ESPN exec addresses status of ‘SEC on CBS’ music with new conference TV deal
By Andrew Olson
Published:
When the SEC announced its new TV megadeal with ESPN and ABC, many fans and media members tweeted about the CBS Sports College Football music that has served as the “SEC on CBS” theme.
Starting in the 2024 season, all SEC football games will broadcast on Disney-owned channels (ABC, ESPN networks, ESPN+ streaming platform). The CBS Sports College Football music has become widely known as the “SEC on CBS” theme song.
During a media conference call, ESPN Executive Vice President Burke Magnus was asked about acquiring the rights to the CBS music.
“I think this has come up on every interview,” Magnus said. “Again, I have tremendous respect for CBS. The coverage they’ve provided the conference for so many years has been outstanding. That theme music is part of it. I’m as big a college football fan as anybody. I enjoy it the same way other fans do. It’s iconic. I’m not in the music business. I don’t even know, like, what’s possible necessarily or who owns it. I do understand the special place it holds among SEC fans.
“Who knows. I’m quite confident we’ll come up with a really awesome, innovative presentation of the highest caliber and the highest quality for the SEC on our networks, including ABC. You guys all know the roster of talent that we employ. You know there’s so many people under our roof that have an SEC pedigree. … The conference, it’s in our blood, despite the fact we’re Yankees up here in Connecticut. But we’re going to do a great job at the highest caliber and highest quality for our presentation, I have no doubt about that.”
ABC has plenty of time to figure out the music for “SEC on ABC” come 2024.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
