SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference released the full broadcast schedule for the upcoming 2016 football season today. League teams will have a minimum of 66 exposures across five different linear and digital platforms during the 2016 season and a total of 27 conference games will be available on either Fox Sports Southeast, ESPN3 or the American Sports Network this fall.
In addition to the league’s collaboration with ESPN3, the conference is in the third year of an agreement with the American Sports Network (ASN), an initiative launched by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. Southern Conference football also makes its return to FOX Sports Southeast this fall. SoCon schools produced four men’s basketball games last winter and are set to produce four football games to air on the regional sports network this fall.
All Southern Conference home games that are not on ESPN3, FOX Sports Southeast, or ASN will be available through the SoCon Digital Network (SDN), which launched in 2014.
Three broadcasts are set for Thursday, Sept. 1, including a conference matchup between The Citadel and Mercer that will air on FOX Sports Southeast and FOX Sports Go in the FSSE footprint will also be available on ESPN3 outside the Fox Sports Southeast footprint. Samford and VMI will also be in action that opening Thursday, with their games available on ESPN3.
Last season’s champion, Chattanooga, visits Samford on Sept. 19 in the first of three games that will be available on ASN.
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network, a destination that delivers thousands of exclusive sports events annually. It is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices through WatchESPN. The network is currently available nationwide at no additional cost to fans who receive their high-speed Internet connection or video subscription from an affiliated service provider. It is also available at no cost to U.S. college students and U.S.-based military personnel via computers, smartphones and tablets connected to on-campus educational and on-base military broadband and Wi-Fi networks.
The FOX Sports regional networks serving the Southeast – FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Carolinas, FOX Sports Tennessee and FOX Sports Southeast – collectively reach more than 13 million households across seven states. They are the television home of the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Dream, Atlanta Hawks, Carolina Hurricanes, Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Nashville Predators, Cincinnati Reds, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Pelicans, St. Louis Cardinals, UEFA Champions League and Bundesliga, as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12 Conference, and Big East Conference. Combined, the networks televise nearly 1400 live events each year. Additionally, all Southern Conference football games on FOX Sports Southeast will also be available on FOX Sports GO (FOXSportsGo.com), a free app that provides live streaming video of Southern Conference content through select programming distributors all season long, as well as other FOX Sports programming.
The American Sport Network consists of commercial TV stations owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group and reaches close to 40 percent of all TV households in the United States with 167 stations in 77 markets. A full list of ASN affiliates will be announced each week.
2016 Southern Conference Football Broadcast Schedule
Date Teams Time Outlet
Sept. 1 *The Citadel at Mercer 7:00 p.m. FSSE/FOX Sports Go/ESPN3
Sept. 1 Mars Hill at Samford 7:00 p.m. ESPN3
Sept. 2 Furman at Michigan State 7:00 p.m. Big Ten Network
Sept. 3 Western Carolina at East Carolina 6:00 p.m. ESPN3
Sept. 3 VMI at Akron 6:30 p.m. ESPN3
Sept. 10 Mercer at Georgia Tech 3:00 p.m. ESPN3
Sept. 10 Wofford at Mississippi 4:00 p.m. SEC Network
Sept. 10 *Furman at The Citadel 6:00 p.m. ESPN3
Sept. 17 *Western Carolina vs. ETSU 1:30 p.m. ESPN3
Sept. 17 Johnson C. Smith at Wofford 3:00 p.m. ESPN3
Sept. 17 Tennessee Tech at Mercer 4:00 p.m. ESPN3
Sept. 17 *Chattanooga at Furman 7:00 p.m. ESPN3
Sept. 24 *ETSU at Wofford 1:30 p.m. ESPN3
Oct. 1 *Mercer at VMI 1:30 p.m. ESPN3
Oct. 1 Kennesaw State at Furman 3:00 p.m. ESPN3
Oct. 1 *Wofford at Samford 3:00 p.m. ESPN3
Oct. 1 *The Citadel at Western Carolina 3:30 p.m. ESPN3
Oct. 8 North Greenville at The Citadel 2:00 p.m. ESPN3
Oct. 8 *Wofford at Western Carolina 7:00 p.m. ASN
Oct. 15 *Chattanooga at The Citadel 3:00 p.m. FSSE/FOX Sports Go/ESPN3
Oct. 15 *VMI at Samford 3:00 p.m. ESPN3
Oct. 15 *Western Carolina at Mercer 4:00 p.m. ESPN3
Oct. 22 *The Citadel at Wofford 1:30 p.m. ESPN3
Oct. 22 *Western Carolina at Samford 7:00 p.m. ASN
Oct. 29 *Furman at VMI 1:30 p.m. ESPN3
Oct. 29 *Mercer at Wofford 1:30 p.m. ESPN3
Oct. 29 *ETSU at The Citadel 2:00 p.m. ESPN3
Nov. 5 *Wofford at Furman 1:30 p.m. ESPN3
Nov. 5 *Samford at The Citadel 2:00 p.m. ESPN3
Nov. 5 *VMI at Western Carolina 2:00 p.m. ESPN3
Nov. 5 *ETSU at Mercer 3:00 p.m. FSSE/FOX Sports Go/ESPN3
Nov. 12 *The Citadel at VMI 1:30 p.m. ESPN3
Nov. 12 *Mercer at Samford 3:30 p.m. ESPN3
Nov. 12 *Western Carolina at Furman 4:00 p.m. WMYA-TV/ESPN3
Nov. 19 *VMI at Wofford 1:30 p.m. ESPN3
Nov. 19 *Furman at Mercer 3:00 p.m. FSSE/FOX Sports Go/ESPN3