ESPNU

Infobox_TV_channel
name = ESPNU
owner = ESPN Inc.
(The Walt Disney Company (80%)
Hearst Corporation (20%))
logofile = ESPN U.pnglogoalt =
logosize = 170px
country = USA
language = American English
launch = 2005-03-04
headquarters = Charlotte, North Carolina
web = [http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/index ESPNU official website]
picture format = 480i (SDTV) / 720p (HDTV)
sat serv 1 = DirecTV
sat chan 1 = 614
sat serv 2 = Dish Network
sat chan 2 = 148
cable serv 1 = Available on select cable systems
cable chan 1 = Check local listings for channels

ESPNU is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced by, affiliated with and owned by parent network ESPN. ESPNU originates out of ESPN Regional Television's Charlotte, North Carolina offices, also the home of ESPN Plus.

History

The network was launched on March 4 2005 from the site of Gallagher-Iba Arena on the Oklahoma State University Campus in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The network's first live event was a semi-final game of the Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament that saw Southeast Missouri State University fall to Eastern Kentucky University. The network was launched as a response to upstart rival CSTV (now CBS College Sports Network). ESPN was also being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department due to "warehousing" of college games from certain conferences, or signing a deal with a conference for all their games, but only televising a small number and not allowing the conference to make other arrangements for TV broadcasts. ["USA Today", Apr. 8, 2005, page 1C.]

ESPN and XOS Technologies signed a partnership for college athletics websites to compete directly with CSTV's growing internet presence. On August 28, 2006, ESPNU launched a new "SportsCenter" spin-off dealing entirely with college sports. That show , called SportsCenterU, was originally scheduled to be broadcast from ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, but ESPN changed its plans and the show originates from Charlotte.

Mike Hall was the show's lead anchor until August 2007, when he left for the new Big Ten Network. The new anchors are Mike Gleason and Lowell Galindo. They are joined on-set by color commentators that vary with the sports season.

Also, on August 28, 2006, ESPNU premiered ESPNU.com. The website will include Live streaming college sports events, multi-media player dedicated to college sports, podcasts and ESPN Motion clips of studio programming from the ESPNU television network.

ESPNU HD

On December 3, 2007 it was announced that ESPNU would launch a High Definition simulcast on August 28, 2008 to coincide with the start of the College Football season. [ [http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6509038.html ESPNU To Kick Off In HD Next August - 12/3/2007 8:10:00 AM - Multichannel News ] ] The service debuted with the football game between Vanderbilt and Miami (Ohio). DirecTV viewers, who cannot receive this feed at this time, received an enlarged 4:3 adaptation of the 16:9 feed sent out by the network.Multichannel News reported on August 25, 2008 that the HD version of the network was only available on 5 carriers nationwide at the launch date [ [http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6590153.html ESPNU HD Counts Five Distributors As Launch Nears] ] , but it hopes to add reach deals with more distributors when the 2009-10 football season starts, because of the ESPN family of networks' long term contract extention agreements with the Southeastern Conference [ [http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6590140.html?desc=topstory ESPN scores 15 year SEC rights deal] ] and the Western Athletic Conference [ [http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6592734.html?industryid=47199 ESPN / WAC Ink Seven year Distribution Extension] ] .

Carriage deal negotiations and announcements

ESPN is currently negotiating a deal with Comcast, the United States' largest cable television operator, for carriage of ESPNU in between 7 million to 14 million of its customers' homes, using its recent long term contract extention agreement with the SEC as an incentive. [ [http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/59824 ESPN pays $2.25 for SEC rights] ]

Programs

"See also ESPN significant programming rights".

Current

tudio

*"The Herd with Colin Cowherd" (2008-present)
*"ESPNU Bracketology" (2006-present)
*"ESPNU Coaches Spotlight" (2006-present)
*"Give 'N Go" (2007-present)
*"Inside the Big East" (2006-present)
*"ESPNU Inside the Polls" (2005-present)
*"ESPNU Recruiting Insider" (2006-present)
*"SportsCenterU" (2006-present)

Game telecasts

*"ESPN Full Circle" (2006-present)
*"ESPNU College Baseball" (2005-present)
*"ESPNU College Basketball" (2005-present)
*"ESPNU College Football" (2005-present)
*"ESPNU College Football Primetime" (2005-present)
*"ESPNU College Hockey] " (2005-present)
*"ESPNU College Lacrosse" (2005-present)
*"ESPNU College Softball" (2005-present)
*"High School Showcase" (2005-present)

Original series

*"Faces of Sports" (2005-present)
*"Honor Roll" (2005-present)
*"Summer House" (2006-present)

Former

*"The U" (2005-2006)

ee also

* List of ESPNU personalities
* Dish Network Channel Grid
* List of DirecTV channels

Competitors

* Big Ten Network
* Fox College Sports
* CBS College Sports Network
* MountainWest Sports Network

References

External links

* [http://espn.go.com/espnu/ Official Site]
* [http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tvlistings/schedule?network=99 ESPN U Television Listings]