The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced today that ESPN and WCVB Channel 5 will continue as the exclusive national and local broadcast partners, respectively, for the Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America under a new multi-year extension. WCVB will also provide exclusive year-round coverage for all B.A.A. events, including the B.A.A. 5K, B.A.A. 10K, and B.A.A. Half Marathon.

"The B.A.A., ESPN, and WCVB have worked collaboratively to bring compelling stories and in-depth coverage around all our events, in particular the Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America," said Jack Fleming, B.A.A. President and Chief Executive Officer. "We will build on our momentum, recognizing the efforts of those who hold Boston running in such high regard. Together, in fact, we are promoting our sport of running and showcasing the wide range of athletes we reach - no matter where they are on their athletic and fitness journey."

"The Boston Marathon is an iconic event, and we're thrilled to continue our partnership with the B.A.A. and WCVB to showcase it across ESPN platforms," said Tim Bunnell, Senior Vice President, Programming and Acquisition, ESPN. "From the powerful stories to the incredible athleticism and endurance on display, this race inspires every year-and we're proud to bring that experience to fans."

"WCVB is honored to extend our exclusive partnership with the B.A.A. to carry the legendary Boston Marathon, as well as to highlight the remarkable fitness events and public service initiatives that they host all year long," said Andrew Vrees, WCVB President and General Manager. "WCVB has a long history of serving our community as well as covering the market's beloved, signature events, and our partnership with the B.A.A. ideally suits that mission. We look forward to working with the outstanding teams at the B.A.A. and ESPN for years to come."

ESPN will broadcast the 130th Boston Marathon, scheduled to take place on Monday, April 20, 2026, on its flagship channel from 9 a.m. ET until 12:30 p.m. ET. In addition, ESPN will also have coverage of the race within SportsCenter before the live coverage and later in the day, as well as coverage appearing on other ESPN shows and platforms.

Live coverage of the Boston Marathon will air on WCVB beginning at 4:00 a.m. ET through 8:00 p.m. ET. The race will be exclusively simulcast regionally on WCVB Channel 5's Hearst Television owned sister-stations WMUR (Manchester, NH), WMTW (Portland/Auburn, ME), and WPTZ (Burlington, VT/Plattsburgh, NY). WCVB and all of its television partners will provide coverage of the marathon on their digital platforms and mobile apps. The Boston Marathon will also be live streamed locally on Very Local, and the streaming platform will host year-round content featuring the B.A.A. WCVB will also serve as the first-ever exclusive broadcast partner for the B.A.A.'s Distance Medley races and will provide year-round coverage of the B.A.A. and its races, with a focus on the Boston Marathon.

The partnership continues ESPN and WCVB's legacy of broadcasting the Boston Marathon, with ESPN having previously aired the world's most prestigious road race in the early 1980s and again from 1997-2004, before resuming coverage in 2023. WCVB provided wire-to-wire coverage from 1982 through 2006, including the largest Boston Marathon in history-the centennial Boston Marathon in 1996 featured 35,868 finishers.

ESPN annually televises other endurance events including the TCS New York City Marathon, NCAA Division I Indoor & Outdoor Track and Field Championships, NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, the American Track League, the Penn Relays and various collegiate track & field meets.

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Media Contacts:

Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A):

Chris Lotsbom
Director of Race Communications & Media
[email protected]

Lorna Campbell
Head of Public Relations
[email protected]

ESPN:

Beatrix Panitz
Manager, Communications
[email protected]

WCVB:

Ro Dooley Webster
Director of Programming and Communications
[email protected]

ABOUT THE BOSTON ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (B.A.A.) 

Established in 1887, the Boston Athletic Association is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running. The B.A.A. manages the Boston Marathon, and supports comprehensive charity, youth, and year-round programming. The economic impact of the 2024 Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America produced $509.million in state and local economic activity. The 129th Boston Marathon is scheduled to take place on Monday, April 21, 2025.

The Boston Marathon is part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, along with international marathons in Tokyo, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. For more information on the B.A.A., please visit www.baa.org.

ABOUT ESPN

ESPN, the world's leading multiplatform sports entertainment brand, features seven U.S. television networks, the leading sports app, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, leading social and digital platforms, ESPN.com, ESPN Audio, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.

ABOUT WCVB CHANNEL 5

WCVB is Boston's broadcast/digital media leader, providing news, weather, sports, community service and entertainment on multiple platforms including WCVB Channel 5, wcvb.com, WCVB mobile and MeTV Boston. Founded by community leaders in 1972, WCVB is committed to its mission to serve the region with quality local content. In addition to 47 hours of NewsCenter 5 coverage each week, original offerings include Chronicle, the nation's longest running local news magazine; CityLine, a weekly urban magazine program; and On The Record, a weekly political roundtable. WCVB, Boston's ABC affiliate station, is owned by Hearst Television, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst, a leading media company whose global holdings include 33 television stations and two radio stations. Follow us on Facebook (wcvb5) and X (@wcvb).

Source: ESPN