JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The business of college sports is changing quickly, and Jeff Bacon says the new media-rights partnership between Unisun Sports and ESPN is designed to help smaller Division I conferences keep pace.
Bacon, CEO of Unisun Sports, joined This Week in Jacksonville: Business Edition to discuss the agreement bringing the Atlantic Sun Conference and United Athletic Conference together under a unified media strategy. The ASUN includes Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida.
Unisun Sports operates as a shared support structure for the two conferences, which retain their independent identities. Bacon compared the organization to a parent company that helps affiliated brands work more efficiently.
“We reduce a lot of our costs by bringing down and eliminating redundancies,” Bacon said. “We increase our value in the marketplace, we control our competition better, and we build strength and security for our members.”
The agreement makes ESPN the exclusive home for both conferences beginning with the 2026 academic year. It includes more than 1,200 digital productions on ESPN+, linear coverage of conference basketball championship games and opportunities for additional regular-season and championship events across ESPN platforms.
For fans of Jacksonville University and UNF, Bacon said the agreement should provide more access to their teams and student-athletes.
“Almost every championship that we offer will be on an ESPN platform,” he said. “So if you’re a fan, if you are a parent of one of our student-athletes, if you’re an alum, access will be provided at an unprecedented level.”
Bacon also emphasized the value of linear television, which he described as regular television. He said national exposure can raise awareness of a university, influence applications and potentially contribute to enrollment.
He sees a similar opportunity locally. The agreement allows for the production of 188 local linear games across the two conferences, giving member institutions a way to reach audiences in their own communities.
“Athletics, not just putting the games on, Kent, right? It’s one thing to have the basketball game on, but what it’s a two and a half hour commercial shirt for your institution,” Bacon said.
Bacon said the next step is to build a more commercial operation around the new media exposure, creating revenue that can be returned to member institutions and student-athletes. He described Unisun Sports as an organization that has built the structure but now needs to “get it out and fly it.”
