The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Longhorn Network facts
03.05.2012 | Texas Athletics
March 5, 2012
• Longhorn Network (LHN) is a 24-hour television network dedicated to covering the university's intercollegiate athletics, music, cultural arts and academics programs. It is a linear channel, much like BYUtv.
• LHN launched on Aug. 26, 2011.
• ESPN owns and operates the network and brings the experience, personnel and resources that will make it successful. More than 70 employees work in Austin for LHN, all paid by ESPN. At least six internships for UT students have been established within the LHN framework.
• UT, ESPN and IMG College agreed to a 20-year contract to create LHN. UT is obligated to work with LHN staff on scheduling and producing programming/content. IMG College, which is the multimedia rights and sponsorship sales agent for UT Athletics, is responsible for selling advertising and sponsorship on LHN.
• There is also a broadband component to LHN that provides a secondary placement for overlapping programming windows. Only those customers of contracted, authenticated providers -- currently Verizon FiOS and Grande Communciations customers -- will be able to get the broadband component.
• ESPN is continuously negotiating with all major television cable and satellite service providers. ESPN has done this before, having previously launched seven other networks, and their professionals are considered television industry leaders.
• LHN's attractive programming mix includes more than 200 exclusive games, news/information, original content and more. Go to http://espn.go.com/longhornnetwork/ and click on SHOWS and HIGHLIGHTS to see examples of programming and clips.
• The only sports content exclusive to LHN are UT Athletics home events not already selected to be televised by Big 12 Conference TV contract terms. Big 12 television partners are ABC/ESPN (network football, men's basketball, select women's basketball and select Olympic sports) and FSN for national cable network (football, and first rights to women's basketball and other Big 12 Olympic sports).
• For the first five years, 50 percent of the net rights fees from LHN/ESPN go toward academic initiatives. Academic chairs funded so far through UT President William Powers' academic allocation are:
- Governor Ann W. Richards Chair for the Texas Program in Sports and Media: College of Communication (established to meet a challenge grant)
- Chair in Latin American Art History and Criticism: College of Fine Arts (established to meet a challenge grant)
- Chair in African and African Diaspora Studies: College of Liberal Arts
- Chair in Philosophy: College of Liberal Arts
- Chair in Mathematics: College of Natural Sciences
- Chair in Physics: College of Natural Sciences
