Big Ten Football Championship Game(s) To Air on Fox

Submitted by Tim on

Meh, though unsurprising, since Fox has an ownership stake in BTN.

Press release:

BIG TEN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES MEDIA AGREEMENT WITH FOX SPORTS

TO TELEVISE 2011-16 BIG TEN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

Big Ten Football joins Super Bowl XLV, World Series and Daytona 500 on FOX Sports

Park Ridge, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference has reached a media agreement with FOX Sports to serve as the official broadcast partner of the 2011-16 Big Ten Football Championship Games. The inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game will be played in prime time on December 3, 2011, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, with the winner earning the Big Ten Championship and a chance to play in the Rose Bowl Game or Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game.

FOX Sports, the nation’s top-rated network for sports for 13 consecutive years, is well-known for its coverage of some of the biggest sporting events in the country, including the Super Bowl, World Series and Daytona 500. The network also served as the official television home of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2006-09 seasons and has broadcast the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic since 1999. The network will promote the Big Ten Football Championship Game as one of the premium sporting events in the country on all of its platforms, including FOXSports.com, FOX Sports Radio and during its coverage of major fall sports events, including the National Football League and Major League Baseball postseason.

“We are excited to announce that FOX Sports will be the official broadcast partner for the 2011-16 Big Ten Football Championship Games,” said Big Ten Commissioner James E. Delany. “FOX Sports is known for carrying the biggest sporting events in the country and is a leader in the acquisition, creative production and cutting-edge promotion of national events. Big Ten sports have achieved broad coverage in the American sports landscape through agreements with ABC, ESPN, CBS Sports, CBS College Sports Network and the Big Ten Network. We look forward to the addition of FOX Sports, which is committed to promoting Big Ten football and will air the Big Ten Championship Games to more than 115 million homes.”

“Since our inception in 1994, our goal has been to provide viewers with the biggest, most prestigious sporting events in America and the acquisition of the Big Ten Football Championship Game continues that tradition,” said David Hill, Chairman & CEO, FOX Sports Media Group. “We are thrilled to bring this contest to the network and we’re looking forward to providing it an unprecedented, multi-platform promotional effort while maximizing the synergistic opportunities between FOX Sports and the Big Ten Network.”

The Big Ten Network, a joint venture between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Networks, is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. The network is available to more than 75 million homes across the United States and Canada, and currently has agreements with more than 300 affiliates. FOX Sports’ coverage of the Big Ten Football Championship Game will allow the Big Ten Network to play a prominent role at the site of the game, including the possibility of shared talent.

In addition to the media agreement with FOX Sports to broadcast the Big Ten Football Championship Game, the conference currently has media agreements with ABC, ESPN, CBS Sports, CBS College Sports Network and the Big Ten Network to provide the conference with its greatest television exposure ever. The Big Ten’s current media agreements have resulted in the production and distribution of more than 850 events nationally on an annual basis, compared to 300 events prior to the launch of the Big Ten Network.

End release.

Fox doesn't do a greeaaat job broadcasting college football, either for the Big 12/Pac 10 or on the Big Ten Network. Still, as I said above, this is no surprise. If Chris Martin is tabbed to announce any Big Ten Championship Game, though, I will end my life.

That might sound like a joke but it's not.

Comments

vegasjeff

November 17th, 2010 at 7:58 PM ^

One reason I'm glad Fox lost its BCS bowl deal to ESPN/ABC was that Fox had horrible announcing talent for such big games.

Let's hope they upgrade before next year's first title game.

And let's hope Michigan is playing in the first title game.

Blue_Sox

November 17th, 2010 at 8:13 PM ^

And that would be awful. The BTN's announcers are pretty much the bottom of the barrel. Usually a bad Play-by-Play guy along with a former Big Ten player on color who is getting their first exposure to announcing. This is to be expected, though, since the games the BTN gets are not the best games of the week.

bklein09

November 17th, 2010 at 8:03 PM ^

I really dislike watching the BCS games on Fox.

To me it always seems like they have nothing to do with college football all season, and then they are thrown on there for the biggest games of the year. 

Fox just seems like such an NFL network IMO.

With all that being said, I'm glad it will be nationally televised on network TV, and I'm sure Fox will hype the hell out of it.

Would still rather it be on ABC though.

jcgold

November 17th, 2010 at 8:20 PM ^

Considering the BTN is 49% owned by Fox, the announcers are going to be whoever is the Big Ten's lead team next year, ie Eric Collins and Chris Martin.

It's going to be like watching a game on the BTN, just on FOX.

willywill9

November 17th, 2010 at 8:39 PM ^

 

October 1 Minnesota TBA TBA  
October 8 @ Northwestern TBA TBA  
October 15 @ Michigan State TBA TBA  
October 29 Purdue TBA TBA  
November 5 @ Iowa TBA TBA  
November 12 @ Illinois TBA TBA  
November 19 Nebraska TBA TBA  
November 26 Ohio State TBA TBA

jhackney

November 17th, 2010 at 9:59 PM ^

than Iowa, which will probably be a night game there, the schedule looks pretty favorable (reasons below). We even get the LOLophers back!!! Will Persa be back next year?

1. Denard

2. The defense has to be better.

3. Fitz, Shaw, Hopkins are all going to be a year older under the Barwis regime.

4. Lewan practices blocking on wet tuna to prevent holding penalties.

5. Dee Hart

6. GERG's hair. He may leave, but his hair never will.

7. Minnesota

8. Denard

9. An extreme hard edge.

10. Denard

smwilliams

November 17th, 2010 at 10:23 PM ^

Iowa loses a lot next year and since they aren't that good this year, I'd be shocked if they are a contender next year.

Toughest games will be without a doubt: at Mich State, and the two games at home at the end of the year. Sweep those and Michigan should be 11-1 or 12-0.

smwilliams

November 18th, 2010 at 1:13 AM ^

Cousins is a Junior. So he's back along with their RBs. They lose 2/3 of their really, really good LB corps. Other than that, they return a lot of their team from this year.

And you are absolutely right about the night game.

I have visions of Junior Denard, Dee Hart, all our WRs coming back, 4 O-Linemen returning (incl. Huyge), and a defense that is at the very least average running the table next year. Unlikely, and I'm sure most of us would take 10-2.

Blue_Sox

November 17th, 2010 at 9:48 PM ^

ESPN does the ACC and ABC does the Big 12 Championship game at the same time more or less. Big 12 is irrelevant because they won't have 12 anymore. Don't think the Pac 12 (sounds so weird) has announced who will be doing their games. I think it is likely they will slide into the Big 12's old slot on ABC. NBC is the official Notre Dame network so I think they're out as well. CBS does the SEC, same deal as NBC here. FOX is doing our game because they own 49% of the BTN.

pinkfloyd2000

November 17th, 2010 at 8:46 PM ^

Thom is an unapologetic Buckeye homer. I'm a Reds' fan, and every time he's on the TV broadcast, he always has to mention OSU in some way, shape, or form -- even in April & May. Ughhh....

Mfan1974

November 17th, 2010 at 9:44 PM ^

should hire John Madden and Keith Jackson to do the game. All Star line up only please. Dave Brandon should be the half time interview and the major topic will be how fast Jim Tressel was fired after losing to Michigan two years in a row. 

SanDiegoWolverine

November 17th, 2010 at 9:51 PM ^

What an agonizing press release.  They spend 500 some words talking about how great their network is.  I thought they were going to broadcast it on the Fox Sports cable channel until the part about doing the Superbowl.  Just a bad job all around.

louieelbel1898

November 17th, 2010 at 9:55 PM ^

Can you imagine our speeeeeed blazing the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium next December?? Wow, that thought makes me very happy!!!  Gonna be 38 degrees for HARD EDGE this Saturday...The crazy BTN weatherman just told me so...GO BLUE!!