If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the Mountain West Conference was indeed flattered by the Big Ten’s announcement Wednesday of a new conference television network patterned along the lines of the MWC’s own project, The mtn.
Starting in 2007, the Big Ten Channel will provide nonstop coverage of member schools’ athletic and academic programs with multi-platform distribution.
The mtn. will launch in late August.
Both networks plan football games previously aired by local syndicates, men’s and women’s basketball and a wide menu of Olympic sports in addition to programming about each member institution. Both packages also hinge on “emerging technologies” regarding distribution from satellite TV to Internet and cellphone customers.
The MWC announced its plans for a regional network as part of its CSTV package two years ago when the league allowed its ESPN contract to expire last spring. While CSTV is widely available on cable and satellite, negotiations between CSTV and the cable/satellite providers for The mtn. are expected to continue throughout the summer.
“I anticipated two things (when the MWC signed on with CSTV),” MWC commissioner Craig Thompson said Wednesday. “Ultimately someday CSTV would be sold (CBS took over in January) and there would be another conference network.”
Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg said in a release: “Given the rapidly changing multimedia environment, it is not a surprise to us that the Big Ten is establishing an alternative distribution system. We will continue to examine a full range of options in preparation for future negotiations with our television partners.”
Thompson acknowledged the Big Ten’s broader demographics in terms of alumni spread throughout the country. The Big Ten Channel is planned for national distribution through DirectTV and the Fox cable networks. In addition to a 20-year agreement with Fox, the Big Ten announced a new 10-year deal with ABC/ESPN.
Before every league can start its own TV network, Thompson said “it’s going to be limited by carriers” in pointing to ABC/ESPN, Fox, and CBS through CSTV. “There’s limited shelf space on the same date when everyone wants to play on Saturday afternoons,” he said. “The Mountain West has blocked off Saturdays. That’s the best part for us. We took the biggest risk and the reward is Saturday afternoons.”
The MWC’s contract with CSTV was developed partly in response to the early morning, late night and potential midweek kickoffs dictated by ESPN. While the Big Ten still has ABC/ESPN for its primary programming, the MWC took a risk when CSTV wasn’t even available through most carriers.
Thompson also said that unlike coaching clinics, there isn’t too much brain picking among commissioners. “This business is so competitive,” he said.
While Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany mentioned the MWC in passing during a 90-minute national conference call, the Big Ten website states only that the Big Ten is the second conference to plan its own TV network.
It’s not the first time an MWC idea has been adopted elsewhere. Last season the MWC was the only Division I-A league with an NFL-style instant replay coaches challenge. A modified version has been adopted on a national scale. The MWC and other non-BCS automatic qualifiers started Thursday night football, a time slot now commonplace.
Natalie Meisler can be reached at 303-820-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com.
