Week one of the college football regular season headlines a busy Labor Day holiday weekend TV sports schedule.

The first official weekend of college football action features several top 10-ranked teams in the nation playing on Saturday, beginning with the top-seeded and defending champion Georgia Bulldogs facing UT Martin on the SEC Network and second-ranked Michigan facing East Carolina on Peacock. Third-rank Ohio State travels to Indiana to face the Hoosiers on CBS, while fourth-ranked Alabama hosts Middle Tennessee on the SEC Network. 

The rest of the top 10 includes No. 6 USC-Nevada (Pac 12 Network) and No. 10 Washington-Boise State (ABC.) On Sunday, fifth-ranked LSU battles No. 8 Florida State on ABC, while on Monday, No. 9 Clemson faces Duke on ESPN.

ESPN2 on Saturday will offer coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament featuring third-round men’s singles action, while on Sunday, ESPN and ABC will offer live coverage of the fourth round of women’s singles play. 

On the racetrack Sunday, USA will air the NASCAR Cup: Cook Out Southern 500 race, NBC will televise the IndyCar BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland race, and ESPN will showcase the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix competition. 

On the baseball diamond, Peacock will stream the Philadelphia Phillies-Milwaukee Brewers game. ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast will pit the New York Yankees against the Houston Astros. 

In the octagon, ESPN Plus will stream a UFC Fight Night card headlined by the Ciryl Gane-Serghei Spivac heavyweight match. 

As Sinclair continues to play bankruptcy chicken with its creditors and league partners in an attempt to restructure more than $9 billion in debt tied to its Bally Sports channels, Warner Bros. Discovery has reportedly told teams tied to its four regional sports networks that they have until March 31 to buy back their TV rights.

According to Sports Business Journal, WBD told 10 teams affiliated with Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League they have until March 31 to negotiate a buyback of their rights. If an agreement can’t be made, WBD will conduct a Chapter 7 liquidation filing. 

Also read: Is WBD Cool to the RSN Biz, Too? Light AT&T SportsNet Envelopes Stir Concerns Among Sports Media Watchers

WBD’s declaration means that currently, key revenue streams from TV rights for a collective 52 teams across three major sports leagues are in limbo, factoring in the 42 teams impacted by the Bally Sports issue.

And things are tough all over for regional sports networks, which routinely generated profit margins of 50% or more just four years ago. 

Earlier this month, for instance, The Walt Disney Co. disclosed that its SEC Network ended 2022 with 51 million subscribers, down 14% since 2019. (See page 7 on Disney's 10K filing.) 

NBCUniversal, meanwhile, said it has only 15 million remaining customers for its five NBC Sports RSNs, down from 21 million in 2021. (That's page 8 on Comcast's 2022 10K. Some of that loss can be attributed to NBCU selling its share of its Washington/Baltimore RSN back to its partner teams a year ago.)

And the moribund Pac-12 Networks might, according to a published report, sign a distribution deal with Apple “because no one else will give them money,” a individual familiar with the negotiation told Next TV. 

“The RSNs are definitely the hot-house flowers of pay TV,” Patrick Crakes, a former Fox executive turned sports media consultant also told Next TV. 

The “decade-long phenomenon that is cord-cutting“ is taking are particularly acute toll on programming networks with narrowly focused content, Crakes explained, but this shouldn’t fool anyone to believe the leagues will suddenly shift their rights to streaming. 

”Nobody has been able to make that work yet, including Netflix,” Crakes said, noting the more than decade — and billions of dollars — of deficit spending it took the streaming giant to get to a place where it could report a profit. 

Also read: Scripps Sports: Phones ‘Already Ringing’ as Regional Sports Nets Implode

On Friday morning during an earnings call, E.W. Scripps CEO Adam Symson said his phone has been ”ringing off the hook” with those seeking to discuss moving live sports programming on RSNs to local broadcast, as the RSN business experiences what he called an ”implosion.” 

Crakes bristles at that hyperbolic word choice — there’s simply too much tread left on the RSN business, he said, and the OTT ”plus” business simply can't generate replacement revenue yet. 

To Crakes’s thinking, the RSN business has indeed peaked, but channels can still yield margins of 10% to 20% for those such as NBCU who aren’t carrying any debt on them. 

And he believes that once the dust settles with the current Sinclair and WBD restructurings, that’s exactly the kind of mature business RSNs will settle into — one that will let both media companies and pro sports team partners bide their time until digital models do generate enough revenue to support the lifestyles in which they’ve all become accustomed. 

Sinclair Has 'Very Effectively Used Bankruptcy'

While MLB commissioner Rob Manfred seemed to issued a stern ultimatum when he suggested nearly two weeks ago that pro baseball was prepared to replace TV distribution for 14 of its teams should a bankruptcy filing by Sinclair’s Diamond Sports Group disrupt TV rights revenue, Crakes doesn't think the MLB really has any such alternatives. 

Digital distribution can’t replace the 10% to 30% of overall revenue teams receive from their RSN deals with Diamond. It’s still overwhelmingly in their best interest to find a way for Sinclair, Diamond and Bally Sports to go on. 

Diamond, Crakes also said, isn’t actually as cash-strapped as many have been led to believe. But the cost of maintaining all the debt on the Bally Sports channels has reduced margins to razor-thin levels. Sinclair, he explained, has “very effectively used bankruptcy” to move forward with a reshuffling of the deck, hoping to trade equity in the 19 Bally Sports channels for its debt. 

Sinclair hopes to come out of all this as a minority owner of an RSN group that generates around 15% margins, debt-free, with a new ownership group — perhaps private equity — in control. 

Meanwhile, some of the 19 Bally Sports channels might be offloaded to other RSN groups, such as NBC Sports, that could provide a better fit for them, Crakes said, noting the networks’ origins under Fox Sports ownership. 

”That portfolio was designed for us at Fox in a different era, where they would be bundled with news channels and FX and local affiliates,” Crakes said. 

As for the AT&T SportsNet channels serving Denver, Houston and Pittsburgh, they were inherited by AT&T amid its DirecTV purchase in 2015, and then spun off with WarnerMedia and tied up into the $43 billion merger with Discovery. 

Crakes called this AT&T SportsNet portfolio — which also includes a minority stake in Root Sports Seattle — an ”orphan,“ a poor fit for an indebted WBD that’s conducted around $4 billion in synergy cuts recently. 

In fact, AT&T itself tried to sell the channels to Sinclair, before Sinclair paid $10.6 billion for the Fox Sports networks in 2019, later rebranding them as “Bally Sports.”

AT&T, too, is leveraging the bankruptcy threat to push its debt and team partners to help restructure the AT&T SportsNet business. 

“The teams are going to work with the distributors to keep the value chain intact,” Crakes predicted. The RSN business is “never going to be a growth business again,” but it will reemerge after the Sinclair and WBD restructurings as still viable, at least in the near term. ■

The lineup of live TV sports events taking place over the President’s Day weekend starts on the hardwood with TNT’s coverage of the NBA All-Star Weekend festivities.

On Saturday TNT will offer primetime coverage of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night events, including the skills, three-point and slam dunk contests. On Sunday night TNT and TBS will provide live coverage of the annual NBA All-Star Game, featuring the league's recently crowned all-time leading scorer LeBron James.  

On the race track, Fox will feature Sunday afternoon coverage of NASCAR’s Daytona 500 auto racing event. On the links, CBS and Golf Channel will offer weekend coverage of the PGA Genesis Invitational golf tournament. 

The men’s college basketball lineup of top-ranked teams playing on Saturday includes top-ranked Alabama meeting Georgia on the SEC Network, fourth-ranked UCLA battling California on the Pac-12 Network and fifth-ranked Kansas taking on ninth-ranked Baylor on ESPN. On Sunday, second-ranked Houston plays Memphis on ESPN, while third-ranked Purdue meets Ohio State on CBS.

Several of the top women’s college basketball teams play on Sunday, including top-ranked South Carolina meeting Ole Miss on SEC Network, second-ranked Indiana battling Purdue on BTN, and fifth-ranked LSU traveling to Florida on SEC Network.  On Monday, third-ranked Stanford plays No. 16 UCLA on ESPN2.

On the ice, ABC will televise the NHL's Stadium Series outdoor game between the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes from Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. 

In the boxing ring, PPV.com on Saturday will distribute the BLK Prime-produced fight between former four-division champion Adrien Broner and Michael Williams Jr., while DAZN will distribute the WBA featherweight title bout between champion Leigh Wood and challenger Mauricio Lara.  

ESPN and ABC on Saturday will kickoff the inaugural season of the upstart XFL pro football league. ABC will offer the Vegas Vipers-Arlington Renegades game while ESPN and FX will simulcast the primetime matchup between the Orlando Guardians and the Houston Roughnecks. 

Also: Disney Looking to Expand XFL Sponsor Roster as Season Kicks Off

On Sunday, XFL game telecasts include the St. Louis Battlehawks-San Antonio Brahmas contest on ABC and the Seattle Sea Dragons-D.C. Defenders matchup on ESPN.■ 

This weekend’s list of live TV sports events begins in the boxing ring as Fox Sports distributes a Saturday night pay-per-view boxing card featuring former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

Wilder, whose last three PPV fights against heavyweight champion Tyson Fury combined drew more than 1.7 million pay-per-view buys, will fight division contender Robert Helenius as part of the PPV boxing event offered via In Demand and PPV.com. Also on Saturday, ESPN will distribute the lightweight championship rematch bout between titleholder Devin Haney and George Kambosos Jr.

In addition, ESPN Plus will stream a Saturday afternoon main event bout between women’s middleweight champion Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall. 

On the baseball diamond, the division series playoff round continues on Saturday with TBS airing game four of the NLDS Atlanta Braves-Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers-San Diego Padres series. Both series were tied one game apiece heading into Friday’s action. 

FS1 will air game three of the ALDS series between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians, with the Yankees holding a 1-0 game lead prior to Friday’s game, as well as the Houston Astros-Seattle Mariners series, with Houston holding a two games to none lead in the best-of-five series.  

College football launches its seventh week of regular-season action starting with top-ranked Georgia against Vanderbilt on the SEC Network, third-ranked Alabama against No. 6 Tennessee on CBS, fourth-ranked Clemson traveling to face Florida State on ABC and fifth-ranked Michigan battling tenth-ranked Penn State on Fox. Also on tap for Saturday is No. 7 USC-Utah (Fox), No. 8 Oklahoma State-TCU (ABC) and No. 9 Ole Miss-Auburn (ESPN).

NBC on Saturday will air the Xfinity Alsco Uniforms 302 playoffs race and Sunday’s NASCAR Cup South Point 400 playoffs race. 

NBC on Sunday will air its Sunday Night Football game telecast featuring the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles and their NFC East division rival Dallas Cowboys.■ 

The first weekend of October’s live TV sports schedule begins on the baseball diamond as Major League Baseball enters the final weekend of the 2022 regular season, highlighted by the NL East division battle between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves.

The Mets lead the defending World Series champion Braves by one game in the division heading into a crucial three-game series beginning Friday night. On Saturday, Fox will televise game two of Mets-Braves, while the third and final game will air Sunday on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball telecast.

Saturday’s college football schedule begins in Missouri as top-ranked Georgia takes on the Tigers on the SEC Network, while second-ranked Alabama battles Arkansas on CBS. Third-ranked Ohio State takes on Rutgers on the Big Ten Network, and Fox will televise fourth-ranked Michigan’s game with Big Ten rival Iowa.

No. 5 Clemson will host No. 10 NC State on ABC, No. 6 USC will host Arizona State on ESPN, No. 7 Kentucky meets Ole Miss on ESPN and No. 9 Oklahoma State battles Baylor on Fox.

Sunday’s NFL action features an early morning NFL Network telecast from London featuring the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints. After Sunday afternoon regional NFL game telecasts on CBS and Fox, NBC will air live the Kansas City Chiefs-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game on Sunday Night Football.

English Premier League soccer games will air on USA Network and Peacock throughout the weekend, while ABC and FS1 will televise Major League Soccer games on Sunday.

On Sunday, NBC will air the NASCAR Cup YellaWood 500 auto race, while FS1 televises the NHRA Midwest Nationals drag racing competition.

In the Octagon, ESPN Plus on Saturday will stream a UFC Fight Night card featuring a main event bout between female straw-weights Mackenzie Dern and Yan Xiaonan. ■

The live TV sports schedule for the first weekend of fall begins on the baseball diamond, as ESPN on Sunday will showcase New York Yankees’ star Aaron Judge’s historic season as the Yankees host the rival Boston Red Sox. 

Going into Friday night’s Yankees-Red Sox game, Judge was one home run away from Tying Roger Maris’ American League regular-season record of 61 round trippers, and was on pace to become the league's first triple crown winner since Miguel Cabrera accomplished the feat in 2012.

On the college football front, top-ranked Georgia faces Kent State on ESPN Plus while second-ranked Alabama hosts Vanderbilt on the SEC Network. Third-ranked Ohio State plays Wisconsin on ABC and fourth-ranked Michigan hosts Maryland on Fox. Fifth-ranked Clemson battles No. 21 Wake Forest on ABC. 

Other games include No. 6 Oklahoma-Kansas State (Fox), No. 7 USC-Oregon State (Pac-12 Network), and No.10 Arkansas-Texas A&M (ESPN).

In the boxing ring, retired former boxing champion Floyd Mayweather will fight mixed martial arts fighter Mikuru Asakura Saturday night in a pay-per-view exhibition fight from Japan. PPV.com will distribute the event, which carries a suggested retail price of $29.99. 

On the soccer field, Peacock, USA and NBC will air eight live Premier League games on Saturday, while FS2 airs three UEFA Nations League games on Sunday.

On the links, NBC and Golf Channel will feature final round coverage of the President’s Cup golf tournament, while on Sunday CBS will televise coverage from the Professional Bull Riders.

Action from the the third week of the NFL season begins Sunday afternoon with regional game coverage on CBS and Fox, as well as NBC's Sunday Night Football telecast of the San Francisco 49'ers-Denver Broncos matchup.■ 

The Canelo Alvarez-Gennady Golovkin pay-per-view boxing match punches up the list of live TV sports events airing this weekend. 

The DAZN and PPV.com-distributed fight card will pit WBC, WBA WBO and IBF super middleweight champion Alvarez against former champion Golovkin for the third time in the last five years. The first two Alvarez-Golovkin fights in 2017 and 2018 generated a combined 2.4 million PPV buys, according to industry sources. The Alvarez-Golovkin PPV bout retails at a suggested price of $84.99. 

The WNBA Finals continue Sunday with game-four of the Connecticut Sun-Las Vegas Aces. The Aces travel to Connecticut leading two games to one and hoping to close out the best-of-five series.

On the football field, the second week of the NFL season kicks off with Sunday afternoon regional coverage on Fox and CBS. NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast will feature a matchup between NFL North division rivals Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. 

On the college football front, ESPN will offer coverage of top-ranked Georgia’s game against South Carolina, while the SEC Network will telecast second-rank Alabama’s matchup against UL Monroe. In other games, Fox will air third-rank Ohio State-Toledo, ABC will deliver fourth-ranked Michigan-UConn and ACC Network will feature fifth-ranked Clemson-Louisiana Tech. 

The remaining games featuring top 10-ranked schools include No. 6 Oklahoma-Nebraska (Fox), no. 7 USC-Fresno State (Fox), No. 8 Oklahoma State-Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Big 12 Network), No. 9 Kentucky-Youngstown State (SEC Network) and No. 10 Arkansas-Missouri State (ESPN Plus).

Streaming service ESPN Plus will offer a UFC Fight Night card on Saturday featuring a main event bout between bantamweights Cory Sandhagen and Song Yadong. 

The Premier League returns to action with USA Network and NBC airing five live games across Saturday and Sunday.

As the Major League Baseball season winds down, ESPN on Sunday will televise the Los Angeles Dodgers-San Francisco Giants as part of its Sunday Night Baseball telecast. ■  

This weekend’s busy lineup of live TV sports events begins on the gridiron as the National Football League kicks off its opening weekend of regular season games. 

Along with Sunday regional coverage of NFL games on CBS and Fox, NBC will air its first Sunday Night Football game featuring two of the league’s more popular teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys.

This weekend’s college football schedule begins with top ranked Alabama facing Texas on Fox and second-ranked Georgia taking on Samford on SEC Network. Third-ranked Ohio State will match up with Arkansas State on the Big Ten Network, fourth-ranked Michigan battling Hawai’i on Big Ten Network and fifth-ranked Clemson going up against Furman on the ACC Network.

The rest of the top ten ranked teams include No. 6 Texas A&M-Appalachian State (ESPN2), No. 7 Oklahoma-Kent State (ESPN Plus), No. 8 Notre Dame-Marshall (NBC), No. 9 Baylor-BYU (ESPN) and No. 10 USC at Stanford (ABC).

In the octagon, ESPN Plus will distribute the UFC 279 mixed martial arts pay-per-view event featuring the main event bout between welterweights Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz. 

The U.S. Open tennis tournament will conclude this weekend with the women’s finals match airing on ESPN Saturday and the men’s finals airing live Sunday afternoon.

The Major League Baseball season continues to wind down with ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball coverage of the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs contest.■ 

The first full weekend of the college football season highlights a busy Labor Day weekend of live sports programming on linear TV channels and streaming services.

Several of college football’s Top 10 teams will be in action Saturday, beginning with No. 1 Alabama, who will open the season against Utah State on the SEC Network. Second-ranked Ohio State travels to No. 5 Notre Dame in a primetime ABC-televised game, while No. 3 Georgia battles 11th-ranked Oregon, also on ABC. 

Other games on Saturday include No. 6 Texas A&M-Sam Houston (SEC Network), No. 7 Utah-Florida (ESPN), No. 8 Michigan-Colorado State (ABC), No. 9 Oklahoma-UTEP (Fox) and No. 10 Baylor-Albany (ESPN Plus).

Also: Heavyweights Take Over Fall PPV Boxing Schedule 

On Monday, fourth-ranked Clemson meets Georgia Tech on ESPN. 

On the tennis court, ESPN and ESPN2 will offer continuing coverage of the U.S. Open Grand Slam tennis tournament from New York. The biggest story of the early rounds has been the success of tennis legend Serena Williams, who announced last month  that the US Open will serve as her last major tennis tournament competition. If Williams wins her third U.S. Open match on Friday night against Ajla Tomljanovic, she would compete Sunday in the fourth round of the women’s singles division. 

The WNBA playoffs continue with game three coverage of the semifinal series between Chicago Sky and the Connecticut Sun (ESPN2) as well as the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm (ABC). 

Major League Baseball moves into the final full month of its regular season with Sunday coverage on Peacock featuring the Toronto Blue Jays and the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Sunday Night Baseball coverage on ESPN showcasing the San Diego Padres-Los Angeles Dodgers game. 

NBC on Sunday will offer IndyCar coverage from the Grand Prix of Portland, while USA Network will air live the NASCAR Cup Cook Out Southern 500 race and ESPN televises the Formula One Dutch Grand Prix event. 

In the ring, Fox Sports on Sunday will distribute a pay-per-view boxing card featuring a main event fight between heavyweights Andy Ruiz and Luis Ortiz. ■

ABC’s Linsey Davis, ESPN’s Laura Rutledge and Fox’s Angie Goff will host the 22nd annual Wonder Women awards luncheon on Thursday, March 26, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.

The gala luncheon will celebrate the accomplishments of 12 Wonder Women and 12 Women to Watch. It is a centerpiece event of New York City TV Week Spring. Other events at NYC TV Week Spring are Advanced Advertising (March 24), CultureX Conversations (March 25) and Next TV Summit (March 25). For more about NYC TV Week Spring, visit NYCTVWeek.com.

Linsey Davis joined ABC News in 2007. She is a correspondent filing reports for World News, Good Morning America, 20/20 and Nightline. She also anchors two primetime news hours on streaming channel ABC News Live. In September 2019, she moderated ABC News’ Democratic presidential debate.

Davis got the only interview with comedian Bill Cosby in the wake of dozens of sexual assault allegations. Leading up to the Iowa caucuses, she interviewed the spouses of seven of the presidential candidates as part of a series called “Running Mates.” In 2009, she reported on the miracle on the Hudson and Michael Jackson’s death. That same year, she also made waves with her Nightline report “Single Black Female.” The story, which went viral, examined why African-American women are the least likely of any race or gender to walk down the aisle.

Davis joined ABC News as a New York-based correspondent for ABC NewsOne, the network’s affiliate news service. Before joining the network in June 2007, Davis was anchor of the weekend evening newscasts at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis. Davis has received several honors for her reporting, including two Emmy Awards and a regional Edward R. Murrow Award. Her children's book, “The World is Awake,” became a bestseller in February 2019; and in August 2019, Davis released her second book, “One Big Heart,” which also became a bestseller.

Angie Goff, Anchor and Reporter at WTTG FOX 5 in Washington, D.C., has been reporting the news from the nation's capital for more than a decade. From the caucuses in Iowa to the hurricanes in South Carolina and the Royal Wedding across the pond, she’s covered it all.

Goff has anchored breaking stories for network and local broadcasts including the Charleston church massacre, Pope Francis’ U.S. visit and the Congressional baseball shooting in Alexandria.

A self-proclaimed "people person," Goff loves meeting new friends in the community and staying in touch with them through her social channels. She is the creator and host of "The Oh My Goff Show," a fun quirky podcast that airs weekly on Youtube and Apple Podcasts. Before joining FOX 5, she was an anchor at NBC Washington, where she also contributed to TODAY and filled in as a host for Early TODAY and MSNBC. The George Mason graduate got her start working at Entertainment Tonight in L.A.

Laura Rutledge, Host and Reporter at ESPN and the SEC Network, joined ESPN’s coverage of the Southeastern Conference in 2014 as a reporter on SEC Network and ESPN. She recently signed a multi-year contract extension in fall 2019, becoming a permanent contributor to Get Up.

Rutledge has expanded her portfolio at the network over the past year to include regular stints as a SportsCenter anchor and as a red carpet host at the Home Depot College Football Awards and the ESPYs. Rutledge is in her third year as SEC Nation host and her fourth year with the show overall. She has also contributed to ESPN and SEC Network’s live-event programming for college football, basketball, gymnastics, baseball and softball. She was a mainstay in ESPN’s extensive championship coverage surrounding the College Football Playoff, NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships, and both the Women’s College World Series and College World Series.

Prior to joining ESPN, Rutledge was a sports anchor for CNN’s New Day and Early Start. She also worked on HLN’s Morning Express with Robin Meade, as well as Fox Sports.

For more about Multichannel News Wonder Women, please visit mcnwonderwomen.com

Having a big brother can be a very good thing for an independent cable network.

The proof is in the numbers — all of the independents that showed the biggest gains in carriage over the past six months have been in some way connected to a much larger content provider or distributor, like ESPN, Comcast or Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Among indie networks, Sinclair’s Tennis Channel had the biggest gain in subscribers between 2015 and 2016, according to SNL Kagan, adding 14.1 million customers. In second place was BabyFirst TV, with an increase of 10.2 million customers.

Rounding out the Kagan list is Boomerang (7.2 milion), FM (7.2 million) and beIN Sports (6.9 million). BabyFirst is one of the minority-controlled networks launched by Comcast as part of the conditions surrounding the FCC approval of its purchase of NBC Universal. Boomerang is owned by Turner Broadcasting (Time Warner Inc.), FM is part of Fuse Media — which includes cable network Fuse and is owned in part by MSG Networks — and beIN Sports is part of beIN Media Group, which operates 34 channels in 33 countries.

The big brother trend was prevalent between 2014 and 2015 as well, according to Kagan, when SEC Network (launched by ESPN) added 38.8 million homes. That year BabyFirst came in second again, with 10.2 million additions. It was followed by Univision Deportes (part of Spanish-language broadcaster Univision Communications) with 8.5 million, Comcast-launched minority channel Aspire (owned in part by NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson) and Fusion (owned by Univision Communications), each with 8.5 million additional homes.

‘A LITTLE BIT OF MUSCLE’

“Sinclair has a little bit of muscle,” Telsey Advisory Group media analyst Tom Eagan said regarding independent networks hooking up with larger companies. “Tennis Channel had very little leverage.”

Tennis Channel was available in about 37 million homes in February, one month before it closed its deal to be purchased by Sinclair for $350 million. Five months later Tennis Channel said, on the eve of its coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, it is available in 47 million homes and is on a path to grow that to 60 million by mid-2017.

Fueling that growth is its relationship with Sinclair, which has been one of the more aggressive broadcasters regarding retransmission-consent negotiations with distributors. With Sinclair’s added heft — it owns, operates or provides services to 173 stations in 81 markets — Tennis Channel has reached carriage deals with several additional distributors, including Charter Communications, Dish Network, Suddenlink Communications, Cable One and Frontier Communications.

Last month, on a conference call to discuss quarterly results, Sinclair executive vice president and chief operating officer David Amy said the Charter deal alone — which wasn’t expected to kick in until mid-August — would add about 1 million homes to Tennis Channel’s rolls.

Tennis Channel is carried on the expanded basic or digital basic packages on Bright House, Charter, Dish Network, Frontier, Suddenlink and Cable One, with similar rollouts planned in the months ahead for AT&T U-verse, Buckeye, Comcast, DirecTV, Mediacom Communications, Cincinnati Bell and WideOpenWest.

Other broadcasters have turned to creating their own pay TV channels to boost revenue and make their overthe- air content more compelling. Tribune Media converted former superstation WGN into WGN America in 2008 and began collecting cable-carriage fees for it in 2014, and Sinclair launched American Sports Network in 2014 and sci-fi network Comet TV in 2015.

Having that extra content doesn’t always translate into more carriage and heftier fees. Tribune found that out on June 13, when Dish Network declined to renew its Tribune retransmission-consent agreement covering 42 Tribune stations in 33 markets and including WGN America. That dispute was ongoing at press time. (Note: Dish and Tribune Media resolved their dispute and Tribune stations and WGN America were restored to Dish on Sept. 3.)

This article was updated on Sept. 8 to correct factual errors concerning the ownership of the Boomerang channel, the conversion of WGN into WGN America and a reference to the Ring of Honor wrestling program.

Brent Musberger and Jesse Palmer will have the game call on ESPN, but the more intriguing Iron Bowl listen could come on SEC Network.

While the Alabama-Auburn matchup will air on the worldwide leader at 7:45 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, Nov. 29, Finebaum will play BCS Championship Megacast.

Finebaum Film Room: IronBowl Live will air simultaneously on SEC Network. There, the ardent ‘Bama backer and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy and ex-Auburn offensive lineman Cole Cubelic and other analysts will comment about the action from Tuscaloosa, as The Tide looks for revenge after last year’s stunning loss to the Tigers.

Hopefully, Finebaum and crew will be joined by Finebaum's radio show/simulcast notables  Phyllis “from Mulga” Perkins, who rolls with Nick Saban’s soldiers, and Tammy “from Clanton” Hethcox, who prefers “War Damn Eagle.”

Enjoy the respective samples of Perkins and Hethcox’s work:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n6jxMKUluE and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLWt7_OfX_U

Finebaum sizes up his fanversaries here.

Roll rants.

Southeastern Conference fans will be able to see their football in high-definition on Verizon FiOS for the rest of the season.

After launching the SEC Network in standard-definition on Aug. 28 -- except in Florida and Texas, part of the conference's 11-state territory,  where the service was available in HD from the outset -- the telco on Sept. 18 upgraded its presentation to the enhanced format throughough its footprint  

SEC Network in HD  is now available to FIOS Extreme or Ultimate TV subscribers on channel 575 in all states where the network is offered, save  for in Kent, Deleware where it will be located on channel 576 through the end of 2014. The standard version of the channel is positioned on channel 75.

This Saturday  that means FiOS Extreme and Ultimate TV customers can check out the SEC Network football tripleheader comprising Georgia-Troy, Missouri-Indiana and South Carolina-Vanderbilt.

Verizon FiOS announced the format amelioration in a blog post on Sept. 16.

Owned and operated by ESPN, SEC Network is one of the most successful launches in cable history. Launching on Aug. 14, the service counts some 62 million subscribers during its freshman season, and is available to more than 95 million homes.

The homepage on Dish Network’s website touted the fact that it would be carrying the SEC Network weeks before the freshman service’s Aug. 14 launch date, heralding its arrival and using it as a marketing tool to attract potential new subscribers.

That satellite-TV provider Dish would devote nearly half of its home page to the SEC Network speaks volumes about the influence and popularity of the preeminent football conference in all of college athletics. It also serves as a not-so-subtle reminder of how ESPN, which owns and operates the SEC Network and shares profits with the Southeastern Conference, remains an monolith on the television sports landscape, casting a shadow over the competition in its never-ending quest to dominate the business.

ESPN marked its 35th anniversary this past Sunday (Sept. 7). Earlier this summer, the network bid farewell to its coverage of the FIFA World Cup by providing comprehensive coverage of the tournament from Brazil that broke ratings records. It is also winding down its coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series this fall.

The worldwide leader is continuing to push its WatchESPN suite of products and will usher in the new college-football playoff format, a system that marks the first change in how a major sport decides its championship since Super Bowl I, and one that could break all-time cable-audience marks.

LOW-KEY MILESTONE

But ESPN isn’t airing any big television specials or series to commemorate the occasion, as was the case when the programmer turned 25 and then 30. ESPN president John Skipper pointed toward a more low-key celebration to mark the event.

“I’m sure we’ll have some sort of [internal] town hall thing and people will talk about it,” Skipper said. “It is right around the time of the employee picnic, so I think it will be an internal situation. There won’t be any program initiative. Our sense is that it matters to us internally. It’s more important as a business story, but we’re more excited about the start of football season.”

Why shouldn’t Skipper be pumped? The lengths to which Dish went to promote the launch of the SEC Network shows how excited the satellite-TV provider is to team with college football’s most powerful conference and the sport’s biggest player.

With all major distributors except Cablevision Systems on board (as of press time), the SEC Network counts more than 62 million subscribers and is available to more than 95 million homes, making it one of the largest network launches in cable history.

Launching the SEC Network is in line with ESPN’s approach to new ventures. It hasn’t shied away from trying new things, like the WatchESPN initiative that launched a few years ago. The app platform is now available to some 75 million homes across the nation.

“Our goal, and I tell people I’m tired of hearing it internally, is that I want to do the very dynamic thing and I want to be the leader in risk-taking and innovation,” Skipper said. “Those are usually two things that don’t go hand in hand when you are the company leader, looking to protect [what you have]. The insurgents look to do more of the new stuff and risk-taking. We want to take that away and say we are doing more.

“I don’t see us as being 35 [years old],” Skipper added. “We refuse to grow up and mature. We want to keep innovating and taking the risks.”

It’s a bit easier to take risks, though, when you have the foundation that ESPN has. It has been an industry leader in presenting college sports, not just football, for decades and has been just as impactful in its coverage of the National Football Leauge, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball.

Fox Sports I launched a year ago and was predicted by many to become “the next big thing” in sports broadcasting. A year later, though, FS1 is still struggling to find its footing in a landscape saturated with all sorts of never-ending sports programming. NBC Sports has its own cable network, and CBS Sports does, too. Throw in the fact that MLB and the NFL, NBA and NHL all have league-specific networks, and it has become increasingly difficult to make an impactful splash.

That’s what makes the launch of the SEC Network such an intriguing venture. A network dedicated to a collegiate conference is not a new idea. The Pac-12 and Big Ten each have their own networks, and ESPN has the Longhorn Network for the University of Texas.

“I think the ratings for the SEC Network outside the [SEC] territory are going to shock people,” Skipper said. “It’s not going to be in just the 11 SEC states. That makes no sense.”

ESPN, however, does not have complete control over the conference’s programming. CBS, which has a longterm deal with the SEC that goes through 2023, gets the first choice of which games will be televised each week on what has been the highest-rated college football package on any network in the last five years.

“They are accurate when they say that they have a deal with the SEC where they get the pick every week,” Skipper said. “They get the top pick, subject to some limitations, so they can’t pick Alabama every week. They have a good game from the SEC every week, but the good news is that we’ll have three or four good games every week and another three or four on the other ESPN networks. So I’m happy with our position. We do what we do, and they do what they do.”

The SEC Network also has some familiar faces. Veteran play-by-play man Brent Musberger will be joined by Jesse Palmer as the lead team calling the games. Tim Tebow, Greg McElroy and Marcus Spears are analysts on its SEC Nation studio show, hosted by Joe Tessitore.

FAMILIAR FACES

“Our goal is to produce a very high-quality conference network,” Skipper said. “The Big Ten and Pac-12 do good jobs, but our model is the ESPN networks. When we put the Longhorn Network on air there were challenges in distribution because of lack of games. But everyone is impressed with the quality of production, studio shows, programming, etc. If we’re looking to emulate anything, it will be ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.

“I see more similarity to those networks than anyone else,” he added. “And we’ll have a higher volume of live games. What we are emulating, though, is the fact that we have Brent Musberger and Jesse Palmer.”

During the first four weeks of the season the SEC Network is broadcasting one game involving every school and will be at each of the conference’s 14 stadiums. The network will air more than football, though. It expects to broadcast 160 basketball games, nearly 100 baseball games and 50 softball games as well as volleyball and soccer matches.

Collecting a reported $1.40 per subscriber in monthly fees within the Southeastern Conference’s 11-state footprint and 25 cents beyond those boundaries, ESPN has added more green to its coffers and those of parent, The Walt Disney Co.

It should all make for an interesting viewing and what should be a great way to mark ESPN’s 35th anniversary. Keeping the content on its flagship networks fresh and lively may prove to be a challenge at times, but ESPN has done well in terms of breaking new ground.

FOCUS ON QUALITY

“We want to keep things fresh by making everything high-quality,” Skipper said. “We launched [Bill “The Sports Guy” Simmons-helmed website] Grantland, which is long-form sports journalism; FiveThirtyEight [the website helmed by political statistics guru Nate Silver], a push forward for data and numbers in sports; and the 30 for 30 series.

“We can’t fight saturation but we’re producing more content than ever. We’re living in a world with more content than ever.”

Part of that content was the WatchESPN initiative for mobile devices. According to Skipper, 44 million minutes of World Cup soccer was “consumed” on WatchESPN.

World Cup records were not limited to digital. The 2014 event was the most-viewed World Cup ever on English-language TV in the U.S. Buoyed by ESPN’s record 18.2 million for the U.S.-Portugal “Group of Death” match and the 17.3 million who saw Germany lift the trophy with its 1-0 win over Argentina on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and the broadcaster averaged 4.56 million viewers for the 64 matches. Viewership was up 39% and 96%, respectively, over the 3.27 million in 2010 and 2.32 million from Germany in 2006.

The 2014 World Cup marked the end of ESPN’s run with the world’s most popular sporting event. The programmer is still on the pitch, though, with a new deal with Major League Soccer, the U.S. men’s national team and Euro 2016, among other futbol properties.

“We remain committed to the growth of soccer, and our presentation of the World Cup clearly demonstrated that,” Skipper said.

Improving on the WatchESPN experience, whether it’s via the SEC Network, Sunday Night Baseball or cable’s top franchise, Monday Night Football, remains a priority for Skipper moving forward.

“Watch ESPN is going to be increasingly important,” Skipper said. “Mobile devices are rapidly overtaking desktop computers, and we have to be there. I could suggest that the 35-year era has been the pay television era. Going forward, pay television is still critical but it’s a more complicated landscape, and we have to make sure that we are playing in those complicated places.

“If you download the [WatchESPN] app and authenticate it, it is a fabulous experience,” Skipper continued. “The part that I’m not satisfied with is that it’s still hard to do. The service is fabulous and the quality is great. We just have to get it to more people.”

With the latest rollouts, the product of expanded carriage renewals inked as part of far-reaching deals Disney struck earlier this summer, the WatchESPN suite of services became available to subscribers of Mediacom Communications, Suddenlink Communications, the National Cable Television Cooperative and the National Telco Television Consortium last week, increasing its roster to 75 million homes.

DirecTV is the only major provider that doesn’t have a contract to supply the WatchESPN products.

Adding more WatchESPN subs by year-end would be a big plus for the network. ESPN will televise the College Football Playoff — a 12-year, $5.6 billion deal gives it media rights through 2026 — as well as a majority of the bowl games played.

All told, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ABC, broadband portal ESPN, the SEC Network, the Longhorn Network, ESPN Radio and highlights service Goal Line will present more than 450 college-football games during the 2014 regular season, which will then culminate in the bowls and the inaugural College Football Playoff, featuring a pair of semifinal contests with the winners meeting at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to crown a new champion.

Many expect the playoff games to challenge, if not surpass, the 27 million who watched Auburn top Oregon in the 2011 BCS National Championship Game, the most-watched telecast in cable history.

“Few events are more meaningful than these games,” Skipper said. “This represents a seminal moment in college football and we could not be more pleased to be a part of it.”

It’s also another way ESPN has tried to stay ahead of the competition.

“We have to continue to serve the fan,” Skipper said. “We have to take into account that the fan wants instantaneous highlights and they can do it on any mobile device. We were the first network where you could watch live games on your iPhone, iPad and desktop. You have to find new ways to create business.”

Finding new ways to create hasn’t been much of a problem for the all-sports network. It has been the industry standard for 35 years. Based on Skipper’s vision and what the network has been able to accomplish so far, the next 35 years should be just as exciting and innovative.

ESPN said it has promoted company veteran Stephanie Druley to senior vice president, production for its College Networks, making her responsible for all creative and editorial content, studio and remote events, and all talent and production personnel for both the recently launched SEC Network and Longhorn Network.

As a senior coordinating producer, Druley led the launch of Longhorn Network in 2010. In March 2011, she was promoted to vice president, production, and in 2013, named vice president, production college networks.

“Stephanie is one of the most respected executives at our company. Her leadership and expertise are evident in everything she touches including the successful and celebrated rollout of SEC Network and the numerous industry awards she and her teams have collected throughout her career,” said ESPN executive vice president, production John Wildhack in a statement. “The hallmark of her work whether for NFL, SportsCenter or in the college realm, is producing dynamic, creative and engaging multiplatform content that gives fans the best possible insights and analysis on the sports and issues they care about most.”

Druley, began at ESPN as a production assistant in 1990, and her past positons included production oversight of all NFL studio shows for ESPN including the Emmy Award-winning Sunday NFL Countdown, Monday Night Countdown, NFL PrimeTime and NFL Live.  In addition to managing all content, planning, budgeting and staffing for those programs, Druley was responsible for ESPN’s annual on-site coverage of the Super Bowl. In 2006, she spearheaded the popular SportsCenter “My Wish” series.

Mediacom said Thursday that it has agreed to carry the SEC Network, part of a larger carriage deal with ESPN parent The Walt Disney Co, removing one of the last remaining holdouts for the college sports network.

Mediacom, which has a significant presence in Missouri, one of the 11 states within the Southeastern Conference's footprint, was one of the few remaining major pay TV distributors that held off carrying the network, which debuted on Aug. 14. With Mediacom’s 1 million customers on board, the SEC Network is now counts more than 60 million cable, satellite and telco TV customers.  Earlier today, RCN and Vyve Broadband agreed to carry the channel.

For its part,Grande Communications, the Texas-based broadband communications company that offers Internet, TV and phone services  also announced an SEC Network agreement to launch in all markets where it provides service, including Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Midland, Odessa, San Antonio, San Marcos and Waco.

Cablevision Systems and Verizon Communications’ FiOS TV as the last remaining major market holdouts for the network. The SEC Network has launched in more than 60 million homes and is available to more than 90 million customers.

Mediacom said it would release details of its broader Disney pact at a later date. Today’s agreement with the SEC network is ahead of the first SEC 2014-15 college football season game, Texas A&M vs. South Carolina, on Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. ET. Mediacom subscribers will also have authenticated access to additional live events scheduled for the SEC Network’s digital platforms – including WatchESPN and SECNetwork.com – with the ability to watch SEC Network live and on-demand on their computer, tablet, or mobile devices.

"Our cable systems in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee are located in the heart of SEC country,” said Mediacom senior vice president of operations Ed Pardini, in a statement. "By launching the SEC Network, we will bring even more live college sports action to SEC alumni and fans.”

The SEC Network and its accompanying digital offering will air more than 1,000 live events in its first year, including at least 45 exclusive SEC football games, more than 100 men’s basketball games, 60 women’s basketball games, 75 baseball games, 50 softball games and events across all of the SEC’s 21 sports. The network will be an all-access pass to nationally competitive events, news and information, expert analysis, classic games and in-depth features on the most storied conference in college athletics.

"Mediacom serves many fans of the Southeastern Conference," said ESPN senior vice president, college networks Justin Connolly in a statement. "We look forward to providing an array of outstanding SEC programming to Mediacom customers on the new SEC Network."

ESPN's newly-created SEC network, which debuts today as among the largest network launches in cable history, has added two providers to its growing distribution reach. 

Through separate deals with Disney/ESPN, both RCN and Vyve Broadband have been added to the SEC Network's list of distributors, which already includes DirecTV, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Charter.  All told, SEC Network will launch in more than 60 million homes and be available to over 90 million.

In addition to the highly anticipated televising of 45 SEC football games, the SEC Network will also air men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball games as well as other sports featuring teams from the college conference. The network will also include original in-studio programming to provide analysis and news for the Southeastern Conference. 

RCN's multi-year distribution deal with ESPN will make the network available to Premiere Sports Tier subscribers in all of the provider's markets, which include major metro areas Boston, Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.

Vyve Broadband's deal brings the network to viewers in five states with SEC schools: Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. The network will also be offered by Vyve in areas throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming. 

"Vyve customers have made their passion for sports programming, especially for the extremely competitive SEC, very clear," said Jeffrey DeMond, chief executive officer of Vyve Broadband, in a statement. "The SEC Network will bring football, basketball baseball, and other campus sports directly to our customers. This is something that Vyve customers have asked for, and we're very happy to be able to deliver it to them."

The first football game to be televised on the SEC Network will be Texas A&M vs. South Carolina on August 28 at 6 p.m. ET. 

Then, there were two.

In a deal with ESPN that will push the SEC Network toward a record number of subscribers at launch, DirecTV became the latest distributor to sign on for carriage of the fledgling service.  The nation’s DBS leader will carry SEC Network when it kicks off on Aug. 14, in time for Texas A&M-South Carolina two weeks later, the first of 45 football games from the nation’s preeminent collegiate pigskin circuit.

Following the comprehensive distribution deal The Walt Disney Co. struck with Suddenlink earlier on Aug. 4, the DirecTV affiliate accord leaves just Charter and Verizon FiOS as the major carriers at this juncture without carriage contracts for the SEC Network within the Southeastern Conference ‘s 11-state footprint.

Tacking on the DirecTV and Suddenlink commitments to the deals with Comcast, Dish, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Bright House Network and the National Television Cable Cooperative, among others, ESPN is moving the SEC Network, which it owns along with the Southeastern Conference, to a position where it could surpass the record 90 million homes Fox Sports 1 launched in when it converted from Speed Network on Aug. 17, 2013.

Charter Communications last week said it is finalizing a distribution deal with ESPN and it “will have the SEC Network for its August 14 launch.” The MSO operates systems in the SEC footprint states of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Verizon, which serves Texas and Florida, is in negotiations with ESPN, and is expected to carry SEC Network.

ESPN and DirecTV didn’t disclose financial terms of the SEC deal. The worldwide leader has been seeking monthly subscriber fees of a $1.40 within the conference’s 11-state footprint and a quarter per customer outside of those boundaries.

“The SEC boasts powerhouse athletic programs, especially in football, representing deeply loyal communities, many of which do not have any professional teams,” said Dan York, DirecTV's chief content officer. “The depth of SEC competition and the quality ESPN brings to game production and complementary programming makes SEC Network a valuable addition to our sports programming lineup, and we’re excited to bring it into our customers’ homes and on their devices.”

"Our agreement with DirecTV continues to push the SEC Network towards one of the most successful network launches when it debuts on August 14,” said Sean Breen, Disney and ESPN Media Networks senior vice president of affiliate sales. “We’re proud to deliver the SEC Network nationwide via DirecTV in advance of the Texas A&M and South Carolina game later this month.”

During its freshman year, SEC Network will televise 450 events and present another 550 or more exclusively on SECNetwork.com or the Watch ESPN platform.

Amped-up affiliate action continued apace for The Walt Disney Co., as the programmer Monday announced a multiyear, multiplatform renewal pact with Suddenlink Communications.

The comprehensive deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, encompasses a suite of Disney’s channels, including the launch of the SEC Network, and an array of advances services, notably the programmer’s Watch line of TV Everywhere products. Suddenlink video subs will be able to access Disney’s diversified content base across televisions, computers, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles and connected devices.

The agreement follows Disney’s renewal with the National Cable Television Cooperative on Aug. 1, and last month’s deal with the National Telco Television Consortium, plus pacts with Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Cox, among others, for the SEC Network, which kicks off on Aug. 14.

Among its holdings, Suddenlink operates systems in Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Kentucky, Missouri and Louisiana, all of which are within the Southeastern Conference’s 11-state footprint.

In addition to the SEC Network addition, Suddenlink will launch the University of Texas’ Longhorn Network ahead of this year’s football season, and introduce Fusion, Disney’s joint venture service with Univision. Starting this fall the full suite of authenticated Watch services, including WatchESPN, will be available to the MSO’s customers. 

Continuing services covered by the broad scope of this agreement include: ABC Family, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN Deportes, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic, ESPN3, video-on-demand services and retransmission-consent for KABC-TV in Los Angeles, WTVD-TV in Raleigh-Durham, KTRK-TV in Houston and KFSN-TV in Fresno.

“A number of our customers have expressed interest in the SEC and Longhorn Networks, and a sizable majority have told us how much they value Disney networks like ESPN and ABC Family,” said Kathy Payne, Suddenlink senior vice president and chief programming officer at Suddenlink. “We’re very pleased we can provide those customers what they’ve said they want, and we’d like to specially thank the SEC and Longhorn fans who contacted us for their enthusiasm and patience, as we worked with Disney to complete this comprehensive, long-term agreement.”

“Suddenlink TV customers will benefit greatly from this latest multi-year renewal agreement,” noted Sean Breen,  senior vice president, affiliate sales, Disney & ESPN Networks Group.  “Not only will they continue to receive top quality content from Disney and ESPN networks ahead of the new fall programming slate and upcoming football season, but also additional, highly sought after services.”

Down South, college football is king.

And given ESPN’s success in inking affiliate pacts for the fledgling SEC Network, it may be in the North, West and East as well — en route to what is looking like the biggest launch in cable history.

Last Friday, The Walt Disney Co. announced a comprehensive, multiyear renewal pact with the National Cable Television Cooperative encompassing a host of advanced services, including the programmer’s “Watch” TV Everywhere platform, and its suite of channels, notably the SEC Network, which kicks off on Aug. 14.

It was the latest in a string of affiliate deals that at press time would put the SEC Network in front of 67 million subscribers — and counting.

During a July 31 earnings conference call with analysts, DirecTV CEO Mike White noted that the company is close to finalizing a deal with the SEC Network, saying it has agreed with ESPN on rates for the channel but has yet to set a launch date. Some reports suggest DirecTV may wait until Aug. 28, when Texas A&M meets South Carolina in the first of the service’s 45 conference football games.

Charter Communications last week said it is finalizing a distribution deal with ESPN and it “will have the SEC Network for its August 14 launch.”

Adding 20 million subscribers from DirecTV and more than 4 million video customers from Charter would push the SEC Network launch past the 90 million-subscriber mark.

With most expecting Verizon Communications to ink an affiliate accord for its FiOS TV as well — the telco said it is negotiating with ESPN — SEC Network could bow in more than 95 million homes to easily surpass Fox Sports 1, which was converted from Speed and debuted with some 90 million subscribers on Aug. 17, 2013, as the industry’s biggest launch.

ESPN said it doesn’t comment on ongoing negotiations.

Justin Connolly, ESPN’s senior vice president of college networks, maintained that stance in a recent interview, saying, “I’m confident we’re going to get more deals done, but until things are actually signed, a contract is just a piece of paper.”

In addition to the NCTC, ESPN, which owns the network along with the Southeastern Conference, already has deals with Comcast, Dish Network, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Cox Communications, and with smaller providers. It has been reportedly seeking distribution pacts carrying a monthly subscriber fee of $1.40 within the conference’s 11-state footprint, and 25 cents outside those boundaries.

Echoing ESPN president John Skipper’s goal of attaining similar levels of carriage as broader collegiate service ESPNU, Connolly said the SEC Network’s affiliate goals are aimed toward “the benchmark” of having the top level of penetration within the conference’s 11 states and the second-highest level out of market. “We seem to be getting that mix,” he said, while noting there is a difference in “the carriage we have in Alabama, than in Oregon.”

Over its freshman season, the network will televise 450 events and present another 550 digital-exclusive live conference contests on SECNetwork.com and WatchESPN.

DirecTV remains the only major provider lacking an accord to present WatchESPN, which is now available to some 75 million homes nationwide.

Justin Connolly believes he has momentum – not to mention Ole Miss and supporters of the conference’s other 13 schools – on the distribution and programming side of the ball ahead of the SEC Network’s upcoming debut.

ESPN's senior vice president of college networks is gearing up as the SEC Network -- ESPN's venture with the Southeastern Conference -- moves closer to its Aug. 14 kickoff.  Over its freshman season, the network will televise 450 events and present another 550 digital-exclusive live conference contests on SECNetwork.com and WatchESPN.

“We have some real momentum as we move closer to launch. Things are really starting to heat up,” said Connolly during a recent phone interview from the service’s offices in Charlotte.

It’s true. ESPN last week inked a carriage contract for the SEC Network with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, which benefits from distribution negotiations from the nation’s No. 2 cable operator.  Add top distributor Comcast, which has a presence in all 11 of the states home to the 14-school conference and earlier deals with Cox, Dish Network, charter affiliate AT&T U-verse, plus others, and SEC Network has commitments to launch in 60 million households in the footprint and throughout the country.

And counting.

“We’re coming into this with significant distribution at this stage.  We have the top three cable operators and leading satellite and telco distributors and are in conversations with everybody else,” said Connolly. “I’m confident we’re going to get more deals done, but until things are actually signed, a contract is just a piece of paper.”

Connolly, who moved his family to Charlotte and has made trips to all 14 SEC campuses, said conference fans, students and alumni are pumped. “Everywhere I go, people say, ‘You have to get a deal with…’ ‘Is that your provider?’ I ask. ‘That’s my provider.’ "

At this point, Connolly and the SEC Network’s targets remain DBS leader DirecTV, telco Verizon FiOS, which has a presence in SEC states Florida and Texas, and Charter, which operates in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Officials at DirecTV, Verizon and Charter all indicated that their companies continue to negotiate with ESPN for the SEC Network.

SEC Network also has yet to strike a master agreement with the National Cable Television Cooperative, many of whose members operate in the 11 SEC states.

Connolly and ESPN officials would not discuss the SEC Network's rate card. Published reports suggest that the channel is fetching a $1.40 monthly subscriber fee within the conference footprint and a quarter everywhere else.

Echoing ESPN president John Skipper's goal of attaining similar levels of carriage as broader collegiate service, ESPNU, Connolly said the SEC Network’s affiliate goals are aimed toward “the benchmark” of having the top level of penetration within the conference footprint and the second-level out of market.

“We seem to be getting that mix,” he said, while noting that there is a difference in “the carriage we have in Alabama, than in Oregon.”  

Those receiving the network will witness a three-hour wraparound welcome party, starting at 5 p.m. (CT) on Aug. 14. Programming will emanate from Charlotte with cutaways to campus locations.  Network talent from Brent Musburger and Tim Tebow to Greg McElroy and Paul Finebaum, and many others, will provide updates on conference happenings and what subscribers can expect to see.

“We want to give viewers a flavor for what the network will be about, and for those who don’t know, show them some of the reasons why the SEC is different,” said Connolly.

The network’s early days will also see previews of each of the teams from the nation’s preeminent collegiate pigskin circuit, and encores of 67 classic games from its past.

Connolly said the worldwide leader will also ramp up production on more SEC Storied documentaries, from the creators of the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning “30 for 30” franchise.

Four films are currently in the can, covering the iconic trio of Charles Barkley, Bo Jackson and Frank Thomas at Auburn University in the 1980s; South Carolina head football coach Steve Spurrier and his long history with the conference; the tragic story of Ole Miss defensive back Chucky Mullins and Vanderbilt running back Brad Gaines; and the devotion of 14 famous SEC fans.

The latter, The Stars Are Aligned, will air on premiere night at 9 p.m., as director Andy Billman shines the spotlight on such notables as Ashley Judd , Darius Rucker, James Carville and Governor Rick Perry as they profess their devotions to the SEC and their schools.

The output game plan, according to Connolly, calls for 10 SEC Storied entries annually.  They will vary in length from 90-, 60- and 30-minutes, with some launching on ESPNU and others on SEC Network.

The network will also feature SEC Now, its version of SportsCenter five days a week, and SEC Nation, a two-hour version of GameDay, that will be making dedicated conference campus stops and setting the stage for football action.

“It’s hard to get away from the shadow of the great programming on ESPN,” explained Connolly.

Before the football season begins on Aug. 28 with Texas A&M Aggies visiting Spurrier’s Gamecocks in Columbia, South Carolina, subscribers can get an early read on Kentucky’s men’s basketball team. The 2014 NCAA Division I national runner up will engage in the Big Blue Bahamas tour, with contests scheduled against the Dominican Republic national team, the Puerto Rico national team reserves and French first-division club team Champagne Chalons-Reims Basket from Aug. 15-17, as part of a larger competition against those squads.

With its 45-game football slate, SEC Network will feature all of the conference’s squads during the first four weeks of the season.  Each of the first two weeks features six games, before the network settles into tripleheader mode.

Connolly explained that the network will be home to top-level action. While SEC broadcast partner CBS gets first crack at the weekly schedule under the rights structure, “ESPN controls the rest of the inventory,” said Connolly.  As such, matchups will be designated for exposure on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and SEC Network over the course of the campaign.

SEC Network also plans to give viewers a chance to relive the glory of the past weekend, or lament what might have been with enhanced, film room recaps.

“We’re looking to get the coaches to break down some points of the games,” said Connolly.

Add two more major distributors to SEC Network’s growing affiliate roster.

ESPN has reached a carriage contract with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks across the cable operators’ entire base of systems in time for SEC Network’s launch on Aug. 14.

The agreement, financial terms of which were not disclosed, follows recent affiliate pacts with Comcast and Cox Communications. All told, the sports giant says at this point the SEC Network will be available to 60 million households at launch. SEC also has deals with charter affiliate AT&T U-verse, Dish Network and Google Fiber, among others. DirecTV, Verizon FiOS and Charter Communications have yet to sign pacts with the fledgling service.

As is the case with other affiliates, Time Warner Cable has committed to a widely penetrated package within the conference’s 11-state footprint – it will place the SEC Network on its standard level of service for its systems operating in Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina and Texas. The channel, presenting over 1,000 live events in its freshman year, including 45 games from the nation’s preeminent football conference, will be offered on digital on TWC's other systems.

The deal ensures that subscribers at the nation’s No. 2 MSO will be able to see the network’s football opener on Aug. 28, when the South Carolina Gamecocks host Texas A&M at 6 p.m.

The same positioning game plan will be in play at Bright House, whose programming deals are negotiated by Time Warner Cable: it will offer SEC Network on standard in Florida and Alabama, and on its digital package in Indiana, Michigan and California. The MSO has a strong presence in central Florida – the Sunshine State is home to the Florida Gators – and serves Birmingham, the home DMA for the Alabama Crimson Tide, the perennial football power.

"We know we have customers who want the SEC Network, and are pleased to bring it to them," said Andrew Rosenberg, senior vice president of content acquisition for Time Warner Cable.  "This deal will help ensure that fans and alumni of SEC universities won't miss any important games."

Noted Sean Breen, Disney and ESPN Media Networks senior vice president, affiliate sales: “By delivering the SEC Network across Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks’ nationwide footprint, including key markets within SEC territory, we are meeting the demands of fans while also adding value to customers’ video subscriptions in advance of the network’s launch next month.”

ESPN has tackled a distribution deal with Comcast ahead of the kickoff of the freshman season of its SEC Network.

The deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, encompasses Comcast’s entire national footprint, including the 11 states that house the Southeastern Conference’s 14 school members.

With Comcast in tow, plus deals with charter affiliate AT&T U-verse, Dish Network and Cox, as well as Google Fiber and a number of other smaller providers, the SEC Network at this point would be available to 46 million homes when it kicks off on Aug. 14.

Under the pact, SEC Network, which will televise some 1,000 event during its first year, will be available on Comcast’s digital starter package within the 11 SEC states, including South Carolina, where the nation’s top distributor has a relatively small presence.  Outside of the conference footprint, SEC Network will be housed on Comcast’s digital preferred offering. The network's schedule includes 45 football games from the nation's preeminent collegiate pigskin conference, whose reign of seven consecutive national championships ended when Auburn (pictured) lost to Florida States in the waning moments of the final BCS title tilt.

ESPN “continues to engage in very active conversations with all of the leading distributors ahead of the launch,” said a spokeswoman on Friday morning, when asked about where negotiations stood with DirecTV, Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS.

The worldwide leader reportedy has been seeking monthly affiliate fees of $1.30 to $1.40 per subscriber for the SEC Network within the conference's footprint, and a quarter in the rest of the country.

In addition to providing the forthcoming linear service across its entire footprint, Comcast subscribers will gain authenticated access to additional live events via the college-sports conference’s digital platform, with content available across television sets, computers, tablets and other mobile devices.  

“We are extremely pleased to have reached this agreement with ESPN to deliver the SEC Network to Xfinity TV customers on multiple platforms,” said Matt Strauss, senior vice president and general manager, video services at Comcast Cable.  “Whether in the home or on the go, Xfinity TV customers will be able to watch their favorite Southeastern Conference teams in more ways than ever before.”

Noted Sean Breen, Disney and ESPN Media Networks senior vice president, affiliate sales, “We are pleased to announce Comcast as our latest distributor for the SEC Network, which continues to attract great demand from consumers across the country and adds significant value for our affiliates leading up to the national network’s launch next month.”