The Big South Conference announced its 2016 football broadcast schedule this week, and this year’s slate again features 11 games exclusively on ESPN3 and ASN. The 11 telecasts are among 26 total events involving Big South football members that will air every week of the 2016 campaign. New this year is exclusive Big South Network telecasts as part of the conference’s new broadcast tier strategy.
ESPN3 will exclusively deliver eight games this year. The slate also features a “Wildcard” selection for the second consecutive season. The American Sports Network (ASN) will televise the three remaining contests.
The Big South’s exclusive ESPN3 “Game of the Week” begins Sept. 24 with Monmouth hosting preseason favorite Charleston Southern at 1:00pm in West Long Branch, N.J. — the first conference game ever to be played in the month of September. The schedule resumes two weeks later on Oct. 8 as Presbyterian visits Gardner-Webb, and will continue each week through the conclusion of the regular-season on Nov. 19, which will be a “Wildcard” selection determined 14-21 days in advance.
Meanwhile, ASN’s three-game package features all noon kickoffs starting with the Oct. 22 Kennesaw State at Gardner-Webb game, followed by the Nov. 5 Gardner-Webb at Charleston Southern contest and the Nov. 12 Presbyterian at Kennesaw State match-up. Game times for the Oct. 22 and Nov. 5 games have been changed to accommodate each broadcast.
As part of the conference’s new broadcast tier plan, three games will be carried exclusively on the Big South Network. Meanwhile, the Big South will appear on an ESPN linear network again this year as Charleston Southern faces North Dakota State in the FCS season-opening game on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 7:30pm on ESPN. In addition, Big South members will also appear on ESPN3 outside of the conference’s television package. All home games not exclusive to ESPN3, ASN or the Big South Network will be shown as part of a new Big South Network “shared” option, in which Big South Network broadcasts can be simulcast via other outlets. The full broadcast list is below, and any additional televised games will be announced at a later date.
ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through WatchESPN. The network is currently available nationwide at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. It is also available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.
ASN parent Sinclair Broadcasting Group will distribute its football productions to its stations solely located in the Conference’s footprint of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as New Jersey and Georgia. Sinclair’s broadcast stations will either carry the games and any original content as part of the primary program lineup (generally on the Company’s CW and MyNet affiliates) or as part of second channels (sub-channels of the primary station’s signal).
2016 Big South Conference Football TV Broadcast Schedule
Aug. 27 Charleston Southern at North Dakota State 7:30pm ESPN
Sept. 1 Presbyterian at Central Michigan 7:00pm ESPN3
Sept. 3 Liberty at Virginia Tech 12:30pm ACC RSN/WatchESPN
East Tennessee State at Kennesaw State 7:00pm Peachtree TV
Sept. 10 Charleston Southern at Florida State 12:30pm RSN
Point at Kennesaw State 7:00pm Peachtree TV
Jacksonville at Liberty 7:00pm LFSN
Sept. 17 Monmouth at Kent State 3:30pm ESPN3
Liberty at SMU 7:00pm ESPN3
Sept. 24 Charleston Southern at Monmouth * 1:00pm ESPN3
Jacksonville State at Liberty 7:00pm LFSN
Oct. 1 Fordham at Monmouth 1:00pm ESPN3
Robert Morris at Liberty 7:00pm LFSN
Oct. 8 Missouri S&T at Kennesaw State 1:00pm Peachtree TV
Presbyterian at Gardner-Webb * 6:00pm ESPN3
Oct. 13 Monmouth at Presbyterian * 7:00pm Big South Network Exclusive
Oct. 15 Liberty at Kennesaw State * 7:00pm ESPN3
Oct. 22 Kennesaw State at Gardner-Webb * 12:00pm ASN
Monmouth at Liberty * 3:30pm LFSN
Presbyterian at Charleston Southern * 6:00pm ESPN3
Oct. 29 Kennesaw State at Monmouth * 1:00pm ESPN3
Gardner-Webb at Liberty * 3:30pm Big South Network Exclusive
Nov. 5 Gardner-Webb at Charleston Southern * 12:00pm ASN
Clark-Atlanta at Kennesaw State 1:00pm Peachtree TV
Liberty at Presbyterian * 2:00pm ESPN3
Nov. 12 Presbyterian at Kennesaw State * 12:00pm ASN
Charleston Southern at Liberty * 3:30pm ESPN3
Nov. 19 Wild Card TBD ESPN3
Wild Card TBD Big South Network Exclusive
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Chris Graham
