The Big 10 Channel: Something New To Pay For » Brats & Beer

June 22, 2006
posted under: Big Ten Channel

The Big 10 (11, Whatever, Who’s Counting) Conference struck a deal yesterday with FOX Networks to create a Big 10 cable channel set to launch in 2007. According to the press release, the channel will carry at least 35 football games, more than 150 men’s and women’s basketball games, other tournaments and championships, plus historic footage of past games and events. Sounds great, but we’ll have to see how much money the evil overlords at Time Warner will want to squeeze out of me for this. The channel is also supposed to give each school 60 hours of airtime each year to broadcast their own shows. Maybe this will mean live coverage of the Mifflin Street Block Party for those of us unable to attend.

Of bigger note, the conference signed a new deal with ABC and ESPN to provide more coverage of football and basketball starting in 2007. The new deal provides for 17 football games to be shown on ABC and up to 25 games on the ESPN family of channels. The good news here, for those of us outside ABC’s poorly defined regional broadcast area, is that afternoon games on ABC will be carried nationally on ESPN. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to miss a Badger game because the local ABC affiliate was showing Cowtown A&M vs. Hillbilly University.