With more than 350 live sports events, and virtually all of them in high definition, the Big Ten Network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country. The network is on the air 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The network is available in an estimated 75 million households, and in all 50 states and Canada though agreements with more than 300 cable, satellite and telco affiliates. Customers of DIRECTV and DISH Network have access to the network regardless of where they live, while Verizon and AT&T continue to roll out their FiOS and U-Verse services across the country. On cable, the network is available in 19 of the nation's 20 largest media markets, including New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, Washington D.C. and Houston. To get the channel number specific to your area and provider, visit bigtennetwork.com/channelfinder.
Cable subscribers inside the eight Big Ten states receive the network on either an expanded basic or digital basic level of service. Outside the eight states, cable operators that carry the network make it available as part of a variety of packages.
Big Ten Network Programming
The Big Ten Network is on the air 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. The network annually televises more than 350 live events and streams an additional 300-plus events on its website, bigtennetwork.com. Each year's schedule is comprised of approximately 35 to 40 football games, 105 regular-season men's basketball games, Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament games, 55 women's basketball games, Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament games, hundreds of Olympic sports events and dozens of Big Ten championship events.
Every Big Ten Network football game telecast is surrounded by Big Ten Football Saturday, the network's pregame, halftime and postgame show hosted by Dave Revsine and analysts Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith.
New for the 2010 season, the Big Ten Network will offer two hours of new programming every weeknight. In addition, the highly anticipated series, Big Ten Icons, will debut Saturday, Sept. 18, and will be hosted by broadcasting legend Keith Jackson. The 20-episode series will count down the top student-athletes in Big Ten history across all sports based on their collegiate careers. In all, the network will supplement its game coverage with a dozen football-themed shows each week.
Other new shows to the programming lineup are Big Ten Film Vault and The Next Level. Returning programs will include Behind the Schemes, Big Ten's Best, Big Ten Breakdown, Big Ten Football & Beyond, Big Ten Tailgate and The Big Ten's Greatest Games.
In addition to live events, the network also airs coaches' shows and classic games and each campus has the opportunity to produce original, campus programming highlighting various aspects of campus life and the qualities that make each university unique.
Some of the Big Ten Network's streamed events are also televised on delay as part of the network's Student U initiative. Big Ten students on each campus produce and announce these events, offering a unique opportunity to gain real-world television experience.
Why the Network was Created
The Big Ten Network was created to provide the conference with more national exposure for Big Ten sports while enhancing its existing television agreements with its other television partners.
The conference wanted to control more fully the advertising environment in which its events were aired (the network accepts no alcohol or gambling advertising), dramatically increase exposure for women's sports and other NCAA sports that had not previously been widely televised and improve distribution for football and men's basketball games that were previously available only on a local or regional basis.
Considered to be one of the most successful launches in cable television history, the Big Ten Network became the first network in cable or satellite television history to reach 30 million subscribers within its first 30 days on the air. The Big Ten Network is a joint venture between subsidiaries of the Big Ten Conference and Fox Cable Networks.
The Big Ten Network's Impact
The network has provided an additional revenue source at a time of continued decreases in state support. The network also has provided significant and additional exposure for all Big Ten men's and women's sports, some of which previously received little or no television exposure. It also helps with recruiting in all sports as the ability for parents to watch their children compete from anywhere across the country is a major selling point.