Texas Longhorn Network Announced

[elcheato]

The only thing missing now is a good name for it.

The University of Texas and ESPN have agreed on a 20-year, $300 million deal to launch a 24-hour, strictly Longhorns-content network in September.

Terms of the contract are fully guaranteed, according to an ESPN spokesperson.

The announcement came Wednesday in Austin during an on-campus news conference that was streamed live on TexasSports.com.

"I want to make it clear," said Burke Magnus, ESPN senior VP/college sports programming. "This is UT's network. This is not ESPN Texas."

The upstart network primarily will carry Longhorns athletic programming - "all" sports - but will also generate academic and cultural content.

"It helps build good, positive relationships on campus . . . to be able to help financially on the academic side," said DeLoss Dodds, UT men's athletic director.

The new network will carry at least one Longhorns football game, plus scrimmages, coaches' shows and pre- and postgame reports.

A minimum of eight men's basketball games will be telecast, plus women's basketball and virtually every other sport on the Longhorns calendar.

ESPN will help in the structure and development of an Austin-based studio, to be fully staffed by locals.

The 20-year agreement allows UT and ESPN to grow content together and develop a deep-rooted partnership.

"We are very happy not just to have this be for two or three or five years, but a long-term commitment with ESPN," said UT President William Powers Jr.

Discussions with ESPN have been ongoing for months. The ability for the university to create its own programming network proved pivotal in the Longhorns' decision to remain in the Big 12 last June, once conference rivals Colorado and Nebraska jumped to the Pac-10 and Big Ten, respectively, effective 2011-12.

UT's television revenues, including its share of Big 12 contracts with ESPN/ABC and Fox Sports, will now approach $30 million per year.

Financial terms of the agreement have been reported by the "Austin American-Statesman", with Powers detailing the breakdown with ESPN and IMG College, a company that handles marketing and licensing for the school. According to the report, ESPN has guaranteed $300 million, with 82.5 percent of that figure - $247.5 million - earmarked for the university and IMG assured of 17.5 percent of the total ($52.5 million).

20 years, 300 mill, jesus..

 

[playmaker7]

Thats fucking ridiculous -_-

I guess people will watch it though

 

[Dorado]

 

[mutigers28]

They should've just made a Big 12 network....like seriously, no other colleges have their own channel? i dont think any other ones do?

 

[bestkeptsecret13]

They should've just made a Big 12 network....like seriously, no other colleges have their own channel? i dont think any other ones do?

No shit... How do you have 24 hour converge for one school? I'm gonna go out on a limb and say shit is gonna get old fast.

 

[Hurricane Season]

The Big 12 will eventually just be called "Texas and nine other schools" conference.