June 19, 2007

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern Wildcat fans who cannot make it to Ryan Field for the 2007 season opener can tune in to the Big Ten Network on Sept. 1 to catch the 'Cats, as conference and network officials today announced the schedule for the network's first three weeks. The Big Ten Network earlier announced six games that will air in prime time, including the Northwestern-Duke game on Sept. 15.

"All eyes are on the Big Ten this year, and we are thrilled to air a total of 17 football games during the first three weeks of the season," said Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman. "We're also excited to offer more in-depth analysis and complementary programming which fans of these and every other Big Ten university will want to watch. We'll be getting off to a great start with these games, and we know that fans will want to see them."

Northwestern's first three nonconference home games will be televised by the Big Ten Network, with the first two home contests vs. Northeastern (Sept. 1) and Nevada (Sept. 8) kicking off at 11 a.m. CT.

All games produced by the Big Ten Network will be available to cable and satellite operators nationwide as part of their agreements to carry the network. Whenever the Big Ten Network is producing more than one game airing at the same time, the network will split the feeds regionally among cable operators to allow Big Ten fans to watch the game with the most regional interest. In addition, cable and satellite providers that have agreed to carry the network will be offered the chance to carry the additional games via "overflow" channels.

The conference's remaining home games will be selected as the season progresses. The majority of the games airing on the Big Ten Network will be shown in high definition (HD).

The football games that will air on the Big Ten Network include:

Saturday, September 1
Appalachian State at Michigan, 11 a.m. CDT
Youngstown State at Ohio State, 11 a.m. CDT
Florida International at Penn State, 11 a.m. CDT
Northeastern at Northwestern, 11 a.m. CDT
Bowling Green at Minnesota, 7 p.m. CDT
Indiana State at Indiana, 7 p.m. CDT

Saturday, September 8
Akron at Ohio State, 11 a.m. CDT
Nevada at Northwestern, 11 a.m. CDT
Bowling Green at Michigan State, 11 a.m. CDT
Miami (Ohio) at Minnesota, 11 a.m. CDT
Eastern Illinois at Purdue, 11 a.m. CDT
Western Illinois at Illinois, 6 p.m. CDT
Syracuse at Iowa, 7 p.m. CDT

Saturday, September 15
The Citadel at Wisconsin, 11 a.m. CDT
Buffalo at Penn State, Noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
Akron at Indiana, Noon EDT/11 a.m. CDT
Duke at Northwestern, 7 p.m. CDT

The Big Ten Network is a national television network, available to all cable and satellite providers nationwide, that will allow fans to see their home teams regardless of where they live. The network currently has national agreements in place with DirecTV and AT&T and also a local agreement with Buckeye CableSystem in Toledo, Ohio, for more than 150,000 subscribers in northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan. Additionally, the network has agreements pending with more than 40 other cable operators within the eight states of the Big Ten. In total, the network currently is available to viewers in 16 million homes.

The Big Ten Network announced last month that ESPN veteran Dave Revsine will be its lead studio host. Other programming, including pregame and postgame shows, will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

The programming on the Big Ten Network and alternative platforms will include, but is not limited to:

* More than 35 football games each season
* More than 105 regular season men's basketball games, with four to six weeknight games and four to seven weekend games per week
* A nightly studio show including segments from each campus
* Women's sports, including basketball, volleyball, soccer and softball
* More than 170 Olympic sporting events including baseball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, swimming, diving and more
* Classic games and historical footage from ESPN and ABC libraries
* Original campus programming produced by Big Ten member universities showcasing their academic excellence, talented students and award-winning programs
* Weekly coaches shows

In addition to airing more coverage of Big Ten sports than ever before, the Big Ten Network will also provide numerous benefits to communities around the Big Ten, including increased exposure for women's sports, providing positive role models for girls; a greater economic impact to the communities from added sporting event production, with the potential to generate higher attendance; and greater national exposure for the excellence that surrounds the academic endeavors of Big Ten universities, some of the most highly regarded in the nation. Also, an internship program at each of the 11 universities will offer students on-the-job training for careers in sports, television and entertainment.

About the Big Ten Network: Launching this August, the Big Ten Network is dedicated to covering the Big Ten Conference and its 11 member institutions. The Big Ten Network will provide unprecedented access to an extensive schedule of conference sports events and shows; original programs in academics, the arts and sciences; campus activities; and associated personalities. Sports programming will include live coverage of more major men's and women's events than ever before, along with news, highlights and analysis, all complemented by hours of university-produced campus programming. The network is available to all cable and satellite carriers and television distributors nationwide, with most programs offered in stunning high-definition television (HDTV). The Big Ten Network is a joint venture between subsidiaries of the Big Ten Conference and Fox Cable Networks. For more information regarding the Big Ten Network, visit www.BigTenNetwork.com.