Programming on the Big Ten Network will include:

• 35+ football games per season
• 105+ regular season men's basketball games
• 55+ regular season women's basketball games
• Big Ten championship events
• Archived Big Ten events, including bowl games
• 170+ Olympic sporting events
• Coaches' shows
• 660 hours of campus programming  

Big Ten Network: What, When, and Why

What: The Big Ten Network is a new national cable/satellite television network dedicated to providing a wide array of Big Ten athletic and campus programming. The network is majority owned by the Big Ten Conference with Fox Cable Networks holding a significant minority interest.

This network is the first partnership of its kind between a group of primarily public universities and a major television provider. It will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

When: The Big Ten Network will launch at 8 p.m. Thursday, August 30. The first telecast will be the "Big Ten Tonight" highlights show featuring previews of Big Ten football openers and the season, which begins September 1.

Minnesota's first game scheduled to air on the new network is at home against Bowling Green, 7 p.m., Saturday, September 1. The following week's home game against Miami (Ohio) will also be on the Big Ten Network.

Why: The Big Ten Network provides the Big Ten Conference and its member universities with a new way to connect with our fans, alumni, students, perspective students, and many other members of the public who care about sport and about universities.

The network, with its long-term partners ABC, CBS, and ESPN, will bring more Big Ten football, basketball and other sports into homes throughout "Big Ten Country" and nationally. In addition, the network will provide Big Ten universities with the opportunity to present their own programming highlighting the world-class work we do in research, teaching, and outreach, and showcasing the accomplishments of students, faculty, and alumni. Overall, it will increase the level of visibility and depth for all Big Ten sports, including more coverage of fans' favorite sports, re-air of classic archived games, and exciting highlights and feature shows.

Finally, revenue from the network will provide stable additional financial support for the university to be directed primarily toward the athletic program, including the nonrevenue sports that are so important to providing gender equity and maintaining our commitment to the student-athlete experience. This stable funding helps ensure that athletic needs do not compete with other mission-critical areas of the university.

Big Ten Network Availability

The Big Ten Conference is offering the Big Ten Network to cable and satellite operators nationwide and the conference's goal is to have the network distributed as widely as possible. You can visit www.bigtennetwork.com and enter your zip code to find out if your local cable company is carrying the network.