Valley viewers still waiting for Longhorn Network
Football season may be finished for the University of Texas, but the programming goes on for the Longhorn Network.
But, Rio Grande Valley Orangebloods who may be interested in viewing, say, the network’s airing of tonight’s men’s basketball game between the Longhorns and Oklahoma State, will be out of luck.
The area’s main cable and satellite providers don’t have any immediate plans to carry the network.
“We had discussions with the Longhorn Network, and we did not come to an agreement on terms for a contract that would allow Time Warner Cable to distribute the network,” said Melissa C. Sorola, communications director for Time Warner Cable in Texas. “At this time, there aren’t plans to carry the Longhorn Network.”
The Valley’s main satellite providers — DirecTV and the Dish Network — don’t carry the network on its system anywhere in the country and there are no immediate plans to do so. A customer service for Dish Network said the company “hopes it will be resolved in the future.”
Except for a few pockets in the state, the Longhorn Network is largely unavailable in Texas. The network began airing last August. ESPN and the University of Texas entered into a 20-year, $300 million partnership to air the network. However, the network has failed to gain any traction with the nation’s largest cable and satellite providers declining to provide it. The network is available independently and is not included in any various sports packages.
The network is available on the following systems: Verizon FiOS TV, Grande Communications (Central Texas), Consolidated Communications (East Texas area), En-Touch Systems (Houston), E-Tex Communications (Gilmer, Texas), Bay City Communications, Mid-Coast Cablevision (El Campo) and Texas Mid-Gulf Cablevision (Wharton).
The network has been a source of controversy, too. Many blame Texas A&M’s defection from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference mainly because of the network. Because of A&M’s move to the SEC, the storied Longhorn-Aggie rivalry has been placed on hold. Their football teams last played each other on Thanksgiving, and there no concrete plans to resume the series as a non-conference game in the future.
The network’s existence may have chased off Colorado to the Pac-12 (formerly the Pac-10) Conference and Nebraska to the Big 10. In addition, Missouri is headed to the SEC. The Big 12 has since added TCU and West Virginia.
