BTN Communications, June 7, 2012
CHICAGO - Coming off its most successful season, with record ratings and 16 games featuring a top 25-ranked team, BTN will air 15 Big Ten games during the first three weekends of the 2012 college football season. Now in 51 million homes, the five-year-old network will air the debut of the Urban Meyer era at Ohio State and the return of defending Big Ten champion Wisconsin in the first week of the season.
Overall, BTN will televise over 40 football games this fall, once again ensuring that all Big Ten home football games are televised nationally.
The games also will be available on BTN2Go, one of only two nationally distributed mobile sports services that is now in over 30 million homes. BTN2Go is a live, 24/7 simulcast that also includes all Extra Football Game Channels offered by BTN?s cable, satellite and telco providers during football season. BTN2Go will also be available internationally this fall for the first time to anyone with an internet connection.
?From day one, the 2012 college football season will get off to a great start on BTN with a triple header for three straight weeks,? BTN President Mark Silverman said. ?And with BTN2Go, more and more BTN subscribers will have mobile access to Big Ten games.?
On Sept. 8, Iowa will have a chance to avenge its 2011 triple-overtime loss to Iowa State in the 2012 battle for the Cy-Hawk Trophy when they welcome the Cyclones to Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes had had won three straight Cy-Hawks before last year.
Saturday, Sept. 15, looks to be a busy one on BTN, with a total of eight games scheduled, including the Michigan Wolverines? 2012 BTN debut hosting the University of Massachusetts.
Other previously announced BTN games of note include Michigan at Purdue at 4 PM ET Oct. 6, Ohio State at Indiana at 8 PM ET Oct. 13, and Penn State at Iowa at 8 PM ET Oct. 20.
When games air at the same time on BTN, the network makes the games available on Extra Football Game Channels. Each week, fans can check local listings, their on-screen channel guide or www.BTN.com/channelfinder to find channel assignments for specific games.
Every BTN football game telecast will once again be surrounded by Big Ten Football Saturday, the network?s pre-game, halftime and post-game show hosted by Dave Revsine and analysts Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith.
The Big Ten and its television partners will announce the remaining matchups and game times either six or 12 days before each game.
Below is the 2012 BTN football schedule for weeks 1-3 and games already announced (All Times Eastern).
| Sept. 1 | Sept. 1 | ||
| Noon | 3:30 PM | 8 PM | |
| Miami (Ohio) at Ohio State | Northern Iowa at Wisconsin | Indiana State at Indiana | |
| Eastern Kentucky at Purdue | |||
| Sept. 8 | |||
| Noon | 3:30 PM | 8 PM | |
| New Hampshire at Minnesota | Iowa State at Iowa | Vanderbilt at Northwestern | |
| Sept. 15 | |||
| Noon | 3:30 PM | 8 PM | |
| Western Michigan at Minnesota | Massachusetts at Michigan | Utah State at Wisconsin | |
| Charleston Southern at Illinois | Northern Iowa at Iowa | Ball State at Indiana | |
| Eastern Michigan at Purdue | Boston College at Northwestern |
Previously announced games
Oct. 6 Michigan at Purdue 4 PM ET
Oct. 13 Ohio State at Indiana 8 PM ET
Oct. 20 Penn State at Iowa 8 PM
About BTN: A joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks, BTN is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With more than 600 events, all in HD, the 24/7 network is the ultimate destination for Big Ten fans and alumni across the country, allowing them to see their favorite teams, regardless of where they live. Events include football, men?s and women?s basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Championship events; studio shows; coaches? shows; and classic games. The network televises and streams more Olympic sporting events and women?s sports than has ever been aired on any other network. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation?s finest universities. The groundbreaking Student U initiative provides real-world experience for students interested in careers in sports television. The network is available to more than 80 million homes across the United States and Canada, and currently has agreements with more than 300 affiliates, including AT&T U-Verse, Atlantic Broadband, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV, DISH Network, Insight, Mediacom, Rogers Cable (Canada), Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct (Canada), Time Warner Cable and Verizon FiOS. For updated information on BTN, go to www.BTN.com.
