The Progress of the
Big Ten Network
John A. Fortunato, Ph. D.
Fordham University
College Sport Research Institute Conference
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
April 18, 2009
Big Ten Network Facts
• 20-year joint venture Big Ten Conference
and Fox Cable Networks (Big Ten 51%
ownership)
• Launch Date: August 30, 2007
• First network to reach 30 million
subscribers within first 30 days on air
• Programming 24 hr/day, 365 days/year
• Created to provide the conference with
more national exposure
Why Start the Network?
• Economic Business Model:
– Advertisers and Cable Subscription Fees
– ESPN
• $4 per month per subscriber
• Outreach 98 million homes
• Approximate subscriber revenue $4.7 billion
Why Start the Network?
• Brand Exposure/Outreach
• Public Relations
• Nature of the Sports Fan
Criteria for Success
• Brand Exposure/Outreach: Agreements
with cable companies
• Viewership: Ratings
• Public Relations/Brand Building
The Sports Brand
• Sports teams/leagues thought of as
brands
• Brand Quality/Image
• Brand Awareness
• Brand Equity
The Sports Audience
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Loyal
Satisfaction of emotional needs
Fan Identification
Consistent in Behavior
Interest in favorites teams’ games
Interest in games when rival teams are
playing
Public Relations Literature
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Advocates for the organization
Most Positive Light
Control Image
Eliminate Media Gatekeeper
Big Ten Network Outreach
• Distribution agreements with more than 250
cable operators (Comcast $.70/month)
• Inside the 8 Big Ten states: expanded basic
level (Philadelphia: digital service level)
• Outside the Big Ten states: cable operators
can make it available on any level
• Video-on-Demand
• Online Streaming
Big Ten Exposure:
Programming
• Approximately 400 live events annually
– Football: 35-40 games (each team guaranteed
2 appearances per year)
– Men’s Basketball: 60-65 in-conference games
(each team approximately 15-20 appearances
per year)
– Women’s Basketball: 50-60 games, plus as
many as 9 Big Ten Tournament games (each
team approximately 8-10 appearances per
year)
Programming
• NCAA Sponsored “Olympic Sports”
• 17 Big Ten Championships/Tournaments
• Original Programming
– Big Ten Tonight
– Friday Night Tailgate
– The Journey (Illinois Football; Minnesota basketball)
– Big Ten Football Saturday
– Big Ten’s Greatest Games
– Big Ten Legends
Big Ten Brand Exposure: Football
2008
total games
Big Ten
Big 12
ACC
Big East
Pac-10
SEC
88
96
96
69
76
97
televised
87
76
80
66
66
62
national TV
86
67
64
44
47
46
Big Ten Brand Exposure:
Basketball 2008-2009
total games
Big Ten
Big 12
ACC
Big East
Pac-10
SEC
262
263
259
343
226
287
televised national TV
214
214
185
243
138
173
208
104
105
120
67
76
Big 10 Network Ratings
• Increase for football 113% from 0.8 in
2007 to 1.7 in 2008
• Doubled household impressions in some
markets
– Columbus, Ohio: avg. 10.3 HH in 2007 to
24.4 HH in 2008
– Detroit, Michigan: avg. 2.4 HH in 2007 to
6.2 HH in 2008
The Sports Fan: Would it
work for other Conferences
Big 10 v. SEC
Big 10 v. SEC
Enrollment
• Big 10 Universities (11): 444,000
• 8 of top 15 university enrollments
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Ohio State University – 1
University of Minnesota - 4
Michigan State University – 8
Penn State University – 10
University of Wisconsin – 12
University of Illinois – 13
University of Michigan – 14
Purdue University - 15
Big 10 v. SEC
Enrollment
• SEC Universities (12): 320,000
• 1 university in the top 15
– University of Florida - 3
Big 10 v. SEC
Television Market Size
• Big 10: 7 of top 25 TV Markets
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Chicago - 3
Philadelphia - 4
Detroit - 11
Minneapolis/St. Paul - 15
Cleveland/Akron - 17
Pittsburgh - 23
Indianapolis - 25
Big 10 v. SEC
Television Market Size
• SEC: 2 of top 25 TV markets
– Atlanta – 8
– Orlando/Daytona Beach - 19