Last we visited the distribution journey of SEC Network, they had just agreed to a major deal with Comcast. Now, America’s other cable giant is officially on board.
The ESPN-backed new kid on the sports television block has come to terms with Time Warner Cable, who will carry the network for its August 14th launch. This brings the current total distribution for SEC Network to 60 million households, not including another deal that seems imminent with DirecTV. With nearly every other major provider on board, it’s only a matter of time before they make it official as well.
Via the official ESPN announcement:
ESPN, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks have reached an agreement for carriage of the SEC Network when the channel launches on August 14, 2014. The network will be available to fans and followers of the Southeastern Conference in all Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks markets ahead of the first SEC 2014-15 college football season game, Texas A&M vs. South Carolina, on August 28 at 6 p.m. ET. With the addition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, the SEC Network will be available to approximately 60 million households nationwide.
“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.”
What’s most interesting here is the attractive stream of revenue SEC Network and ESPN stand to benefit from thanks to the start-up network. John Ourand reports that SEC Net will get an astounding $1.40 per subscriber per month in the conference’s 11 state footprint and $0.25 per subscriber per month outside. That buck-forty total is very high considering BTN charges $1.00 in their conference footprint. Of course, considering ESPN’s exponential carriage fees, maybe it’s no surprise they were able to negotiate a treasure trove for SEC Network.
It’s truly a case of the rich getting richer… just don’t tell the athletes.
[ESPN]
