The Texas Tech men's basketball team will play its Feb. 4 game against Texas on the new Longhorn Network.
The game is one of 12 Texas men's basketball games that will air on the network, according to a release from ESPN.
Since the game was passed over by ESPN and FSN, it became classified as "third-tier," meaning it's up for grabs and can be televised by the host conference member.
ESPN owns Texas' third-tier rights. Tech will not receive any money to air the game on the Longhorn Network.
Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt told me more than a month ago that a Tech-Texas football game on the Longhorn Network was unlikely.
“We would much prefer to be on a neutral broadcast with neutral announcers and neutral branding and advertising,” Hocutt said on Aug. 1. “Red Raider fans don’t want to watch the Texas Tech-Texas football game on the Longhorn Network, so it’s that simple.”
In the case of the Feb. 4 basketball game, though, Hocutt and Tech don't have a choice.
If you want more information about how the the Big 12's TV contracts work, here is a primer from the Big 12 website.
Comments (10)
Add commentAnd where would we watch it at?
If you have a network, but no major cable providers carry it, is it still a network?
This LHN has pretty much ruined the Big12.
Count me out
On general principle alone I would not watch this game---no matter how much I love my Red Raiders. UT, through its long and storied history of greed, arrogance, and bullying, has single-handledly initiated the demise of the Big 12 and of a strong conference for middle America. UT athletics are worth zero if they have no one to play so when apologists for UT point out that they have the best teams, the best facilities, the best recruits and thus should have received more money, I say not if there is no conference. Unfortunately, UT (much like a spoiled child) has gotten use to having its own way--in State Education and in Conference athletics. The backlash and damage to its reputation nationally is phenomenal. From Stanford and Cal on the West Coast to Boston College and University of Florida on the East, people are talking about the shoddy treatment that UT has shown to its member universities. UT has decided come hell or high water it would keep its beloved LHN, but I will never be part of its audience because I will always be reminded that it was the impetus for the demise of our league.
Hocutt and Tech don't have a choice.
"In the case of the Feb. 4 basketball game, though, Hocutt and Tech don't have a choice." Maybe they don't, but I do and I won't watch anything on the Longhorn Network.
ESPN is forcing LHN on BIG 12
ESPN has first tier rights to telecast games.
Before LHN, a game of high interest would be picked up and broadcast nationally on ESPN benefiting Texas and the Big12 school they were playing.
Now ESPN can pass on these games in hope of picking them up as a third tier which individual schools have rights to.
You can pretty much bet that ESPN is going to no longer pick up Texas home games as first tier in hopes that they become third tier and can be broadcast on LHN.
In other words, if you hope to see a Big 12 school play Texas nationally, it will have to be on LHN with Texas biased announcers. The schools that are playing Texas, have no choice.
LHN games
@GTX. I completely agree. I have no desire to watch horns games other than the TTU game each fall. I can just watch at a bar.
Grab a pitchfork!
ESPN and Texas are ramming this down hard! The good ole boys, folks like Hance (the perfect Austin lobbyist and crony capitalist), know they'll get what they need out of this even if the "locals" don't know what is good for them. They have no choice...[filtered word]!! They are just easing us into position to accept greater and greater amounts of this crap. D Williams, take your primer and stuff it. Contracts among those people are broken all the time because financially, sometimes, it makes sense to break contracts. You should learn the contract with the people, it's the right and wrong contract. Until BS like the LHN causes a true outpouring from current Tech students, alumni and South Plains citizens, who will have no help from the local media, there will be no pressure on Texas Tech to take action with other institutions to force the revenue sharing that other conferences have. Tech fans should speak with their wallets ASAP and protest loudly, put past divisions behind, and focus solely on stopping Texas and ESPN, or at least trying. When the greedy in the mansions take too much, grab a pitchfork. FYI, when you get up to the column- surrounded front porch and open the door, Hance will be in the library off to the right with a cigar in his hand, very surprised to see you. He'll be the first to switch sides and document a photo of himself holding a pitch fork.
Bee Ess, using two letters, is a filtered word?
really AJ?
UT growth is good for Texas Tech
I support the Longhorn Network because Texas Tech may become a part of it if our big brother (UT) decides to head to the Pac 12. TTU will likely have to pay for some of these new rights as part of a Pac 12 region, but then the Red Raiders would be a part of improved television coverage. It would be nice to see games if you are out of town.
TTU does bring some of the Dallas market into the fold for ESPN. Most TTU alumni end up living in Dallas. I do prefer being in the Pac 16 more than in the Big 12. Equity in conference set up is where it is at.
Equal Pay
Where ever we end up, I hope the arrangement is for TV and other revenue to be equally divided among the members and not give TU more than their fair share. I think the Longhorn network is likely what drove A&M away.