AUSTIN (KXAN) — June 30 will bring the end of the Longhorn Network as it's been known since its inception in 2011, but a new light will shine the day after.
Texas Athletics announced Monday a new spin on the network as a live and on-demand streaming service for all things Longhorns. It will launch July 1 and be available for free through a smartphone/tablet app, computers and connected TV devices.
"As we set out on our new adventure in the Southeastern Conference, we wanted to make sure we had a fitting home for video content that tells the story of our athletics department," Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said.
The platform will be powered by Endeavor Streaming in partnership with Learfield Studios and will be the new home for live press conferences, highlights, behind-the-scenes access, interviews with athletes and coaches, replays of some of the greatest games from ESPN's LHN archive and other original content. For football games, fans will have access to a live statcast during games with play-by-play from the radio broadcast.
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UT president Jay Hartzell said the new LHN will give students a chance to produce content and have their work shown to a worldwide audience.
"Our partnership with Learfield and Endeavor Streaming has produced an expanded streaming network that is tailormade for showcasing all of our great work and achievements and creating new opportunities for Moody College of Communication to create and publish new and compelling content," he said.
The streaming service replaces the broadcast channel due to Texas' move to the Southeastern Conference. All live sporting events will be broadcast through the SEC's rightsholder's networks and a conference bylaw states that no school can operate its own television network. The SEC Network, like the old version of LHN, is broadcast in partnership with ESPN and will have Longhorns content available as the network sees fit.
Content for the new LHN will be produced inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in the new studio sponsored by Dell Technologies.
