Sooners looking at own TV network

NORMAN, Okla. -- Texas isn't the only Big 12 school looking into whether it should start its own TV network. Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said Tuesday that the Sooners are also interested in the possibility and have already invested $3 million in a high-definition video facility on campus, but do not have a time frame for launching the operation. "A channel takes some time to launch, takes some time to develop, whether it's our conference or our own," Castiglione said. "That's everything from programming to getting penetration into the markets, and so on." Castiglione said Oklahoma has consulted with Texas as both schools examine the possibilities but the two are not considering a joint venture. Texas agreed to stay in the Big 12 this week in part after getting assurances that it retains local media rights, including the possibility of a Longhorns network. "We have discussed the concept of a channel with them. We're not in business together," Castiglione said. "That's not it at all. I don't want to give you that impression. "We've been studying it. They've been studying it. ... We'd both like to be aggressive, and that part of our DNA to be aggressive." Such a channel would not prevent the creation of a conference network. Castiglione said the hiring of executive director of video production Brandon Meier a few years ago, teamed with cooperation from the university's journalism school provides an "outstanding foundation" for developing the channel. He said a decision hasn't been made yet on whether the channel would be distributed through cable, satellite or broadband technology but the university has even taken into consideration such modern devices as Slingbox. "We want to be ready to avail ourselves of that development of technology when we launch," Castiglione said. "It gives us a chance to think about all kinds of programming -- whether it's live events, prepackaged, special documentaries that we film and develop for distribution." Most football and men's basketball games couldn't be shown live on the school's own channel because of national TV contracts through the Big 12. But the channel could broadcast games in those sports that aren't picked up, along with others from the school's 21 sports. Even student plays and other events from the academic side of the university could be aired. What Oklahoma doesn't have that Texas does is a massive population base that includes some of the country's largest cities. "That would be the big question: whether there's enough revenue there to warrant going down that road," said Neal Pilson, a former president of CBS Sports who is now a television consultant. "I know there are in Texas. Probably, it would be marginal in Oklahoma." Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder said his school also looked into creating a network but "it doesn't look like it would be a revenue generator for us. It would be a capital loss." "Even if you're the University of Texas and there are a lot of people nationwide that follow that brand, it's still tough to make a go of it," Holder said. "If you're Oklahoma State, obviously with a smaller enrollment, a smaller population base in the state, no big metropolitan areas, it would be very, very difficult to make a go of it. We'd probably be more interested in doing things on our website, live streaming and things like that, than doing a network." Castiglione said his belief in the television project -- whether it's called the OU Channel, Sooner Channel or something else -- is supported by months of research. "I can make a statement of, 'Please don't underestimate the power of OU,' and I think we could back it up. But now, the study we have supports that notion. So, it's not just a bold statement," Castiglione said. "The proof is in the rating points that we see for the programs that we put on." Castiglione said Oklahoma City generally ranks with Columbus, Ohio, as the two U.S. cities that draw the largest television ratings for football games. That creates a draw for advertisers, making up for what Oklahoma City lacks in population. "Even though they may not be the biggest TV markets in the United States, the ratings in those markets are huge," Castiglione said. "So, you're getting a greater proportion of people in those markets watching."