Texas Tech University Athletics
Big 12 Announces Television Agreement
Big 12 Announces Television Agreement
August 27, 1998 DALLAS, Texas - A significant cable and syndication agreement between the Big 12 Conference and FOX Sports Net was extended until the year 2007, it was announced Wednesday by Bob Thompson, Executive Vice President for FOX/Liberty Networks, and Dave Martin, Big 12 Interim Commissioner. "The extension of our partnership with FOX Sports Net means a great deal to our universities," Martin said. "In addition to the significant revenue enhancement, we benefit from FOX Sports Net's commitment to maximizing our exposure in the region for all sports." Under the terms of the agreement, FOX Sports Net will remain the exclusive cable home to the Big 12 Conference through the year 2007, unless the conference exercises a right to renegotiate at the end of the 2003 academic year. FOX Sports Net, through its 22 owned and affiliated regional sports networks, reaches more than 60 million homes nationwide. The new contract represents a revenue increase of more than 80 percent per year over the previous agreement with FOX Sports Net. "This contract reflects a vote of confidence in the Big 12," said Big 12 CEO and Chancellor of the University of Kansas Robert Hemenway. "It demonstrates that the Big 12 not only offers a high level of competition, but it is a product worth an attractive price in the television market." Included in the package are 10 football cable telecasts and as many as 12 regionally syndicated games for broadcast television each year. In the contract FOX Sports Net also agreed to expand its telecast of women's sporting events and Big 12 Olympic sports action in addition to football. "We are proud to have the Big 12 Conference as a staple of both our national and regional collegiate programming well into the 21st century," said Thompson. "Through this extensive package, FOX Sports Net continues to define its role as an innovative leader in sports television, providing viewers with a single source from which to experience the best in men's and women's intercollegiate athletics." |
