In one fell swoop, a new era dawned for the University of Hawai‘i athletics department when the calendar turned to July 1 on Wednesday.
The date had been anticipated for years as far as Hawai‘i was concerned. As of Wednesday, UH became full-time members of the Mountain West Conference, closing the chapter on 14 years of full-time Big West Conference membership.
After leaving the Western Athletic Conference, UH became football-only members of the Mountain West in 2012, while the vast majority of its sports joined the Big West.
In the fall of 2024, five Mountain West members in Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State announced their future departures to join the remnants of the Pac-12 Conference, which was reduced to Oregon State and Washington State at the time. In response, the Mountain West added Hawai‘i, UTEP and UC Davis as full-time members. Additionally, North Dakota State and Northern Illinois were added as football only-members, giving the Mountain West 10 football teams. The Pac-12, by comparison, will have eight in 2026.
Despite being recognized as full-time Mountain West members, the conference does not have offerings for a handful of UH sports, most notably men's volleyball. UH will remain an affiliate member of the Big West in men's volleyball, beach volleyball and water polo.
Wednesday was also the official start of Hawai‘i News Now's new deal with UH Athletics as the school's new official sports broadcasting partner. Multiple UH sporting events throughout the year are expected to be televised on K5, KGMB and KHNL.
The University of Hawai‘i estimates the Hawai‘i News Now partnership carries an approximate annual value of $7.5 million across the four-year deal, bringing HNN's total commitment to $30 million over the life of the deal.
The start of HNN's deal marked the end of UH's agreement with Spectrum Sports, which began in 2011. On Wednesday, replays of UH sporting events were no longer available on Spectrum cable, a former staple for viewers.
Additionally, in partnership with the Mountain West, over 200 UH sporting events will be shown on MW+, the conference's new direct-to-consumer app. Annual subscriptions for MW+ cost $79.99, while monthly subscriptions are available for $10.99. As part of an early adopter promotion, fans have until September to subscribe at a discounted annual rate of $67.99.
Hawai‘i fans have the opportunity to contribute monetarily to the school with a subscription. Each time one selects Hawai‘i as their favorite team before purchasing a MW+ subscription, UH will receive a share of the revenue. Subscriptions can be purchased at this link.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
