College football fans are getting a big boost, especially for those in the South who are avid Southeastern Conference supporters.
The SEC Network has announced a new deal with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks ahead of a Aug. 14 launch. The move should deliver more games to potential viewers who are craving the college gridiron this fall.
The deal, along with ESPN's agreements with the carriers, will give access to some 60 million homes, and notably in the SEC market, where college football is almost a religion during the fall.
Currently, Time Warner has more than 15 million customers across a number of SEC markets, including South Carolina and Texas, but the move aims to deliver more games to more viewers. The first game to be on the SEC Network will be Texas A&M against South Carolina.
Bright House has a strong presence in Alabama and Florida, which means that the SEC Network should be available on almost all carriers come this season. The SEC Network has already inked deals with Dish Network, Comcast, AT&T U-Verse, Google Fiber and Cox Communications, to name a few. This should be a major boost for the infant network as it attempts to seize on the popularity of college football and its conference.
"We know we have customers who want the SEC Network, and are pleased to bring it to them," said Andrew Rosenberg, senior VP 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."
It also comes on the heels of other conferences, including the Pac-12, being unable to secure contracts with cable providers to show the games, leading to worries that some markets are not suitable for growing the sports package. In SEC country, this is unlikely to be an issue based on the popularity of the sport.
For now, the SEC Network is preparing for its launch next month and its first major programming event on Aug. 30 when the Southeastern Conference teams start the season. If successful, which most analysts believe it will be, it could be a litmus test for other areas of the country to follow in delivering more games, and advertising, to the throngs of fans who encircle their televisions every Saturday.
