BTN.com staff, March 14, 2013

As BTN prepares to air the first of four games in the Big Ten Men?s Basketball Tournament at noon ET today, the network is celebrating another ratings record.

February 2013 was BTN?s highest-rated month ever in primetime, according to Nielsen metered market data,* up 20 percent over February 2012 and surpassing January?s record ratings.

Fueling the growth was a 33 percent increase in Big Ten Men?s Conference Basketball in February 2013 versus February 2012, with a .88 HH rating versus a .66 rating in BTN?s metered markets.

Also contributing to the growth were significant ratings increases for BTN?s signature series, The Journey: Big Ten Basketball 2013, as well as the Hockey City Classic at Soldier Field, the most-watched hockey game on BTN. Wisconsin defeated Minnesota, then ranked No. 2 in the nation, 3-2.

*Source: Nielsen Arianna Overnights. Metered Markets: Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis 6P-Midnight, Mon-Sun

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 800 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. BTN2Go is the 24/7 simulcast of BTN that delivers live and on-demand programming via the internet, smartphones and tablets to customers of participating video providers. Events include football, men?s and women?s basketball games; dozens of Big Ten Olympic sports and championship events; studio 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 90 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 additional information, go to www.BTN.com.