Tar Heels Land New Athletics Partnership

The partnership spans multiple UNC programs, such as its football and its men’s and women’s basketball programs. DIRECTV will have rights to use the official logos and marks of the University of North Carolina, in-venue and TV-visible signage, and digital media opportunities to promote its messaging to millions of fans—whether they are in Kenan Stadium, the Dean E. Smith Center, watching at home, or on the go.

One marquee event in the partnership will be North Carolina’s highly anticipated matchup against ACC title favorite Clemson in Chapel Hill on Oct. 4, the first conference game for both teams. Throughout the day, DIRECTV will have Fan Zone activations that feature interactive “Best Seat in the House” experiences and live pregame viewing powered by its satellite-free streaming service for the fans who will be strolling across campus on gameday.

There will also be lots of community engagement in Chapel Hill and other partner school markets, as well as new social and influencer content available on DIRECTV, creator and school social channels.

“College sports unite fans like few things can, and collaborating with these six legendary programs allows DIRECTV to show up in meaningful, authentic ways,” said Kelly Jo Sands, senior vice president of digital marketing at DIRECTV. “From in-venue activations to social media content and NIL partnerships, we’re committed to delivering ‘Game Day, Your Way’ across every touchpoint, for both men’s and women’s teams alike.”

As part of DIRECTV’s commitment to authentic fan engagement, the sponsorship includes a NIL program that will create opportunities for standout college athletes from each school. These student-athletes represent a wide spectrum of sports and will play a large role in content creation, social amplification and local market activations throughout the 2025-26 athletic season.

DIRECTV’s activation schedule includes:

• Aug. 30: Texas at Ohio State
• Sept. 20: Oregon State at Oregon
• Oct. 4: Clemson at UNC
• Oct. 18: Georgia Tech at Duke
• Nov. 1: Penn State at Ohio State
• Nov. 28: Texas A&M at Texas

“This agreement with DIRECTV showcases the advantage of leveraging school logos and student-athlete brand power to tap into fanbases and create authentic connections,” said Shawn Hegan, executive vice president of global partnerships at Learfield. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with DIRECTV throughout the upcoming college athletics season to deliver their products and offerings to fans all over the country.”