What is this “significant announcement” coming from the SEC on Thursday evening? Well, it appears it has to do with the conference’s television contract.

According to The Athletic’s Andy Staples, the SEC will be announcing that Disney-owned ESPN “will buy the rights to the best game each week, giving the network the rights to all SEC football games.” Currently, CBS owns the rights to the top SEC game each week, and that contract doesn’t expire until the end of 2023.

Staples reported that CBS “still intends to finish the deal,” but he noted that that could “change for the right price.”

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise for SEC fans. Last December, Sports Business Journal Daily reported that CBS wouldn’t be bidding for the SEC package after its current contract expired following the 2023 season. That report also indicated ESPN/ABC was in the “final stages” of negotiating a deal, which now appears to be complete.

There have been a lot of great SEC moments on CBS over the years, as the network has been a television partner with the conference since 1996. Now, it appears SEC fans will be tuning to ABC and/or one of the ESPN networks to watch their team’s game each week, even if it’s the top matchup on the slate.

It also means SEC fans may not be listening to the broadcast team of Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson for much longer (at least not for SEC games). So, it marks the end of an era in several regards.