Big East Digital Network Set for Next Week’s Launch

As the Big East Conference entered the second year of its new era this month, league brass officially unveiled a digital-network strategy. Formed in partnership with Fox Sports and debuting Sept. 25, the Big East Digital Network will be a free, year-round HD digital channel available via Fox’s digital platform Fox Sports Go.

“The Big East Digital Network allows for exposure of women’s basketball and our Olympic sports on a national platform, as well as allowing students, alumni, and family to access sports that they might not otherwise get to see,” says Rick Gentile, senior associate commissioner, broadcasting, Big East. “In addition to regular-season action, we will be streaming many of our championships live via high-quality HD production. Our partnership with Fox Sports Go in this endeavor gives us a broad-reaching means of distribution and ongoing promotion of the service.”

The network will feature authenticated live streaming of Big East events airing on Fox Sports linear networks and promises live streaming of up to 100 additional exclusive events annually.

The Big East has signed on video-production company Rush Media to produce the events in the model outlined in the conference’s league-wide strategy. Each streaming-exclusive event will feature a minimum of four HD cameras, full replay capabilities, and a consistent graphics package that will apply to every broadcast.

According to Gentile, streaming-event coverage will be led by women’s basketball, with 30-40 games produced leading up to the conference tournament semifinals in March. Many of the league’s 20 Olympic sports will be featured, with significant coverage during each sport’s championship season.

“While fans of the conference will be able to see all of our men’s basketball games on television, the Big East Digital Network will allow easy access to other programming valued by our schools, including women’s basketball and Olympic-sports competitions and features,” Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman said in an official release. “Thanks to Fox Sports Go’s reach, the Digital Network will provide substantial distribution of Big East sports to a wider audience and better serve our student-athletes and their supporters.”

Big East Digital Network will debut on Fox Sports Go with a women’s soccer match between Georgetown and DePaul at 5 p.m. ET.