When it launches on Aug. 21 of this year, the SEC Network is going to forever change how fans of the Southeastern Conference follow their teams, in addition to helping secure and strengthen the future of the nation’s best conference.The 24/7 network will provide unprecedented coverage of all league sports, from studio programming to at least 450 live events every year. That will include more than 100 men’s basketball games, many of which will feature Kentucky.Although a schedule for next season won’t be released until later, a look at this year’s UK men’s basketball slate gives an idea of how the SEC Network will affect fans’ ability to watch games it the future.In past years, UK games not picked up by national television have been aired on outlets like the UK IMG Network, Comcast Sports South, Fox Sports South and SEC TV. The new SEC Network is expected to replace all of these options, as you can see in the 2013-14 schedule below.As many as 10 regular-season games, Big Blue Madness and both exhibitions this season would have been broadcast on the SEC Network had it launched in August 2013 rather than August 2014.High-definition broadcasts with announcers intimately familiar with the SEC will enhance the watching experience for all of these games, provided fans have access to the SEC Network through their cable/satellite provider.As of today, AT&T U-verse is the only national provider that has signed a deal to make the SEC Network available to its subscribers. If the SEC Network launched today, fans using major providers like DirecTV, Dish Network, Time Warner and Comcast would not be able to access it.If you love Kentucky basketball and you want to make sure you’ll be able to watch every game, visit GetSECNetwork.com to tell your provider you want the SEC Network.Note: The information below is based on how the SEC Network is expected to affect the way games will be broadcast after launch and is NOT official.

Related Stories

View all