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Soon, the Texas Longhorns won't be the only Big 12 outfit with their own television network. Oklahoma Sooners athletic director Joe Castiglione announced Thursday afternoon that OU will launch its own this fall, with distribution reaching about 10 million people in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.
It won't be a full-time network, but will instead give about 1,000 hours of programming to Fox Sports Network per year, with one football game included. Looking at OU's schedule, that could be the FAMU game. (By comparison, Texas is talking about putting as many as three games on its own 'round-the-clock network.)
Could we someday see every team in the Big 12 with its own vanity network? Notre Dame could support one, and the case has been made for Florida State being able to pull one off as well. Doing it the OU route, by using an existing network instead of trying to start up an entirely new one, might be a better option for most schools looking to do this sort of thing.
As for programming:
I think we all know the launch party for the OU network will just be Billy Sims screaming "BOOMER!" repeatedly.
— WRNL (@WideRtNattyLt) May 31, 2012
I would definitely watch the OU network if they had a buddy cop show starring Brian Bosworth and Toby Keith.
— WRNL (@WideRtNattyLt) May 31, 2012
I'd watch this too. RT @BeerControl: @WideRtNattyLt also a look back show about the '73 to '89 years called, 'Dirty Switzer Money'
— WRNL (@WideRtNattyLt) May 31, 2012
For more on OU football, visit Oklahoma blog Crimson And Cream Machine.
While we’re here, let’s watch some college football videos from SB Nation’s new YouTube channel together: