Last week Kansas entered into third-tier rights with Time Warner's Metro Sports. The contract calls for IMG Sports to produce more than 300 hours of Jayhawks programming, including live games, for Time Warner's Metro Sports. The contract also allowed Jayhawk TV Network WIBW to keep the rights to men's basketball live game broadcasts in Topeka. Here is that press release.
KU ATHLETICS, IMG COLLEGE AND TIME WARNER CABLE SPORTS ANNOUNCE TV AGREEMENT
 |  Dr. Sheahon Zenger |
June 18, 2013
LAWRENCE, Kan. - Kansas Athletics and IMG College, the multimedia rights holder for KU Athletics, have agreed to a long-term television partnership with Time Warner Cable Sports that includes regional distribution for more than 300 hours of original Kansas Athletics programming annually, including live games and extensive non-game programming solely focused on the Jayhawks, plus encore presentations.
Time Warner Cable Metro Sports is a 24/7 sports network based in Kansas City. The network's Kansas Athletics non-game programming will also be available to millions of Time Warner Cable customers across the country via video on demand.
Time Warner Cable Metro Sports' live events will include football, men's basketball, women's basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, soccer and track and field events.
"When Time Warner Cable Sports approached us with this concept, we knew, if done right, it could greatly benefit Kansas Athletics and our fan base," Kansas Director of Athletics Sheahon Zenger said. "With more Kansas Athletics programming available throughout the state and to Time Warner cable customers throughout the country than ever has been before, Jayhawk fans will have more opportunities to catch our sports in action. We are eager to work with Time Warner Cable Metro Sports to bring this exciting concept to life."
"This expanded television partnership is great news for loyal Jayhawk fans in Kansas and all over the country, as well as our Kansas Athletics corporate partners," said Jason Booker, General Manager for Jayhawk IMG Sports Marketing. "Fans everywhere will be able to enjoy more than 300 hours of Kansas Athletics programming annually, including live games and extensive non-game content, plus encore presentations. This will extend the Jayhawk brand significantly while providing corporate partners with many new ways to support the Jayhawks and reach one of the most attractive and passionate fan bases in college sports. Kansas Athletics programming distribution details for the rest of the state are being discussed."
"Time Warner Cable Metro Sports is extremely excited to partner with Kansas Athletics and IMG to bring Kansas programming to Time Warner Cable subscribers in Kansas City and across the country," said Chris Huwe, General Manager, Time Warner Cable Metro Sports. "We know how much KU fans care about the Jayhawks and are proud to produce live games and extensive KU Athletics programming on Time Warner Cable Metro Sports."
Time Warner Cable Metro Sports, in partnership with Kansas Athletics, will produce extensive first-run, non-game programming centered on KU Athletics. A first for KU, this programming will allow Jayhawk fans to be closer to their favorite teams than they ever have before. The programming includes pre- and post-game shows for Jayhawk football and men's basketball games, a weekly "magazine-style" show, Hawk Talk Radio Show simulcasts, a social media-centered show driven by fans, live press conferences, a Jayhawk Rewind highlight show, a quarterly Jayhawk Legends series and quarterly University of Kansas academic specials.
In addition, Jayhawk men's basketball JTV games will continue to be available live on WIBW (Topeka) and tape delayed on WOW Channel 6 (Lawrence) in addition to the weekly "magazine style" show.
Time Warner Cable Metro Sports is available on channel 30 and HD channel 1310 on Time Warner Cable Systems in Kansas City. It can also be found on channel 44 and 258 on Comcast systems in Kansas City and on channel 37 to WOW subscribers in Lawrence. For more information about Time Warner Cable Metro Sports, visitwww.kcmetrosports.com, www.twitter.com/kcmetrosports or www.facebook.com/kcmetrosports.
KUAthletics.com: The official online source for Kansas Athletics, Williams Education Fund contributions, tickets, merchandise, multimedia, photos and much, much more.
About IMG College: IMG College is the nation's leading collegiate multimedia, marketing and licensing/brand management company, representing more than 200 of the nation's top collegiate properties, including the NCAA and its 89 championships, NCAA Football, leading conferences and many of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country. Headquartered in Winston Salem, N.C., IMG College connects brands with the largest and most demographically attractive fan base in sports through partnership opportunities in multimedia rights, sponsorship sales, licensing, marketing, stadium seating solutions, ticketing, fundraising, premium events and hospitality, stadium and arena development, and consulting. IMG College produces nearly 31,000 hours of radio programming on the largest sports network in the country, manages nearly 5,000 hours of local television programming, is the leading publisher of college sports publications and is the largest manager of university athletic websites. IMG College is a division of IMG Worldwide, a global sports, fashion and media business. For more information, please visit www.imgworld.com.
Today the University of Kansas and IMG announced that the contract has been expanded. ESPN3 has been signed on as the carrier for Jayhawk games outside the Metro Sports TV viewing area. Kansas is the second Big 12 team to sign up with ESPN3 for broadcasts. West Virginia is the other. Here is that press release.
Kansas Athletics and ESPN Announce Multiyear Rights Agreement
Kansas Athletics and ESPN have agreed to a seven-year agreement, beginning with the 2013-14 academic year, under which ESPN3 annually will carry a minimum of 70 live events distributed nationally, one of the largest deals the multiscreen network has signed to date.
Kansas Athletics announced recently an agreement under which Time Warner Cable will annually air 50 KU contests – including two exhibition and four non-conference men’s basketball games – exclusively on Metro Sports in Kansas City and in the state of Kansas. ESPN3 will deliver those 50 events nationally outside that territory. ESPN3 will also carry – exclusively – a minimum of 20 additional contests nationally, including in Kansas City and the state of Kansas. ESPN3 currently reaches more than 85 million homes nationwide to fans that receive their Internet or video subscription from an affiliated provider. It is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, throughESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold Members and on Apple TV.
The 70 events include one regular-season football game, the football spring game, six men’s basketball games (including two exhibition games) and basketball’s Late Night in the Phog, as well as 16 women’s basketball games. ESPN3 will also deliver the Kansas Relays and multiple volleyball, baseball, softball and women’s soccer games.
“ESPN3 continues to serve as a destination for college sports fans, and our agreement with Kansas Athletics extends that commitment,” said John Lasker, vice president of programming and acquisitions, ESPN. “We look forward to delivering these live events to the KU fan base.”
“From the start of this process, our goals were to saturate the Kansas City market, distribute Kansas programming throughout the state and make our live events available nationally,” Kansas Director of Athletics Sheahon Zenger said. “We are meeting these goals through agreements like these with ESPN and Time Warner Cable. Both are significant steps for Kansas Athletics and we are excited about the future for all Jayhawk fans – wherever they may be watching.”
-30-
Each Big 12 team now has a carrier for national broadcast rights, though Kansas State and Iowa State are mostly online. West Virginia and Kansas are with ESPN3, though West Virginia's contract could soon change. Texas is with ESPN's Longhorn Network, and while that's mostly regional, there has been some discussion on whether or not to add those games to ESPN3's broadcast rights outside of the state of Texas. Texas Tech, Baylor, TCU, Kansas State, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State all operate on FSN via Southwest, Oklahoma, and Kansas City. Many of the games are shown nationally on Fox College Sports. However Kansas State also distributes all games via K-StateHD.TV Iowa State has their contract with Mediacom on MC-22, and they have chosen to distribute those games inhouse via Cyclones.TV.
No comments:
Post a Comment