Big Ten Network ready to launch

In August, just in time for football season, the Big Ten Network will begin broadcasting. The first television network devoted solely to showcasing a university conference, BTN will offer live broadcasts of football and basketball games, alongside virtually every sport in which the Big Ten competes.

Besides live games, there will be studio and news shows, classic games of the past, and academic and arts programming from each university.

The Big Ten will continue its contracts with ABC, ESPN, and CBS. But the network's added reach means that for the first time ever, all conference-controlled football and men's basketball games will be available nationwide. Not to mention the fact that BTN gives overdue exposure to the world class athletes who compete in sports from swimming to gymnastics to track and field and beyond.

The network will be on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with an unprecedented amount of live coverage. You'll be able to see

* 35+ football games per season
* 105+ regular-season men's basketball games
* 55+ regular-season women's basketball games
* Big Ten championship events
* Archived Big Ten events, including bowl games
* 170+ Olympic sporting events
* Coaches' shows
* 660 hours of campus programming

The network is majority-owned by the Big Ten Conference, with Fox Sports owning a minority interest. Revenue will be shared equally by the member institutions. At U-M, President Mary Sue Coleman and Athletic Director Bill Martin have already dedicated $1.5 million of this revenue for need-based scholarships for U-M students.

The Network has an agreement with DirecTV to air on that satellite system. As of this writing, negotiations with cable companies Comcast and Time-Warner are ongoing but other cable entities have signed with the BTN. More discussion will take place and hopefully by September 1, the network will have its contracts in place.

Learn more, and follow Big Ten Network news by visiting www.MGoBlue.com.