NEW ORLEANS – The Bayou Classic team announced today that the 40 th Annual Bayou Classic will once again be broadcast on NBC nationally. The agreement between The Bayou Classic and NBC Sports Group extends the national broadcast on NBC through the 2015 contest.
NBC Sports Group has been the home of The Bayou Classic since 1991. Last year, the nationally-televised edition of the 39 th Annual Bayou Classic saw a 19% rating increase.
In addition to the national broadcast, the contest will also be available on-demand at Hulu.com and NBC Sports Network will work with the 12 regional sports networks to re-air the game allowing The Bayou Classic to reach 50 million+ homes.
“The landscape of television sports is changing and it is important to us that The Bayou Classic continue to be an integral part of that landscape,” said Dottie Belletto, President of New Orleans Convention Companies, Inc., the management firm of The 40th Annual Bayou Classic. “This match of two HBCUs represents an important tradition within the community that we hope to continue for many years to come, and thanks to NBC Sports Group, we’ll be able to see that come to fruition for an additional two years.”
The Bayou Classic was represented in contract talks by Jeffrey Cokin, President of Cokin Communications, who negotiated the deal with NBC Sports Group.
“The insights and experience of Jeffrey Cokin have been key to achieving this new contract with NBC Sports Group,” added Belletto. “The Thanksgiving weekend, national time slot on NBC is important to building the tradition of our game and the Bayou Classic brand.”
