USC and DirecTV have announced a multi-year sponsorship for all sports that will begin this fall. The reveal came courtesy of Vince Torres, chief marketing officer of DIRECTV on Friday.
“As a proud sponsor of the USC Athletic Department, DIRECTV is joining forces with an athletic department steeped in tradition that has one of the most fervent fan bases in college sports,” said Torres. “We’re excited about the opportunities this will unlock for our customers and our employees as we both call the Los Angeles area home.”
That’s a big move for both USC and DirecTV but their sponsorship doesn’t come without some irony.
DirecTV is now an official partner of USC Athletics, but USC’s first game of the season won’t be available on DirecTV because it’s on the Pac-12 Network. pic.twitter.com/KqeNvx3M5G
— Kyle Bonagura (@BonaguraESPN) August 25, 2023
When the Trojans kick off their 2023 schedule on Saturday night against San Jose State, you won’t be able to find the game anywhere on DirecTV. As Kyle Bonagura of ESPN points out, that game will run on the Pac-12 Network, which is not carried by DirecTV. The Pac-12 Network has never been carried by DirecTV, which has been a sore point for fans of the West Coast schools that have the satellite company’s TV plan.
In fact, shortly after this sponsorship was announced, DirecTV was forced to release a statement clarifying that how fans watch USC will not change. At all.
“Let’s clear things up. I know there is some confusion regarding the partnership with The University of Southern California Athletic Department and DIRECTV. This partnership does not change how you have previously viewed games in the past,” DirecTV Help tweeted.
Bottom line: The sponsorship will change nothing for fans and how they consume USC sports, but it is funny for them to have a sponsorship for a company where you can’t even find their game this week.
