UND national television deal puts Sioux sports in 54 million homes

Most people who read this space already know this, but UND has struck a major television deal for national television distribution of University of North Dakota athletics.

From UND’s press release:

Fox College Sports is available on cable in 54 million homes nationwide.

Fox College Sports will distribute three home football games, all home men’s hockey games and 12 home basketball games in 2009-10. FCS will also broadcast the weekly Sioux Sports Extra magazine show.

By my count that’s:

  • 3 football games
  • 12 basketball games
  • 20 hockey games

Of course, that’s only counting home games.

Playing higher level competition in football and basketball increases the number of UND’s road games that will appear on TV. One away football game this season, UND @ Northwestern State, has already been nationally televised.

Several other WCHA teams already have national distribution of some of their home games, so UND fans may also be able to catch some men’s hockey games from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Denver each season.

Which games are broadcast as part of UND’s deal?

From UND Men’s Basketball Schedule:
Sat, Nov. 21 UMKC 1:00p
Sat, Dec. 19 Northern Iowa 1:00p
Sat, Jan. 23 South Dakota 7:00p
Thu, Feb. 11 NJIT 8:00p
Thu, Feb. 25 at Chicago St 7:30p
Thu, Mar. 04 Houston Baptist 8:00p

From UND Women’s Basketball Schedule:
Wed, Nov. 18 Wyoming 7:00p
Fri, Dec. 18 Northern Arizona 7:00p
Sat, Jan. 23 South Dakota 5:00p
Thu, Feb. 11 NJIT 6:00p
Thu, Feb. 25 at Chicago St 5:00p
Thu, Mar. 04 Houston Baptist 6:00p

From UND Football Schedule:
Sat, Oct. 03 South Dakota 4:00p
Sat, Oct. 17 Sioux Falls 1:00p
Sat, Oct. 31 Cal Poly 4:00p

From UND Men’s Hockey Schedule:
All 20 home games!

How much total UND programming is this?

For an idea of how much the Sioux are now on national TV, here are UND’s appearances on FCS in the next month.

From the FCS Printable Schedules:

All times Eastern.

Football
10/03/09 South Dakota at North Dakota* Atlantic 5:00pm
10/17/09 Sioux Falls at North Dakota* Central 2:00pm
10/31/09 Cal Poly at North Dakota Atlantic 5:00pm
* FCS Exclusive

Hockey
10/04/09 Manitoba at North Dakota (exhibition)* Atlantic 7:00pm
10/09/09 Merrimack at North Dakota* Atlantic 8:30pm
10/10/09 Merrimack at North Dakota* Central 8:00pm
10/16/09 Minnesota at North Dakota Central 8:30pm
10/17/09 Minnesota at North Dakota Atlantic 8:00pm
* FCS Exclusive

Sioux Sports Extra
9/30/09 6:30p (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 5 (D)
9/30/09 1:00 a (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 5 (D)
10/02/09 4:30p (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 5 (D)
10/02/09 2:00a (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 5 (D)
10/07/09 6:30 p (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 5 (D)
10/07/09 1:30 a (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 6 (D)
10/09/09 4:30 p (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 6 (D)
10/10/09 7:30 p (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 6 (D)
10/14/09 6:30 p (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 6 (D)
10/14/09 1:00 a (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 7 (D)
10/16/09 4:30 p (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 7 (D)
10/16/09 2:00 a (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 7 (D)
10/21/09 6:30 p (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 7 (D)
10/21/09 1:00 a (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 8 (D)
10/23/09 4:30 p (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 8 (D)
10/23/09 2:00 a (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 8 (D)
10/28/09 6:30 p (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 8 (D)
10/28/09 1:00 a (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 9 (D)
10/30/09 4:30 p (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 9 (D)
10/30/09 2:00 a (CS) UND Fighting Sioux Sports Extra 09 (FCS) 9 (D)

More publicity from FCS itself

The Fox College Sports web site is already flush with UND ads. These were all taken from the front page within the last two days:


And here are FCS’s “weekly highlights” for this week:

That’s some good company.

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SiouxSports.com Forums:
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Hockey: FCS to carry UND hockey
Football: TV coverage
Football: USD at UND television coverage
UND’s Reclassification to D-I: FSSN on Fox College Sports

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