History of Big Ten Network in Timeline
Big Ten Network (BTN) is an American sports network based in Chicago, Illinois, dedicated to covering collegiate sports within the Big Ten Conference. It broadcasts live events, news, and analysis programs related to the conference's member schools. BTN is a joint venture between Fox Sports and the Big Ten, with Fox Corporation holding a majority stake (61%) and operating the network, while the Big Ten Conference owns the remaining 39%. The network's headquarters are located in Chicago.
1978: Division 1 split into two subdivisions by NCAA
In 1978, Division I split into two subdivisions by the NCAA.
2004: Negotiations with ESPN lead to exploration of own network
In 2004, negotiations between the Big Ten and ESPN regarding an extension of the broadcast contract stalled, leading Commissioner Jim Delany to explore the creation of the Big Ten's own network.
June 21, 2006: Big Ten Network Launch Announcement
On June 21, 2006, the launch of the Big Ten Network was announced as a 20-year joint project between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Entertainment Group. At launch, the conference owned 51% of the network and Fox owned a minority interest, handling the operations.
August 30, 2007: Big Ten Network Launched
On August 30, 2007, the Big Ten Network launched at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time with Big Ten Tonight as its inaugural program.
September 2007: Dish Network Added the Channel
In early September 2007, Dish Network added the Big Ten Network to its channel lineup.
June 19, 2008: Comcast Reaches Deal to Carry Big Ten Network
On June 19, 2008, Comcast, the largest cable provider in the U.S., reached a deal to carry the Big Ten Network.
August 15, 2008: Comcast Begins Adding Big Ten Network
On August 15, 2008, Comcast began adding the Big Ten Network to its systems.
August 23, 2008: Mediacom Reported to have Reached an Agreement in Principle to Carry the Network
On August 23, 2008, it was reported by Cedar Rapids newspaper The Gazette that Mediacom had reached an agreement in principle to carry the Big Ten Network, according to sources close to negotiations.
August 26, 2008: Carriage agreement with Charter Communications
On August 26, 2008, Big Ten Network secured a carriage agreement with Charter Communications. On the same day, The Indianapolis Star reported that Bright House Networks was "very close to a deal" to carry the channel.
September 2008: CRTC approves carriage of BTN in Canada
In September 2008, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved a request by Shaw Communications to allow carriage of Big Ten Network (BTN) in Canada on its specialty television services, determining that it would not create undue competition with domestic sports channels like TSN.
December 3, 2008: BTN available to Shaw Cable customers
On December 3, 2008, Big Ten Network (BTN) became available to Shaw Cable customers in Canada.
June 23, 2009: Cablevision adds the channel to Optimum systems
On June 23, 2009, Cablevision added Big Ten Network in standard and high definition to its Optimum systems.
September 1, 2009: Atlantic Broadband adds the network
On September 1, 2009, Atlantic Broadband added Big Ten Network's standard and high definition feed to its systems in central and northern Pennsylvania after reaching a carriage agreement the previous month.
October 22, 2009: BTN available on Rogers Cable systems
On October 22, 2009, Big Ten Network became available on Rogers Cable systems in Ontario and New Brunswick.
2009: Big Ten Network televised the entirety of the Big Ten baseball tournament
In 2009, the Big Ten Network televised the entirety of the Big Ten baseball tournament.
2009: All Football Games Produced in HD
Since 2009, the Big Ten Network has produced all of its football games in HD.
June 2010: Fox Acquires Majority Control of Big Ten Network
In June 2010, Fox increased its stake in the Big Ten Network to 51%, acquiring majority control of the network.
2011: New Logo and TV Everywhere Service Unveiled
To coincide with the 2011 college football season, the Big Ten Network unveiled a new logo, making "BTN" the primary name of the channel. It also introduced a new TV Everywhere service known as "BTN2Go," which offered live streaming of BTN telecasts and other programming through a web browser or mobile app.
August 2012: BTN and Dish Network Contract Dispute
In August 2012, BTN and Dish Network were involved in a dispute leading up to the expiration of Dish Network's contract with the network, a day before that year's college football season began.
2013: Expanded Coverage of College Ice Hockey
In the 2013 season, Big Ten Network expanded its coverage of college ice hockey, broadcasting 27 games as well as the Big Ten tournament and adding associated studio programs, due to the Big Ten Conference beginning to officially sponsor the sport.
April 2016: BTN and Riot Games organize collegiate League of Legends event
In April 2016, BTN and Riot Games organized a collegiate League of Legends event, the BTN Invitational, between teams representing Michigan State and Ohio State. The tournament was held at PAX East in Boston.
January 2017: BTN and Riot Announce Conference Competition
In January 2017, BTN and Riot announced that they would hold a season of conference competition between teams representing 12 Big Ten schools, culminating with a championship. The winner would receive an invite to Riot's college championship.
February 2017: Big Ten Network acquires rights to the Women's Frozen Four
In February 2017, the NCAA announced that Big Ten Network had acquired rights to the Women's Frozen Four—the NCAA national championship of Women's ice hockey, beginning in 2017 under a four-year deal.
July 2017: Fox Extends Contract to Run BTN Through 2032
In July 2017, as part of a new six-year agreement that made Fox the primary television rightsholder of regular season Big Ten football games, Fox's contract to run BTN was extended through 2032. BTN became the de jure owner of the Big Ten's media rights.
July 24, 2017: Big Ten Network to be available on Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV
On July 24, 2017, the Big Ten Network announced they would be available on Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV.
September 2017: BTN Reveals Plans to Televise Games in 4K
In September 2017, BTN revealed plans to televise selected games from the 2018 Big Ten men's basketball tournament in 4K.
December 14, 2017: 21st Century Fox Announces Sale of Assets to The Walt Disney Company
On December 14, 2017, 21st Century Fox announced it would sell a majority of its assets to The Walt Disney Company. 21st Century Fox's stake in the Big Ten Network was not included in the deal.
2017: BTN2Go Content Available Within Fox Sports Go
Beginning in the 2017 season, BTN2Go content became available within Fox Sports' main TV Everywhere app Fox Sports Go.
January 2018: Riot and BTN Extend Partnership
In January 2018, Riot and BTN announced an extension of their partnership through 2019, complete with scholarship funds for teams and the addition of Penn State and Nebraska, bringing all full conference members to the partnership.
April 11, 2018: Comcast's Xfinity drops Big Ten Network
On April 11, 2018, Comcast's Xfinity dropped Big Ten Network in a number of "out-of-market" states that fall outside of the conference's direct geographical footprint.
May 10, 2018: Additional markets drop Big Ten Network
On May 10, 2018, selected markets, including the 23,000 Comcast customers in New York, dropped Big Ten Network.
July 27, 2018: Disney and Fox Shareholders Approve Deal
On July 27, 2018, the deal for The Walt Disney Company to purchase assets from 21st Century Fox was approved by Disney and Fox shareholders.
August 24, 2018: Comcast renews BTN carriage
On August 24, 2018, Comcast reached an agreement to renew its carriage of Big Ten Network (BTN), and stated that the channel would be reinstated on its sports and entertainment tier outside of the Big Ten's footprint.
2018: BTN began airing semi-finals for the Women's Frozen Four
Beginning in 2018, BTN began airing the semi-finals for the Women's Frozen Four.
2018: 4K Coverage of Every Tournament
Starting in 2018, every tournament from then on has included 4K coverage.
March 20, 2019: Disney Completes Acquisition of 21st Century Fox Assets
On March 20, 2019, The Walt Disney Company completed its acquisition of assets from 21st Century Fox.
July 2019: BTN Content Moves to Fox Sports Website and Apps
In July 2019, due to the Fox Sports Go platform being divested with the Fox Sports Networks as part of the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, BTN content moved from Fox Sports Go to the main Fox Sports website and apps.
August 2019: Big Ten Plus (B1G+) Replaces BTN2Go
In August 2019, the BTN2Go app was replaced by Big Ten Plus (B1G+), a subscription over-the-top streaming service for non-televised Big Ten events.
2019: ESL becomes a partner with BTN's competition
In 2019, ESL became a partner with BTN's competition.
2019: All Big Ten Network Football Games Available via Fox Sports App
Since 2019, all Big Ten Network football games are also available via the Fox Sports app, regardless of geography and wireline restrictions.
October 23, 2020: New Logo Introduced
On October 23, 2020, the Big Ten Network introduced a new logo coinciding with the start of the delayed 2020 football season. The new logo returns to using "Big Ten Network" as the primary name of the channel, and incorporates the conference's "B1G" wordmark.
2020: Channel carriage in 2020
As of 2020, Big Ten Network is carried by Cogeco, Eastlink, Rogers Cable, Shaw Cable, Shaw Direct and VMedia.
2021: ESPN took over the rights to Women's Frozen Four
In 2021, ESPN (who televises all other NCAA national championships outside of men's basketball) took over the rights to the Women's Frozen Four.
2021: Big Ten Sells Part of its Stake to Fox
In 2021, the Big Ten sold part of its stake to Fox. As a result, the Big Ten's ownership stake decreased to 39% while Fox's increased to 61%.
2022: Estimated 50 million U.S. subscribers
In 2022, the Big Ten Network had an estimated 50 million U.S. subscribers.
June 2023: Subscribers drop to 48.7 million households
In June 2023, the number of Big Ten Network subscribers dropped to 48.7 million households.
2023: Sublicensing Issue Discovered
In 2023, it was discovered that the conference could not sublicense the Big Ten football championship without paying compensation to Fox.
August 2024: Issues between BTN and Comcast
In August 2024, issues between Big Ten Network (BTN) and Comcast emerged due to the Big Ten's expansion to the west coast, leading to blackouts of event telecasts involving certain teams for Xfinity subscribers in those regions.
October 10, 2024: BTN blackout ends
On October 10, 2024, the BTN blackout ended when Fox reached an agreement for in-market carriage of BTN on Comcast's basic tier in western markets.
September 2025: Big Ten Network becomes part of Fox Corporation's new subscription over-the-top service Fox One
In September 2025, Big Ten Network became part of Fox Corporation's new subscription over-the-top service Fox One; Big Ten Plus is also available via the platform as an add-on.
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