| No matter what your obsession is-whether it's | | | | satellite providers across the country. |
| knitting, animation, pets, ethnic cooking or | | | | Currently, the network reaches millions of |
| kayaking-chances are you can find a | | | | viewers nationwide through DirecTV's Choice |
| television channel that corresponds to your | | | | package, AT&T's U-verseSM service and more |
| interest. | | | | than 80 cable operators in the Midwest on |
| | | | their expanded basic service. |
| Sports programming in particular, with the | | | | |
| introduction of channels that feature golf, | | | | "These universities are part of the fabric of |
| soccer, hunting and fishing, continues to | | | | these communities, and so programs airing on |
| grow in popularity. | | | | the network will have very broad appeal to |
| | | | their fans and followers," said Big Ten |
| Now, fans of the Big Ten-the oldest and one | | | | Network president Mark Silverman. "And it |
| of the most prestigious Division I college | | | | will enable those fans to see their favorite |
| athletic conferences in the country-will join | | | | teams anytime and anywhere. If you live in |
| the club. They will have a television network | | | | these eight states and receive 50-60 channels |
| they can call their own. | | | | as part of your expanded basic service, the |
| | | | Big Ten Network should be one of them." |
| Called the Big Ten Network, the channel will | | | | |
| offer: | | | | Recently, in another first, Big Ten |
| | | | commissioner Jim Delany announced that the |
| • More than 35 conference football | | | | Big Ten Network will become the first |
| games this season | | | | national sports network to commit to "event |
| | | | equality" for men's and women's sports on all |
| • At least two games aired from each | | | | network-controlled media by the summer of |
| school (at least one of which will be a | | | | 2010. |
| conference game) | | | | |
| | | | "The Big Ten has a long history of supporting |
| • More than 105 regular season men's | | | | gender equity," said Delany, "and this effort |
| basketball games | | | | demonstrates our continued dedication to |
| | | | women's athletics." He added that the |
| • More than 55 regular season women's | | | | additional television exposure for many |
| basketball games | | | | sports will be unprecedented and will greatly |
| | | | aid future recruiting efforts for all sports. |
| • Big Ten championship events | | | | |
| | | | Silverman said the network will produce more |
| • Archived Big Ten events | | | | than 1,000 hours of event and studio |
| | | | programming in state-of-the-art high |
| • More than 170 NCAA championship | | | | definition (HD) and will be the most prolific |
| sporting events; and | | | | producer of original HD content of any new |
| | | | network in television history. Content will |
| • Coaches' shows. | | | | also be made available through the Internet, |
| | | | mobile devices and video on demand. |
| The channel will also carry more than 600 | | | | |
| hours of school-produced | | | | Founded in 1895, the Big Ten Conference is |
| programming-approximately 60 hours per | | | | home to the University of Illinois, Indiana |
| institution-dedicated to topics other than | | | | University, the University of Iowa, the |
| sports, covering the most creative, | | | | University of Michigan, Michigan State |
| entertaining and interesting features of | | | | University, the University of Minnesota, |
| members' programs, including alumni. | | | | Northwestern University, Ohio State |
| | | | University, Penn State University, Purdue |
| The network is available to all cable and | | | | University and the University of Wisconsin. |