sec network see sec tv . sec network launched august 14 2014 2014 08 14 owned by espn inc. the walt disney company 80 % ; hearst corporation 20 % picture format 720p hdtv hd feed downgraded to letterboxed 480i for sdtv sets slogan take it all in country united states brazil language english broadcast area nationwide headquarters charlotte north carolina replaced sec tv sister channel s espn espn2 espn3 espnews espnu espn deportes espn classic longhorn network website www.secnetwork.com availability satellite directv 611 hd sd overflow 611 1 hd sd dish network 408 hd sd 404 hopper overflow 596 599 hd sd 404.1 hd sd 404.2 hd sd 404.3 hd sd hopper cable available on many cable systems basic in sec territory digital elsewhere check local listings verizon fios 575 hd 75 sd overflow 332 sd centurylink 1607 hd 607 sd google fiber 216 hd sd playstation vue core package sling tv sports extra package streaming media watchespn & espn app watch live u.s. cable internet subscribers only ; requires login from pay television provider to access content sling tv internet protocol television sec network is an american digital cable and satellite television channel that is owned by espn inc. a joint venture between the walt disney company which operates the network through its 80 % controlling ownership interest and the hearst corporation which holds the remaining 20 % interest . the channel is dedicated to coverage of collegiate sports sanctioned by the southeastern conference sec including live and recorded event telecasts news analysis programs and other content focusing on the conference s member schools . 1 2 the network s coverage serves as the successor to an eponymous syndication package later renamed sec tv which was produced by its syndication arm espn regional television . 1 sec network is operated out of espnu s facilities in charlotte north carolina . while charlotte is not an sec market itself it is in close proximity to universities that are members of the conference and shares a television market with the northern part of south carolina which is part of the south carolina gamecocks television market . 3 4 contents 1 history 2 programming 3 on air talent 4 availability 5 references 6 external links history edit on may 2 2013 sec commissioner mike slive and espn president john skipper formally announced that as part of a long term 20 year agreement lasting through 2034 espn would launch sec network a network devoted to the conference and an accompanying digital platform in august 2014 . the network would aim to provide unparalleled content from one of the most competitive conferences in the country with the highest quality most innovative production partner in the sports industry and joins the big ten network and pac 12 network as cable television networks devoted entirely to a single college athletics conference . 3 4 during the announcement of the sec s football schedule for the 2014 season mike slive officially announced that sec network would launch on august 14 2014 . its first live regular season football games aired on august 28 2014 between texas a & m and south carolina 2 and temple and vanderbilt . 5 sec network officially launched on august 14 2014 at 6 00 p.m. et with the premiere of its news program sec now which featured live broadcasts from each sec school highlights from football training camps and live look ins of an exhibition women s soccer game between the arkansas razorbacks and creighton bluejays which was broadcast in its entirety via watchespn as the first live event produced by sec network . 6 7 8 programming edit sec network airs events across the 21 sports that are sanctioned by the conference ; within its first year the network and its digital outlets planned to broadcast at least 1 000 live events with at least 450 on television . annually the network will broadcast about 45 football games 100 men s basketball games 60 women s basketball games and 75 baseball games . for football sec network airs three saturday games per week in early afternoon and evening windows . while cbs maintains its first pick of games for its afternoon telecast it no longer has an exclusive broadcast window for sec football games allowing espn s outlets and sec network to air games alongside cbs . 3 sec network announced plans to broadcast football games featuring all fourteen of the conference s member schools within the first month of the 2014 season . 9 events not broadcast on television are streamed online through sec network s website and the watchespn service under the sec network plus branding . espn staff worked with each sec member school to ensure that they have in house production facilities capable of originating programming and live events for sec network . these games also include home conference usa men s soccer matches featuring the two men s soccer playing members of the sec . 10 11 original content on sec network includes studio and analysis programs along with programs produced by the sec s member institutions . 3 paul finebaum signed with espn radio to host the paul finebaum show which is simulcast by sec network along with finebaum s previous flagship station wjox fm . 12 13 during college football season it airs sec nation a travelling pre game show similar to espn s own college gameday hosted by espn commentator joe tessitore . 14 the network also airs encore presentations of sec events along with classic games involving its members . 3 6 original programs sec now a daily studio show featuring sec network hosts peter burns dari nowkhah or laura rutledge and network analysts discussing all the sec news of the day . sec storied from the creators of the peabody and emmy award winning 30 for 30 series focuses on the people teams moments and events that tell the ongoing story of the southeastern conference . sec nation analysts marcus spears and tim tebow join host maria taylor paul finebaum and laura rutledge on a different sec campus each week in the sec network pre game show airing every saturday morning at 10 a.m. sec rewind a replay of classic sec games in football basketball and other sports . the paul finebaum show paul finebaum brings his legendary radio show to tv taking callers to talk all things sec weekdays 3 7 p.m. sec in 60 a series that shows all the highlights of sec games of the week . sec scoreboard a saturday evening recap show featuring highlights and analysis of all the day s sec football games film room every week sit down with a different head football coach in the sec for an exclusive film session breaking down the x s and o s of game footage on air talent edit on december 30 2013 espn announced that former university of florida denver broncos and new york jets quarterback tim tebow had signed a multi year deal with espn to serve as a college football analyst . tebow also will make appearances on sec nation . 15 on march 12 2014 espn named brent musburger and jesse palmer as lead game announcers for sec network s football telecasts . as a result musburger will no longer call saturday night football or post season bowl games but will remain a commentator for big 12 basketball games aired on espn . 16 17 musburger did make a one off return to espn to call the 2014 iron bowl game . 18 on march 24 2014 it was announced that former university of alabama and new york jets quarterback greg mcelroy was hired as a college football analyst for the sec network on a multi year contract . 19 on august 2 2016 espn announced that former vanderbilt university quarterback jordan rodgers was hired as a college football analyst on sec now for the sec network . 20 availability edit at & t u verse was announced as the first television provider to agree to carry sec network . on january 13 2014 sports business journal reported that espn was seeking a carriage rate of 1.30 per subscriber per month in sec markets and 0.25 in non sec markets ; in comparison big ten network charges around 1 per subscriber in big ten markets . it was also noted that sec network s opening doubleheader may had been intended to put pressure on comcast time warner cable and charter communications to carry the network as they predominantly involved teams located within their service areas . 21 in march 2014 dish network reached an agreement to carry sec network as part of a wider carriage deal with disney abc television group for its abc owned and operated stations and cable television networks . 22 23 on april 30 2014 google fiber was added as a carrier . 24 in june 2014 network head justin connolly expressed concern for the lack of carriage deals for sec network beyond those with at & t and dish network and considered the situation to be alarming . however he also noted that the network may successfully negotiate more carriage deals closer to its launch . 25 on july 9 2014 cox communications whose subscriber base includes four sec markets reached an agreement to carry sec network . exact terms were not disclosed . 26 nine days later espn also reached a deal with comcast to carry sec network ; in sec markets the provider will pay a carriage rate of 1.40 per subscriber per month . 27 on july 25 time warner cable and bright house networks reached deals to carry sec network 28 followed by cable one and wide open west on august 1 . 29 30 on august 2 2014 suddenlink communications announced that it had reached an agreement to carry the network on the launch date . 31 on august 4 2014 directv 32 and c spire wireless both announced agreements to carry the network the latter deal was made through the national cable television cooperative in which c spire would provide its fiber to the home hdtv subscribers with access to the sec network app . 33 these announcements were followed by an agreement with charter communications on august 6 2014 . mediacom reached an agreement to carry the network on august 14 2014 . 34 35 with the mediacom agreement the two major television providers that did not reach a carriage deal prior to launch were verizon fios and cablevision . 36 however on august 21 2014 sports business daily reported that verizon fios had reached a deal to carry the network in its texas and florida service areas which are within the sec footprint . cablevision does not have any markets within the sec footprint . 37 nasa has arranged for the sec network to be made available on the international space station . 38 the sec network is also carried by both playstation vue 39 and sling tv . 40 references edit a b sec and espn announce new tv network . sec . 2013 02 05 . retrieved 2013 09 01 . a b sec releases 2014 conference football schedule . sec . 2013 08 21 . retrieved 2013 09 01 . a b c d e sec network announced launching in 2014 at & t already on board . sbnation . vox media . may 2 2013 . retrieved august 31 2013 . a b sec will start tv network in 2014 . the new york times . retrieved 31 august 2013 . sec network unveils brand campaign . multichannel news . retrieved 17 january 2014 . a b espn packs sec network launch with training camp inside looks . houston chronicle . retrieved 23 august 2014 . sec network will launch at 5 p.m. central time with sec now . nola.com . retrieved 23 august 2014 . creighton women will be first game on