Type | Live Syndicated college sports programming service |
---|---|
Country | |
Availability | Mainly in central portions of the United States |
Owner | ESPN, Inc. (ESPN Events) |
Launch date | 1996 (under ESPN Plus branding) September 6, 2008 (under the Big 12 Network branding) [1] |
Dissolved | March 15, 2014 [2] |
Picture format | 1080i 16:9 HDTV (since 2008) 480i 4:3 SDTV widescreen (1996–2008; 1996–2010 on some affiliates) |
Former affiliations | SEC TV, Longhorn Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU |
The Big 12 Network (stylized as the Big XII Network) was a syndicated package featuring live broadcasts of College basketball events from the Big 12 Conference that was broadcast under that branding from 2008 until 2014. It was owned and operated by ESPN Plus, the syndication arm of ESPN, Inc., and was mainly shown in areas in the Big 12’s geographical footprint, along with other areas of the United States. Games were shown locally on broadcast stations, regional sports networks, as well as on ESPN Full Court, and WatchESPN.
Beginning in 1996 after ESPN’s consolidation of Creative Sports (which ESPN owned since 1994 [3] ) and OCC Sports (acquired from Ohlmeyer Communication Company), ESPN Plus (also known as ESPN Regional Television) assumed syndication rights to Big 12 Conference men’s basketball games after the Big 8 Conference and the Southwest Conference merged to create the Big 12. Raycom Sports previously had syndication rights to basketball and football games of both those conferences from the 1980s until that syndicator lost the Big 8 in 1993–94, and the Southwest Conference merged with the Big 8 to become the Big 12 Conference in 1996. [4] [5] [6]
Starting with the 2008–2009 season, all Big 12 Conference basketball game broadcasts from ESPN Plus began to be broadcast under the Big 12 Network branding. [1]
After the first 18 years of the conference’s existence, the Big 12 Network ceased operations in 2014 as all rights to Big 12 Basketball moved to the ESPN family of networks (e.g. ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews). [2] [7] Several Big 12 basketball games also moved to the Texas Longhorns-oriented Longhorn Network, which is a joint venture between ESPN and the University of Texas at Austin that launched in August 2011. However, CBS Sports does choose to broadcast at least two to three Big 12 games under their NCAA on CBS branding.
The Big 12 Network was available mainly in areas of the central United States, including much of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, eastern Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and western Arkansas. Other areas served by the Big 12 Network included parts of West Virginia, north-central and east-central Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and southern Pennsylvania, especially during the 2012–2013 and 2013–2014 season. This was true because in 2012, Texas Christian University joined the Big 12 from the Mountain West Conference, and West Virginia University joined the Big 12 from the original Big East Conference. In spite of the University of Missouri (along with Texas A&M University) leaving the Big 12 to join the basketball-powerful Southeastern Conference in 2012, some stations in Missouri, especially in the Kansas City, Columbia, St. Louis, and Joplin markets, either kept the local rights to the Big 12 Network or lost them to another station in their home market.
In addition to the listed areas above, three independent stations in California also carried the syndication package. Throughout the 2008–2014 branding period, some Big 12 Network stations also broadcast football games from sister syndicator SEC TV, which provided Southeastern Conference football games to certain stations, most notably including KTXA/Dallas, Texas and KDOC-TV/Los Angeles, California, although KDOC also broadcast SEC TV basketball games on a limited schedule. This was especially true to some former Big 12 Network partners that switched to or altered to and from SEC TV broadcasts.
The following over-the-air broadcast stations broadcast the Big 12 Network: [8] [9] [10]
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Fort Smith/Fayetteville | KFTA-TV | Fox | |
KNWA-DT2 | In-market repeater of KFTA-TV | ||
Little Rock | KASN | The CW | affiliate until 2012 |
KARZ | MyNetworkTV | Affiliate from 2012 to 2014 | |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles | KDOC-TV | Independent | Affiliated 2011–2014 [11] [12] |
San Diego | KUSI-TV [11] | Big 12 Network was aired on a limited schedule on KUSI due to SEC TV partnership; This station also serves Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico | |
San Francisco/Oakland | KOFY | ||
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Boise | KTRV-TV | MyNetworkTV | Affiliate from 2013–2014 |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Chicago | WLS-DT2 | Live Well Network | Ran Big 12 Network programming until 2012 |
Peoris/Bloomington | WAOE | MyNetworkTV | |
Rockford | WTVO WTVO-DT2 | ABC MyNetworkTV | Affiliation shared between two of WTVO’s main channel and DT2 subchannel |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Evansville | WTVW | Fox (until 2011) Independent | Now an affiliate of The CW since 2013 |
Indianapolis | WHMB-TV | LeSEA | Became an affiliate in 2013 |
WHMB-DT2 [13] | LeSEA | Alternate affiliate in 2013–2014 | |
WRTV-DT2 | Hometown Sports Indiana | ||
WTTV [14] | The WB (now The CW) | Affiliate until 2008; became a CBS affiliate in 2015 Licensed to Bloomington, Indiana | |
Kokomo | WTTK | Full-time satellite of WTTV/Bloomington; became a CBS affiliate | |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Cedar Rapids | KFXA | Fox | |
Davenport | WQAD-TV | ABC | Licensed to Moline, Illinois |
Des Moines | WOI-DT | ABC | Acquired from WHO-TV in 2008 |
WOI-DT2 | Live Well Network | (now with Laff) | |
Ottumwa | KYOU-TV | FOX | |
Sioux City | KPTH-DT2 | MyNetworkTV/This TV | |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Dodge City | KSAS-LP | Fox | Satellite of KSAS-TV/Wichita as part of the region-wide network, “Fox Kansas” |
Garden City | KAAS-LP | ||
Great Bend | KOCW | ||
Salina | KAAS-TV | ||
Topeka | KTMJ-CD | Relays signal to translators KMJT-LP/Ogden, KETM-LP/Emporia, and KTLJ-CD/Junction City | |
Wichita | KSAS-TV | Flagship station of the Fox Kansas regional network | |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Campbellsville (Louisville) | WBKI-TV | The CW | Affiliate 2012–2014 [11] [15] OTA signal also serves portions of the Bowling Green market by default, and also reaches parts of the Lexington market |
Lexington | WTVQ-DT2 | MyNetworkTV | Affiliate 2012–2014 [15] |
Louisville | WMYO-DT3 | The CW | Simulcast of WBKI-TV/Campbellsville since 2012 |
Paducah | WDKA | MyNetworkTV | Simulcast on KBSI-DT2/Cape Girardeau, Missouri; both KBSI and WDKA shared Big 12 Network affiliation until 2012 |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Lansing | WHTV | MyNetworkTV | Big 12 Network partner 2012–2014; licensed to Jackson, Michigan [11] |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Meridian | WTOK-TV WTOK-DT2 | ABC MyNetworkTV | Affiliate 2011–2014 [11] |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Cape Girardeau | KBSI | Fox | Alternating affiliation with MyNetworkTV outlet WDKA/Paducah, KY until 2012 |
Columbia-Jefferson City | KMIZ-TV | ABC | Primary affiliate in Columbia until 2012 |
KZOU-LP | MyNetworkTV | Alternate affiliate in Columbia until 2012 | |
KQFX-LD | Fox | ||
Joplin, MO-Pittsburg, KS | KFJX | Fox | |
Kansas City, MO-KS | KSHB-TV | NBC | |
KMCI-TV | Independent | Alternate affiliate in the Kansas City DMA | |
Springfield | KYTV | NBC | |
K15CZ | The CW | Full-power simulcast on KSPR-DT2 | |
St. Louis | KTVI-DT2 | Antenna TV | Was a This TV affiliate when KTVI-DT2 first affiliated with the Big 12 Network |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Lincoln | KLKN | ABC | Affiliate until 2012 |
Omaha | KXVO | The CW | |
KPTM-DT2 | MyNetworkTV / This TV | Alternate affiliate | |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Toledo, Ohio | WMNT-CD | MyNetworkTV | |
Youngstown | WYFX-LD | Fox | Affiliate from 2012 to 2014 |
WKBN-TV | CBS |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Oklahoma City | KAUT-TV | MyNetworkTV until 2012 | Now an independent station |
KOCB | The CW | Alternate affiliate for the OKC market | |
Tulsa | KMYT-TV | MyNetworkTV | |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Pittsburgh | WPXI-TV | NBC | Affiliate 2012–2014 |
State College-Altoona | WHVL-LP | MyNetworkTV | Affiliate 2012–2014 |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Ponce | WTIN-TV | Independent | Satellite of WAPA-TV/San Juan; also ran some SEC TV content |
San Juan | WAPA-TV | ||
Mayagüez | WNJX-TV | Satellite of WAPA-TV/San Juan; also ran some SEC TV content | |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Abilene | KIDZ-LD | MyNetworkTV | |
Amarillo | KCIT | Fox | |
KCPN-LP | MyNetworkTV | Alternate affiliate; simulcast on full-powered KAMR-DT2 | |
Austin | KBVO-TV | MyNetworkTV | |
KBVO-CD | Low-powered translator of KBVO-DT | ||
Beaumont-Port Arthur | KBMT | ABC | |
KBMT-DT2 | NBC | Branded as KJAC | |
KUIL-LD | MyNetworkTV | Full-power simulcast on KBMT-DT5 | |
Bryan-College Station | KBTX-TV | CBS | Big 12 Network partner until 2012; semi-satellite of KWTX-TV/Waco |
Dallas-Fort Worth | KTXA | Independent | This station also broadcast football games from Big 12 Net’s sister service, SEC TV; now broadcasts Atlantic Coast Conference sports programming from Raycom Sports-operated ACC Network |
Houston | KUBE | ||
Lubbock | KMYL-LD | MyNetworkTV | Now a satellite of KUPT/Hobbs, New Mexico |
Odessa-Midland | KOSA-DT2 | MyNetworkTV | |
San Angelo | KIDY-DT2 | ||
San Antonio | KCWX | ||
Sherman, Texas-Ada, OK | KXII-DT2 | ||
Tyler | KTPN-LD | ||
Longview (Tyler) | KLPN-LD | Satellite of KTPN-LD/Tyler, Texas | |
Waco-Temple-Bryan | KCEN-TV | NBC | affiliated from 2013 until 2014 |
KCEN-DT2 | Azteca America | Alternate Big 12 Network partner 2012–14; Now a Cozi TV affiliate | |
KWTX-TV | CBS | Original affiliate until 2012 | |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Bluefield, WVA-VA | WOAY-TV | ABC | |
Charleston-Huntington | WQCW-TV | The CW | Big 12 Net. Affiliate 2012–2014 |
Clarksburg | WVFX | FOX | |
Parkersburg, WVA-Merietta, OH | WTAP-TV | NBC | Affiliate 2013–2014 |
WTAP-DT3 | MyNetworkTV | Affiliate of Big 12 Net (2012) Now defunct | |
WIYE-LD [11] | MyNetworkTV | Affiliate of Big 12 Net in 2013 and 2014 | |
Wheeling, WVA-Steubenville | WTOV-TV | NBC | |
WTOV-DT2 [16] | Me-TV | Alternate Big 12 Network partner; now a Fox affiliate | |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
La Crosse-Eau Claire | KQEG-CA | ION Television/AMGTV | [11] |
Milwaukee | WMLW-TV | Independent | Affiliated 2012–2014 [11] [12] |
DMA | Station | Main affiliation (at time of Big 12 Network partnership) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Cheyenne | KGWN-TV | CBS | |
Laramie | K19FX-D | Translator of KGWN-TV/Cheyenne | |
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