Oklahoma answers the Longhorn Network

            Changes in conference membership are based on many issues.  Better competition or increased enrollment and changes in NCAA divisions are usually the main reasons.  In today’s media market, a quiet deal between ESPN and the University of Texas created a separate media deal and TV rights contract enjoyed exclusively by the University of Texas.  This created issue with many programs in the conference mainly because Texas still receives a share of overall Big XII TV revenue and this new network would be viewed as an unfair advantage in recruiting.  Missouri University and Texas A&M University both left the Big XII in 2011 as a result of the conference office not really stepping in to oppose the deal.   The University of Oklahoma, on the other hand, has decided to create its own network as well.

            The Longhorn network almost destroyed the Big XII.  Even when Colorado and Nebraska departed before 2010, it was mainly due to revenue sharing from TV contracts.  Texas appeared to be the favorite child of the conference and revenues were unfairly split.  The creation of the Longhorn Network did not help in this perception since revenue goes to Texas exclusively.  In the creation of the Sooner Sports programming deal, it will not be a 24 hour network.  It instead will broadcast home games for men’s and women’s basketball and other sports.  Oklahoma already has a contract to broadcast football games with Fox, but this new programming deal includes coaching shows, pre- and post- football game shows, and can give the sooners over 1,000 hours of programming each year of the contract.  Because it is a programming deal, it can air on existing FOX channels instead of seeking its own carriers.  This is the problem with the Longhorn Network.  It could only get a contract with AT&T U-verse instead of  a provider like Cox Cable or Comcast.  Revenue terms were not disclosed. 

Oklahoma agrees to TV deal with Fox Sports- Houston Chronicle

Oklahoma, Fox Sports launch sports TV venture- Yahoo! Sports

OU Football: Oklahoma Sooners and Fox Sports announce partnership- Examiner.com