The SEC is unquestionably the best college football conference in the United States. The Big Ten Network is unquestionably, at least in terms of dollars and cents, a runaway success story for its member schools. (Seriously, it's to the point where it is hard to imagine how the U of M athletic department would function in its current state without BTN money).
What happens when you combine those two things? Well, it remains to be seen -- but "smashing success" is a good bet. The SEC Network, long discussed, was officially announced Thursday. It will launch in August of 2014 as part of a 20-year agreement with ESPN. But will it really show the good stuff? Per a press release:
Included in the programming will be 45 football games, more than 100 men's and more than 60 women's basketball games, 75 baseball games and selected events from the other 17 SEC sports. The network will also feature studio shows and coverage of special events such as signing day and football pro days.
Any channel with 45 SEC football games a year is off to a good start. No financial terms were disclosed, but you can imagine if the Big Ten Network is reportedly paying out more than $7 million a year to schools, SEC schools should see a pretty nice chunk of change as well. The money will roll right in.
