SEC & ESPN Announce The “24/7 SEC Network”; Launch Set For August 2014
It has been no secret for years now that college sports has turned into it’s own powerhouse. Competing with, and sometimes even surpassing professional sports in ratings, endorsements, and ticket & apparel sales.
Thursday, the SEC and ESPN made a deal that will only grow the product more, when they announced a 24-hour-a-day television home when the official SEC Network launches in August 2014.
Check after the jump for the announcement video along with full details.
The 20-year agreement and rights extension deal includes a new television network and digital platform that will show SEC sports 24/7 including more than 1,000 events in the first year. Programming includes 45 football games, 100+ men’s basketball games, more than 60 women’s basketball games, 75 baseball games, and selected events from the other 17 SEC sports. Alongside events will be studio shows and coverage of all other events such as signing day and football pro days.
The network will be based in ESPN’s offices in Charlotte, N.C. and will be digitally launched with AT&T U-Verse. Which presents hundreds of more events, and each SEC school will have the opportunity to produce and develop content for various platforms.
“The SEC is unmatched in its success on the field and its popularity with fans nationwide. The new network’s top-quality SEC matchups across a range of sports will serve all sports enthusiasts including the most passionate, die-hard SEC fans. Also, it will serve the needs of our multi-channel distributors and advertisers by providing extremely attractive programming options across all platforms.”
– ESPN president John Skipper
This is definitely a big win for collegiate sports fans and fans of the SEC conference in particular. ESPN has gone out of their way to bring as much NCAA programming as possible, so to make the decision to branch out an independent network to fill that plan only grows their company that much stronger as well.