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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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Texas U to Launch Own 24/7 Sports Network

UT aims to cash in big time on Longhorns

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(Newser) – In what could become the first of its kind enterprise, the University of Texas is negotiating to create its own 24-hour sports channel, reports BusinessWeek. University officials have teamed up with IMG Worldwide talent agency to negotiate programming distribution of the tentatively named Longhorn Sports Network on Time Warner, Comast, and AT&T in Texas and possibly border states.

The network plans to air a wide range of sports, but does not yet have exclusive rights to its most popular division—Longhorn football—raising "doubts about what kind of an audience the network could attract," said one analyst. College sports have enjoyed a huge programming boom in the past decade, and with its new network, Texas hopes to collect a major portion of the revenue generated by its own teams.

Texas reserve quarterback John Chiles looks for a response from the bench a game in Austin last year.
Texas reserve quarterback John Chiles looks for a response from the bench a game in Austin last year.   (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
Texas tight end Jermichael Finley (16) is tackled in a game against Central Florida last year.
Texas tight end Jermichael Finley (16) is tackled in a game against Central Florida last year.   (AP Photo/Reinhold Matay)
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The revenue pie for college sports stays essentially the same, but they keep slicing it up. The question for Texas is, 'Can you get the revenue and distribution for that specific of a niche?' - Mike Trager, sports consultant

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