NATCHITOCHES – In less than three months since airing its first locally produced ESPN+ broadcast, Northwestern State has seen an influx of more than $700 million in earned media.
 
Since Oct. 1, when the Demons' football comeback victory against Nicholls saw extended coverage on ESPN's SportsCenter, Northwestern State has seen $709.4 million worth of earned media coverage, driven in large part by Demon athletics.
 
Earned media metrics quantify the value of exposure for an entity beyond specific advertising or branding efforts.
 
Beginning with the featured slot on SportsCenter, the Demons have appeared five times on SportsCenter. Four of those spots have occurred in NSU home games where broadcasts are produced by NSU staff members and students.
 
"There was an expectation of what having the ESPN Plus platform could do for our program and our university," NSU Director of Athletics Kevin Bostian said. "It gives even casual fans a window into what is happening at Northwestern State University. The exposure for the department and the university has been remarkable. The partnership between NSU Athletics and the department of New Media, Journalism and Communication Arts has pushed the NSU brand to international markets while allowing NSU students to gain real-world experience that will aid them in their post-NSU careers."
 
While the Demon football team began NSU's run of national exposure, Northwestern State basketball has taken the NSU brand international.
 
More than 12.5 percent ($89 million) of NSU's earned media barrage has come since freshman guard Hansel Enmanuel scored his first collegiate points against ULM on Dec. 10. Enmanuel's tomahawk dunk late in the Demons' 91-73 victory was named the No. 6 play of the day on SportsCenter's Top 10 feature.
 
It marked the second time in six days the Demons landed on ESPN's flagship news program. DeMarcus Sharp's two buzzer beaters, including the game-winning shot, against Southern Miss was the No. 5 Top 10 play on Dec. 4.
 
Sharp's pivotal shots, which handed Southern Miss its first loss of the season, also led off SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt's show that night as Van Pelt's "Best Thing I Saw Today."
 
It was Sharp's second SportsCenter moment of the season. His halfcourt 3-pointer at the buzzer against Illinois State on Nov. 12 landed the Demons on another Bad Beats segment.
 
Since producing and airing the Sept. 20 NSU volleyball win against Texas Southern, Northwestern State's production team has produced 17 NSU-specific competitions across football, volleyball and men's and women's basketball. Additionally, the production team produced all six games of the 2022 Southland Conference Soccer Championship at the Lady Demon Soccer Complex.
 
Northwestern State's remaining 18 total home men's and women's basketball games will air on ESPN+ along with Northwestern State home baseball and softball games in the spring.