Oklahoma St. coach Mike Gundy blasts Longhorn Network as ‘failure’
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy had some choice words for the Longhorn Network, calling it a failure and stressing Texas needed to eliminate the network for the good of the rest of the Big 12.
Gundy wants the Big 12 to create a Big 12 Network, which would allow the conference to market itself better and reap financial benefits similar to the SEC Network or Big Ten Network.
“If we don’t eliminate the Longhorn Network and create our own network, they’re going to continue to have issues with this league,” Gundy told CBS Sports. “You don’t have a Big 12 Network; you have a network within the league that people consider a failure.”
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According to CBS Sports, the Longhorn Network has lost $48 million since its launch in 2011, but the San Antonio Express-News reported the network was slated to turn a profit in 2016. Currently, the Longhorn Network receives $15 million annually thanks to its 20-year agreement with ESPN, which was struck in 2010.
“You are getting the SEC Network, and you are getting the Big Ten Network and you are getting the [Pac-12 Network],” Gundy said. “Until we come together as a group [and] find a financial solution to eliminating the Longhorn Network, [there will be issues].”
The league distributes between $23-25 million annually to its 10 member schools. Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby told CBS Sports that if things don’t change, Big 12 schools could earn more than $20 million less than schools from the SEC or the Big Ten.
The Longhorn Network doesn’t have to shut down for a Big 12 Network to emerge, but it would have to agree to be folded into a larger infrastructure that would allow all Big 12 teams to get air time and reap the financial benefits.
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“If Texas doesn’t [fold LHN] in X number of years, they’re going to be in the Pac-12 or SEC,” Gundy said. “If that’s what they want, keep riding this horse. If you don’t want that, you better make some changes or it’s going to happen whether you like it or not.”
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