BTN/BTN2Go announces wrestling coverage

CHICAGO - With the Big Ten seeking its eighth straight national championship, BTN?s 2013-14 wrestling coverage, presented by returning sponsor Cliff Keen Athletic, will be the most extensive in network history.

The television schedule includes a dual between Penn State and Iowa, winners of the past six national titles, a Monday night meet in primetime between Ohio State and Purdue, and live coverage of the entire Big Ten Wrestling Championships hosted by Wisconsin. Although Penn State and Iowa were not originally scheduled to meet as a result of the Big Ten?s rotating slate of eight regular-season duals, the two schools agreed to arrange a non-conference dual. The two schools have met every year since 1982.

Additionally, a record 48 events will be streamed live on the Big Ten Digital Network (BTDN). A large number of those streamed events will also be televised on delay as Student U. BTN?s coverage of the regular season begins with Duke at Purdue, which will stream live on BTDN at 3 PM ET on Nov. 16.

With the passionate wrestling community continuing to grow, more and more fans are turning to BTN as their home for Big Ten wrestling. Last year, BTN?s wrestling coverage saw a double-digit increase in ratings.

?Wrestling attracts an extremely engaged and enthusiastic fan base,? said BTN President Mark Silverman. ?With the strength of the Big Ten in the sport, the audience will only continue to grow.?

According to InterMat?s rankings, the Big Ten is expected to open the 2013-14 season with the three top teams in the country with No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Iowa and No. 3 Minnesota. Nebraska and Wisconsin are also included in the top-10, at seven and eight, respectively.

The final session of the 2014 Big Ten Wrestling Championships will be televised live at 2 PM ET on Sunday, March 9. With nine ranked individuals heading into the season, Penn State will look to capture its fourth-straight Big Ten Championship under Coach Sanderson. Minnesota and Iowa finished second and third, respectively, at the Big Ten Championships last season.

All dates/times of scheduled events are subject to change. Please check www.BTN.com for most updated listings.

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 in more than 52 million homes across the United States and Canada, including carriage by all the major video distributors, such as DIRECTV, DISH, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse, Charter Communications, Comcast Xfinity, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Mediacom, RCN, WOW!, Rogers Cable, Shaw and Shaw Direct (Canada) and approximately 300 additional video providers across North America. For additional information, go to www.BTN.com.