If there were any fears from SEC fans about not being able to get the SEC Network, which hits airwaves next month, many of those nightmare scenarios are starting to calm down. Today ESPN and Cox Communications announced the two sides have reached an agreement to bring the SEC Network to Cox subscribers.
“The addition of Cox is another very important step in the development of the SEC Network, bringing millions more viewers nationwide to the network when it launches on August 14,” said SEC commissioner Mike Slive in a released statement. “As one of the largest cable television distributors in the U.S., including five states in the SEC footprint, this agreement with Cox has a significant impact on exposure for the SEC.”
It certainly is. As it stands now, the SEC Network is scheduled to go live with access to an estimated 26 million customers.The addition of Cox brings the @SECNetwork to around 26 million homes. The Big Ten Network had 16 million the day it launched.
— Barrett Sallee (@BarrettSallee) July 9, 2014
It is important to make note the Big Ten Network’s launch faced a different TV environment and had to break down some walls to be able to help sell the idea that a conference-specific network was desirable and worth adding. Since then the Pac-12 has launched the Pac-12 Network, media rights deals have skyrocketed and now the ACC is contemplating the possibility of launching its own network. The customer base expected to have access to the SEC Network when it launches in mid-August is a testament to the popularity and demand for conference-specific programming from region to region.
The SEC Network is currently scheduled to be available to customers of Dish Network, Google Fiber, AT&T U-Verse and assorted smaller carriage providers throughout the region (Comcast is not a done deal yet, but expected to be finalized before launch; Verizon FIOS should not be far behind either). The SEC Network still has to get by the DirecTV hurdle, but there is still time to sort out that one.