It can be said that the natives were becoming restless. With the first two University of Texas football games slated to be shown exclusively on a network very few in the state have access to, yesterday University President Bill Powers reiterated his optimism that progress was being made to expand the Longhorn Network’s outreach and availabilty:
Austin does have Powers. Approximately one week before the first game of the 2012 season for the Texas Longhorns begins, it appears that the Longhorn Network has landed a new carrier. A BIG new carrier. Several sources are reporting that a deal has been struck between ESPN and AT&T U-verse and will be signed as early as Friday, August 31st. This is huge news for the plethora of Longhorn fans, myself included, that have eagerly awaited the state’s major telecommunications providers to come to favorable negotiations with ESPN to offer the network to customers. When the deal is finalized it is uncertain exactly when the agreement would become effective. Various reports have AT&T launching LHN service on January 1, 2012 while others speculate Longhorn Nation could be beamed up immediately on August 31st, just in time for the Texas vs. Wyoming game. Either way fans should let out a collective sigh of relief. Instead of bracing for a season devoid of two, potentially three Longhorn games on television, hope has sprung eternal.
While AT&T is the first major provider to be mentioned in a possible contractual agreement to offer the Longhorn Network, expect other networks to accelerate negotiations as well. Time Warner/Comcast could reach a deal soon in regional areas of Texas, packaged with other sports network/programming. Once AT&T officially signs an agreement, the sky is the limit for the network that received an incredible amount of scrutiny in its first year of operation.
