All-Powerful SEC Network Launches... From Charlotte

At 6 p.m. yesterday (Thursday, August 14), the highly anticipated SEC Network launched. The Southeastern Conference and ESPN partnered to create this new national television network, which will provide 24/7 coverage of SEC college sports--specifically during the first year: 45 football games, 100 men's basketball games, 60 women's basketball games, 75 baseball games, 50 softball games; plus, live events, classic games, and original studio programming, they say.

Credit: Facebook

But let's keep it real. This channel has been created because college football's popularity is at an all-time high, bringing in billions of dollars a year in revenue, and the SEC has been the perennial football conference for the last decade. I'm excited that I'll get more comprehensive coverage of my South Carolina Gamecocks--we kick off the 2014 football season, on the new network, Thursday, August 28, at home against Texas A&M--but how many of us will be tuned into the channel come mid-January once football season is over? Furthermore, a lot of the big SEC football games, like Alabama vs. Auburn, Florida vs. Georgia, and LSU vs. Alabama, will continue to be shown on the major networks like CBS and ABC.

But for now, the SEC Network is making an historic debut, reportedly available in 75 million households. And in terms of projected revenue, it's the fifth-largest sports network in the country, behind ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN2, and FS1; and far ahead of its rivals, so to speak, the PAC 12 Network and Big Ten Network, which launched before it. Out the gate, the SEC Network is available on most of the major cable TV and satellite providers: AT&T U-verse, Charter Communications, Cox, DirecTV, Dish, Time Warner Cable, and Xfinity (click here to find your channel).

The network is based in Charlotte, located at ESPN's offices and studios in Ballantyne, which also produce ESPNU (the Southeastern Conference itself is headquartered in Birmingham). There's a newly assembled staff working in Ballantyne, but a lot of the broadcast coverage will also come from on-site at each of the 14 SEC schools. And the network scored a major victory when it lured legendary college football analyst Paul Finebaum to Charlotte.

Get everything you want to know about the SEC Network:
secnetwork.com
getsecnetwork.com
facebook.com/SECNetwork
twitter.com/SECNetwork

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Charlotte's Bid for the X Games Ramps Up

Last month, ESPN announced that Charlotte was one of four finalists for cities to host the summer X Games for three years beginning in 2014. The other three cities being considered are Austin, Chicago, and Detroit. If Charlotte is selected, the majority of the extreme sports competitions would take place at the racing complexes at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In recent weeks, speedway officials have ramped up (see what I did there?) excitement around the possibility by launching an official website, social media accounts, and making appearances at popular Charlotte events.

This rendering shows what an X Games ramp could look like inside the zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Photos credit: xgamescltbid.com

ESPN launched this annual event in 1995 as the Extreme Games, held in Providence, Rhode Island. Two years later it was rebranded as the X Games and relocated to California, where the bulk of its run has taken place over the years. The X Games have grown significantly during the past decade and has helped many of its competitors become superstar athletes. The games now feature nearly 20 competitions in four categories: BMX Freestyle, Moto X, Skateboard, and Rally Car.

According to a study by the LA Sports & Entertainment Commission, the 2010 X Games in Los Angeles had an economic impact of at least $50 million (stats from study provided by CMS). The study also shows that in 2010, ESPN broadcast 31 hours of original content live during the games, reaching all 50 states and 175 countries. So, this would bring national and international attention to Charlotte, would be a huge benefit to the local economy, and it would be another boost to Charlotte's reputation as a great city to host large events.

Charlotte Motor Speedway, of course, is in the midst of hosting several days of events during its busiest schedule of the year, with this weekend's Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race, which comes after last weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race. ESPN and X Games officials are scheduled to visit Charlotte June 4 and 5 as part of their decision-making process, and they're expected to announce the chosen city this summer. I wonder if our connection with ESPNU and the recently announced SEC Network will carry any favor?

Fans showing support for X Games Charlotte at a recent Alive After Five event in Uptown.

You can get all the latest info and support the efforts for Charlotte's X Games bid by visiting:

• XGamesCLTbid.com

• facebook.com/XGamesCharlotte

• twitter.com/XGamesCLTBid

The speedway has also created this promo video:

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ESPN to Partner With the SEC on New Network—to Be Headquartered in Charlotte?

Speculation has been running rampant over the past week about an anticipated announcement that ESPN and the Southeastern Conference would be launching an SEC network/channel, similar to, but better than, the Big Ten Network that's jointly operated by the Big Ten and FOX Sports. A press conference by ESPN and the SEC had been scheduled to take place Tuesday in Atlanta, but officials decided to postpone it Monday night after the bombings earlier that day at the Boston Marathon.

No rescheduled date has been given yet for the press conference, nor has ESPN/SEC released any details on what they would be announcing, but media outlets across the country are reporting that it's about the creation of the new network. I'm a proud South Carolina Gamecocks alum and fan, so I'll be excited to see an all-SEC channel, putting even more spotlight on the most dominant football conference in college sports (great baseball teams and solid basketball too). And I'm also happy with, assuming it's true, the speculation that the new network will be headquartered in Charlotte at the ESPN Regional Television offices in Ballantyne (also home to ESPNU).

Below are links to several news stories about the anticipated ESPN-SEC television network deal and what it could mean to college sports, including some that reference the possible location in Charlotte:

Up next: SEC network (Sports Business Daily)

SEC's network with ESPN: A fan's primer (CBS Sports)

ESPN, SEC to Form New Sports Net (Adweek)

SEC, ESPN To Announce SEC Network, Likely The Most Valuable TV Deal In College Sports (Forbes)

The SEC channel through the eyes of sports media consultants (The Huntsville Times)

SEC TV Network Is Brilliant Move That Will Prove Lucrative in Short Order (Bleacher Report)

Could SEC changes one day push Tech off UGA’s schedule? (The Atlanta Journal Constitution)

How ESPN Sets The SEC Network Apart (MR. SEC)


UPDATE 5/2/13: It's official. The SEC and ESPN have announced a 20-year agreement for their new joint, 24-hour television network, to be based in Charlotte.

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