As most of you know by now, Kentucky’s Big Blue Madness event will not be carried on television Friday night due to decisions made by the new SEC Network.
The only option Kentucky fans will have to watch the event in its entirety will be ESPN3. ESPNU will also offer live cut-ins but not the entire event.
Fans who do not have access to ESPN3, will be able to watch clips on SEC Now at 9 p.m. on the SEC Network. At 11:00 p.m., an hour-long Big Blue Madness special will air, but will edit out most everything that involves music – such as player introductions and Matthew Mitchell.
As of now, it’s ESPN3 or bust.
Justin Connolly, ESPN’s Senior Vice President for College Networks, has a different take on the matter, however. In an interview with the Courier-Journal, Connolly noted that “there’s going to be more coverage of Big Blue Madness this year than there ever has been in the past.”
I’m not sure Big Blue Nation will agree, but here’s an excerpt of Connolly’s comments:
There’s going to be more coverage of Big Blue Madness this year than there ever has been in the past when you layer in ESPN3 with availability to 75 million subscribers nationally. ESPNU has a robust cut-in plan. There are highlights and clips on SEC Now, and also the packaged program on SEC Network. The game plan here always has been and continues to be finding the best way to serve fans, and I think we have a pretty good plan.
