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Changes are coming to Texas’ Longhorn Network ahead of the school’s big move to the SEC.
Per Sports Business Journal, the channel is rebranding to a free streaming platform that will officially launch on July 1. The service will reportedly include loads of original UT content, live coaches shows, historic footage, radio play-by-play and more.
“About 40% of people get their content through streaming,” Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said. “Having that available and having shoulder programming around all of our games, the ability to show coaches shows, replays, everything that’s within the new, exciting move to the SEC, putting that on a streaming platform was just something we really felt passionate about.”
Longhorn Network was founded back in 2011 and was a fan favorite for those who supported the burnt orange.
But with the jump from the Big 12 to the SEC, Texas had to forfeit its team-specific channel because of their new conference’s partnership with ESPN and the SEC Network.
With that said, Learfield CEO and President Cole Gahagan (who will be assisting UT on the platform) sees it as a major opportunity for the Longhorns to set themselves apart from other schools.
“Longhorn Network certainly stands on its own in terms of its brand equity and its history,” Gahagan explained. “But the framework of what we’re building there — a constant flow of unique content to fans, that often includes student athletes and is branded with the participation of brand partners — that’s the multimedia rights model of the future.”
College programs are always looking to gain exposure and widen their fanbase. We’ll see how it pans out for the University of Texas in their new CFB home.
Related: Steve Sarkisian Has Already Named Texas’ Starting Quarterback For 2024