US television broadcasting company Sinclair Broadcast Group has said it plans to launch a new college sports network to be broadcast on television stations it owns.
American Sports Network will show live events, including American football, basketball, soccer and other sports, from more than 50 colleges and universities. The network will launch at the start of the college American football season this year.
Sinclair said it will support ASN through “comprehensive” sports rights agreements with a number of Division I conferences of the National Collegiate Athletic Association including Conference USA, the Colonial Athletic Association, Big South Conference, Southern Conference, and Patriot League.
Sinclair’s broadcast stations will either carry the games and original content as part of the primary program line-up or as part of second channels, complimented by access and distribution on digital platforms.
Subject to successfully securing carriage agreements with distributors in the future, Sinclair said it may include potential development of new cable networks and digital platforms focused on these new content initiatives. The company added that other television broadcasters have expressed an interest in distributing the games in their markets.
“Broadcasters serve and are closely connected to their communities, of which the colleges and universities are an integral part,” Sinclair Networks chief operating officer Doron Gorshein said. “We believe there is significant value and consumer appeal for live sporting events from these important institutions, and we can offer expanded distribution through our broadcast platforms, as well as on potential new platforms, deepening our connection to our communities.”