US cable-television operators Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks have agreed carriage deals with sports broadcaster ESPN for the SEC Network, a new pay-television sports channel dedicated to college sport’s Southeastern Conference.
The multiplatform network is due to launch on August 14 and the addition of TWC and Bright House means it will be available to around 60 million households in the US.
The SEC Network will air more than 1,000 live events in its first year, including at least 45 exclusive SEC American football games, over 100 men’s basketball games, 60 women’s basketball games, 75 baseball games, 50 softball games and events across the SEC’s 21 sports.
The agreement with TWC and Bright House comes after ESPN this month agreed carriage deals for SEC Network with Comcast, Cox Communications, the National Telco Television Consortium and three independent cable operators – LUS Fiber, Wilkes Telephone and PTC Communications.
The Southeastern Conference and ESPN have signed a 20-year agreement through 2034 to create and operate the network.