SEC TV was replaced with a 24-hour cable network devoted to the conference, also named SEC Network, after the 2013–14 college sports season. The new SEC Network would assume the duty of broadcasting football games in the "early" window used by SEC TV.[2][3]
In 2008, ESPN reached a 15-year deal to become the Southeastern Conference's main media rightsholder, assuming the majority of football and basketball rights (besides portions that would still be held by CBS), including the syndicated package produced by Raycom Sports and its predecessors (which had broadcast SEC basketball games for 22 years, and football for 17). Besides games on its cable networks, ESPN chose to retain the syndicated package, moving it under its competing ESPN Regional Television (also previously known on-air as ESPN Plus) unit under the on-air brand SEC Network.[4][5][6]
The first SEC Network game was the Tennessee Volunteers football team's 63-7 blowout win over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on September 5, 2009. Dave Neal (an original Jefferson-Pilot/Raycom play-by-play football commentator) and Andre Ware were the play-by-play commentators, and Cara Capuano was the sideline reporter.[7] Unlike Jefferson-Pilot/Raycom Sports, SEC TV also carried some regular season Women's basketball games in syndication on Sunday afternoons during basketball season.
In 2013, with the announcement that ESPN would be launching an SEC cable network under the same name in 2014, SEC Network was re-branded as SEC TV on September 7, 2013. SEC TV folded following the 2013 football season and the 2013-2014 basketball season. The last live sports program to air on SEC TV was the quarterfinals of the 2014 men's conference basketball tournament. The standalone SEC Network cable outlet launched August 14 of that year.[2][3]
SEC TV was available through 102 over-the-air television stations in the now-11-state SEC footprint, as well as other stations outside SEC markets, regional sports networks, and ESPN platforms such as ESPN3 and ESPN GamePlan/Full Court.
Most affiliates alternated each season, depending on the sport. Many stations outside of the SEC's geographical footprint only carried SEC TV's football games, but most others, especially within the SEC footprint, also aired men's and women's basketball games offered in the sports package. Markets without an SEC TV broadcast partner accessed the broadcasts via Regional sports networks. In terms of market size, the only media market without an SEC TV partner was the New York City area.
