SiriusXM today announced the impending launch of two college sports channels, as the satellite radio company will partner with both the Big Ten and the Big 12 for channels debuting on Monday, October 22nd.

SiriusXM announced both moves today in twin press releases, which you can find here and here. First, on the newly minted SiriusXM Big 12 Radio:

SiriusXM Big 12 Radio will launch on October 22 and will be available exclusively to SiriusXM subscribers via the SiriusXM app, on connected devices including smart TVs, Amazon Alexa devices, Sony PlayStation, Roku and more, and on select SiriusXM radios (channel 375).  SiriusXM Big 12 Radio will feature live play-by-play broadcasts from several Big 12 men’s and women’s sports including football, basketball, baseball, softball and more.

The new channel’s programming will feature exclusive new shows hosted by former Big 12 athletes as well as journalists and conference insiders.  The daily schedule will include Big 12 This Morning (weekdays, 8:00-11:00am ET/7:00-10:00 am CT) and the afternoon drive show, Big 12 Today (weekdays, 4:00-7:00 pm ET/3:00-6:00 pm CT).

If you’re wondering about those former Big 12 athletes and journalists, here are some of the names:

Hosts on the channel will include former Iowa State standout QB Dave Archer; former Oklahoma defensive lineman and 1985 Lombardi Award winner Tony Casillas; former Oklahoma offensive lineman Gabe Ikard; as well as Holly Rowe, Fran Fraschilla, Tom Luginbill, George Schroeder, Matt Schick and Ari Temkin.

The SiriusXM Big Ten Radio information was essentially identical, though obviously with a different lineup of names:

Hosts on the channel will include former Ohio State star LB and 2005 Lombardi Award winner A.J. Hawk; former Illinois All-America offensive lineman Brad Hopkins; former Iowa defensive lineman Anthony Herron; former Penn State basketball player Jon Crispin; former Ohio State tight end Ben Hartsock; as well as Jason Goff, Tom Luginbill, Pete Pistone and Matt Schick.

The release also notes that the channel will occasionally feature simulcasts of Big Ten Network programming.

This seems like a logical move for everyone. SiriusXM already has channels dedicated to the ACC, SEC, and Pac-12, so adding the final two power conferences completes the package for streaming subscribers. (And hey, it’s further NYC market penetration via Rutgers! That was probably crucial to the deal.) It is interesting they’re launching now, a few months into college football, but we are about to enter the time of year when college football overlaps with men’s basketball, so perhaps that was always the target date.

In the end, this isn’t going to be a massive marketplace move, but more content for listeners is rarely a bad thing.

[SiriusXM]

About Jay Rigdon

Jay is a columnist at Awful Announcing. He is not a strong swimmer. He is probably talking to a dog in a silly voice at this very moment.