated media rights partner benefit Wheaton?
We have rosters comprised of student-athletes from all over the country and around the world. The partnership provides us with an international platform that will enhance brand visibility, better highlight our student-athletes, and enable us to reach our fans and alumni nationally and internationally. We strive to be leaders at the NCAA Division III level. This comes with a commitment to advance and evolve to ensure that we, along with our fellow NEWMAC member institutions, are collectively raising the bar to reinforce our standing as a preeminent NCAA Division III conference.
• What changes can I expect to see as a result of the media rights fees?
Over the course of the agreement, the media rights fees will enable the implementation of improved broadcast production standards, continued equity in production quality between corresponding men’s and women’s sports, and an increased investment in the student-athlete experience. Ultimately, this will allow Wheaton to maximize our resources to the benefit of our students, alumni, and fans.
• How do I sign up for FloSports? Will there be discounted pricing for students and fans?
FloSports is accessible via the FloSports mobile app and is also available on digital and streaming services, including Amazon Fire TV, ROKU, Apple TV, and Google Chromecast. Comparable to other streaming services, a standard FloSports subscription costs $29.99 a month or $150 for the year ($12.50/month). Students with a NEWMAC member institution .edu email address will be able to sign up for a discounted subscription price of $9.99 per month or $69.99 per year. As we approach the launch of the 2024-2025 season, a unique NEWMAC-FloSports URL will be made available providing fans with more information.
