Good news for Big 12 basketball on TV

[EggMcClone]

Starting 2008-09 through 2016 the Big 12 will have a conference game on ESPN2 on Wednesdays in addition to the usual Big Monday slot. They will also show all of the Big 12 tourney and produce a weekly highlight show.

EDIT:
I found the Big 12 press release that provides a lot of the details. Also, I think I was wrong on the start date. This says '08-'09 season.
Big 12 Conference and ESPN Reach Long-Term Agreement :: <blank>
They claim the geographic area for conference football games will expand as well.

[C.John]

Originally Posted by EggMcClone

Starting next year through 2016 the Big 12 will have a weekly televised conference game Wednesdays on ESPN2 in addition to the usual Big Monday slot. They will also show all of the Big 12 tourney and produce a weekly highlight show.

Excellent news. The fact that they will show all of the Big12 Tourney makes me very happy.

[nickborton]

Does this mean ESPN will also pickup more of the football games or will that stay on tbs

[ISUFan22]

Ehhh...ok. It's a step in the right direction. I'll give them that.

I was hoping for better. Take what ya can get though...

EDIT...

So...this looks a little better than I thought. Broader football coverage? Not sure what that will entail. Some possible examples would've been nice.

I put this on the front page as it seems to have a great impact on football and basketball.

[jtd9046]

Football exposure will be enhanced by broader distribution of regional telecasts on ABC as the geographical footprint of affiliates carrying Big 12 games will be expanded. In addition to four guaranteed national telecasts each season, the Conference will have significant prime-time exposure on ABC.

Later in the article.

The Conference will be featured in national football telecasts on Thanksgiving weekend with two games on Friday.

If these are two of the guaranteed four national telecasts, this isn't great. I know that Colorado/Nebraska play Friday after Thanksgiving every year. Who else always plays that day? Either way, that guarantee isn't helping out the conference as a whole it's helping the teams that always play that Friday.

[ColoradoClone]

Originally Posted by ISUFan22

Ehhh...ok. It's a step in the right direction. I'll give them that.

I was hoping for better. Take what ya can get though...

I agree... I felt the conference needed to do something much better. This improves it for now, but the length of the contract is going to leave us way behind again in a few years. I'm dissappointed.

[EggMcClone]

I think the deal is great for basketball, especially given the way the league has pretty much sucked recently.

Football doesn't appear to have much changed other than the supposed increased viewing area. At the end it says that Fox will still do cable games so there won't be any on ESPN.

[Fletch]

Looks like we will be filling some big ten void with their new network.

[travman23]

Don't we have a terrible record playing on ESPN recently? I remember a couple years ago before our Monday Virginia game at home we were like 0-11 or something. Maybe we need to have games on ESPN "The Ocho"

[G-Rock]

Originally Posted by nickborton

Does this mean ESPN will also pickup more of the football games or will that stay on tbs

I've heard TBS will drop Big 12 football games, but will keep Pac 10 games.

I don't have a link or any confirmation, though.

[rworkman83]

Originally Posted by jtd9046

Later in the article.



If these are two of the guaranteed four national telecasts, this isn't great. I know that Colorado/Nebraska play Friday after Thanksgiving every year. Who else always plays that day? Either way, that guarantee isn't helping out the conference as a whole it's helping the teams that always play that Friday.

I believe that Texas-Texas A&M is that day as well...

[zumbro clones]

That's great news for those of us starved for Big-12 games.