Eastern Washington football will be featured fewer times on Root broadcasts this fall

Eastern Washington football fans will see their favorite team only twice this fall on Root Sports, according to the scheduled Tuesday by the network’s parent organization and the Big Sky Conference.

Defending Big Sky champion Eastern appeared four times last year; however, that’s been cut in half for 2017. Root will air the Eagles’ game at Montana on Sept. 23 and the regular-season finale on Nov. 18 against Portland State in Cheney.

The EWU-PSU game is the only one on Root’s 10-game schedule that doesn’t include Montana or Montana State.

The Griz and Bobcats will appear five teams each.

At the same time, the conference and AT&T Sports Network have agreed to a multi-year extension of their partnership, which is entering its sixth year.

According to the contract, Root will air a minimum of eight games each season with at least one of those games slated to include the league’s defending football champion.

“The Big Sky is pleased to announce its continued partnership with Root Sports as the league’s football premiere TV network and appreciates the long-standing relationship,” Big Sky Conference commissioner Andrea Williams said Tuesday in a release. “

All 10 games will be produced and televised in high-definition, with many of the games available in both the Northwest and Rocky Mountain Regions.