Jayhawks on TV

The Big 12 Conference named its Big 12-branded digital offering via ESPN+ Big 12 Now.

What does the development of Big 12 Now mean for Kansas fans?

  • It means that Kansas’ third-tier (i.e., non-network) events will appear exclusively on ESPN+, which is available nationwide via the free ESPN App on mobile and connected devices, and at ESPN.com.
  • This allows Kansas Athletics to reach over 100 million households in the United States, including 260 million people.
  • For a small monthly price ($4.99) or $49.99 for the year – that is cheaper than most sports surcharges of most cable packages – fans can enjoy their Jayhawks at home, on the road or in the office – virtually anywhere you have access to internet and a streaming device.

The most notable change with Big 12 Now for KU fans will center around football games and 10 men’s basketball games, including the two exhibition contests. Those events have traditionally not aired on ESPN. They will now be available exclusively on Big 12 Now, not on over-the-air, local or cable television. One thing that will not change: KU will have as many football and men’s basketball games on ESPN and other major TV networks as in the past.

Each participating Big 12 institution will provide television production for a minimum of 50 events per year, including the women’s basketball and Olympic sports productions that were available on ESPN+ during the 2018-19 season. The benefit of this is to allow the student-athletes exposure on ESPN+ that they have not had in the past. This agreement provides Big 12 schools the flexibility to set their own preferred dates and times for these events.

In addition to Big 12 Now on ESPN+, KU fans will also be able to see various Jayhawk programming throughout the state of Kansas and in the Kansas City Metro Area on Spectrum Sports, Midco Sports Network, and Cox Cable. The programming will also include Jayhawk Gameday Live, a 30-minute pregame show and a 60-minute postgame show, on every home and away Kansas football and men’s basketball game day, as well as Hawk Talks on tape delay. For the first time, that content will be available across the country on the ESPN+, as well as regionally on Spectrum Sports, Midco Sports Network and Cox Cable.

A wide variety of other Kansas Athletics events will be available on the ESPN app, with some of those simulcast on Midco Sports, Cox Cable and Spectrum Sports.