citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . november 2014 learn how and when to remove this template message big ten network launched august 30 2007 2007 08 30 owned by fox entertainment group 21st century fox 51 % big ten conference 49 % 1 picture format 720p hdtv downgraded to letterboxed 480i for sdtv feed slogan this is big ten country this is where it lives country united states language english broadcast area united states canada headquarters chicago illinois sister channel s fox sports 1 fox sports 2 fox soccer plus fox deportes fox sports networks fox college sports website btn.com availability satellite directv u.s. 610 hd sd overflow 610 1 610 2 610 3 and 610 4 hd sd 1610 vod dish network u.s. 410 hd overflow 5441 5447 and 9500 hd 410 and 588 591 sd shaw direct canada 265 hd 410 sd overflow consult your listings for channel placement cable cablevision optimum 247 hd available on most other u.s. and most canadian cable systems consult your local cable provider for channel availability or visit btn.com about btn channelfinder or btn.com about btn channelfinder iptv at & t u verse 1650 hd 650 sd overflow 1691 1699 hd verizon fios 585 hd 85 sd overflow 330 331 sd vmedia canada 408 hd playstation vue core package streaming media btn2go by subscription outside of u.s. and canada www.btn2go.com playstation vue internet protocol television the big ten network btn is an american regional sports network owned as a joint venture between the big ten conference which owns 49 % of the network and the fox entertainment group subsidiary of 21st century fox which owns a controlling 51 % interest and operated by fox sports . it is the first internationally distributed network dedicated to covering a single collegiate athletic conference . dedicated to sports and other programming from the big ten the network s lineup includes telecasts of big ten events archived events involving schools in the conference studio shows coach s shows documentaries and other programming . the network reaches approximately 90 million households nationwide and is available up to an estimated 100 million pay television households in the united states and canada . 2 it is headquartered in the former montgomery ward & co. catalog house building at 600 west chicago avenue in chicago illinois . 3 the network has agreements with more than 300 providers . 4 it is carried nationally on directv dish network and at & t u verse ; and regionally on nearly every cable system in the big ten s 14 state footprint including at & t u verse verizon fios charter communications comcast cox communications insight communications mediacom communications time warner cable cable one cablevision and several others . in canada it is available on shaw direct shaw cable rogers cable cogeco cable and eastlink . the network is available on cable in 19 of the 20 largest u.s. media markets . 5 the big ten network is also carried on playstation vue . 6 contents 1 history 2 programming 2.1 original programs 2.1.1 former 2.2 sports coverage 2.2.1 football 2.2.2 basketball 2.2.3 other sports 2.2.4 tournament and championship events 3 on air staff 3.1 current on air staff 3.1.1 football 3.1.2 basketball 3.1.3 baseball 3.1.4 ice hockey 3.1.5 wrestling 3.2 former on air staff 4 other services 4.1 high definition 4.2 big ten network on demand 4.3 online streams 4.4 football overflow feeds 5 carriage 5.1 carriage agreements 5.2 canadian carriage 6 similar channels 7 references 8 external links history edit the network s foundation traces back to 2004 following negotiations between the big ten and espn on an extension of the conference s broadcast contract with the network . with three years remaining in the existing deal the conference sought a significant increase in rights fees . espn however balked causing big ten commissioner jim delany to begin exploring the creation of his own network . 7 the launch of the big ten network was announced on june 21 2006 as a 20 year joint project between the big ten conference and fox entertainment group . 8 at launch the conference owned 51 % of the network while fox owned a minority interest and handled its operations . the network was positioned to be the first ever cable channel dedicated to a single collegiate conference . 9 the network also has a commitment to event equality stating it would produce and distribute an equal number of men s and women s events across all platforms within three years of its launch . 10 the deal was meant to replace the big ten s television contract with espn s espn plus regional television package . espn plus games were typically only seen on one broadcast television station in a team s local market for example the illinois fighting illini aired its games on champaign illinois cbs affiliate wcia channel 3 . original logo used from 2007 to 2011 . big ten network was launched at 8 00 p.m. eastern time on august 30 2007 with big ten tonight as its inaugural program . the network aired its first live telecasts two days later on september 1 which included a football game between appalachian state and michigan the game gained national attention for its upset victory ; being the first win by a division i fcs team over a ranked division i fbs team since division i was split into two subdivisions by the ncaa in 1978 . 11 12 on september 2 the network aired its first women s sports event a soccer match between syracuse university and michigan state and its first men s non revenue sports event a soccer match between ucla at indiana . the new network suffered from limited carriage on its launch as it was only carried by two major television providers . by the following year the network had reached its goal to attain carriage on the extended basic tiers of cable providers in all big ten markets . 13 while no specifics were revealed fox increased its stake in the big ten network to 51 % in june 2010 acquiring majority control using a provision in its contract with the conference . 14 in time for the 2011 college football season the network unveiled a new look including a new logo and updated on air appearance and also introduced a new tv everywhere service known as btn2go which offers live streaming of btn telecasts and other programming through a web browser or mobile app . the service was initially available to subscribers of time warner cable charter communications directv and dish network . 15 btn and dish network were involved in a dispute leading up to the expiration of the satellite provider s contract with the network in august 2012 a day before that year s college football season began . 16 the network was temporary blacked out for eight days beginning on september 14 17 giving way to a new agreement that restored btn on dish network on september 22 . 18 programming edit original programs edit big ten tonight a weekly half hour show airing on sundays that is similar to espn s sportscenter ; it offers highlights and discussion of big ten sporting events . the program is currently anchored by dave revsine rick pizzo mike hall and lisa cornwell . other reporters and analysts appear depending on the sport being discussed . big ten football saturday a program airing saturdays with pre game halftime and post game editions during the college football season which features discussions and highlights of the day s games . it is hosted by dave revsine with analysis provided by gerry dinardo nicknamed by the hosts as coach and howard griffith . big ten tailgate originally titled friday night tailgate it is a friday night program that takes a lighthearted and irreverent look at campus life surrounding the weekend of a big ten football game . it was host was mike hall with correspondents charissa thompson and chicago area improv actors jordan klepper steve waltien and tim baltz . 90 minute in 2010 the show was cut to 60 minutes and was renamed as big ten tailgate . big ten tip off show a pre game show airing during the regular season from november to march discussing the day s basketball games ; it is hosted by dave revsine with analysis provided by gene keady jimmy jackson tim doyle and kendall gill . coaches q & a a program featuring excerpts from the week s press conferences around the conference . the big ten s greatest games a showcase of classic football and basketball games with editing of some non essential game action out to fit time constraints . the big ten women s show an hour long monday night program covering women s sports throughout the conference . the big ten quad a weekly sports discussion show with big ten legends . big ten cookout a half hour live cooking tailgate show on saturday mornings taking place at a different university campus within the conference each week ; it is hosted by melanie collins alongside chefs julius russell and former hell s kitchen season five contestant ben walanka . the big ten s best a weekly countdown show with lists of the top 10 big ten teams or players in a certain category such as best running backs of the 1990s or best quarterbacks of the 1980s ; hosted by charissa thompson . various coach s shows university showcase a program block of non sports campus produced programs ; each school has equal time . student u game broadcasts produced by university broadcast departments involving students controlling production and play by play which are usually seen only on closed circuit campus cable networks . big ten frozen fridays a hockey pregame show on friday nights airing before most big ten hockey game telecasts featuring game previews and highlights from around the big ten conference big ten football breakdown a weekly series airing on tuesdays in which big ten coaches and players review the previous week s game footage with network analysts providing a look at the nuances of the game and what affected the teams success . big ten football sites & sounds a wednesday night program that includes segments from press conferences media interviews and the games as well as other behind the scenes footage hosted from the network s chicago studios . big ten football behind the schemes airing thursday nights it is a breakdown featuring the network s resident head coach analysts analyzing footage of the previous week s games and putting together game plans for games being held that week . big ten football & beyond a friday night program previewing the weekend s upcoming games with reports from each big ten stadium and a look at key national matchups that could impact the conference postseason . big ten film vault a program hosted by dan dierdorf showcasing a vintage big ten film from the 1940s to the 1970s . big ten icons a series highlighting a big ten athlete from a wide range of sports and history . notable subjects include jesse owens jack nicklaus and steve alford . the journey big ten basketball a sunday night documentary style series following multiple teams each week throughout the conference s 10 week basketball season . 19 big ten treasure hunter a program starring memorabilia collector john arcand in which he travels around big ten territories and make negotiations with fans to buy big ten memorabilia . former edit big ten hoops on campus an hour long friday night program hosted by mike hall jim jackson tiffany simons and natalie kane featuring visits to different campuses each week to showcase the loyalty and tradition behind big ten basketball and its fans . this week in