Nebraska, by joining the Big Ten Conference, will eventually become part owner of an enterprise that has been touted as one of the five biggest forces to ever hit college athletics.

“I don’t think that’s an exaggeration,’’ said Kevin Weiberg in discussing the impact of the Big Ten Network.

Who is Weiberg to say that a three-year-old TV operation could have such power?

For 10 years, he worked for Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany. For nine years, he was commissioner of the Big 12. For 18 months, he returned to the Big Ten to help the television network get started.

Now, Weiberg is deputy commissioner of the Pacific 10 in charge of pursuing a TV network for that league.

“If you really look at the Big Ten Network,’’ he said from his office in Walnut Creek, Calif., “it has been a tremendous game-changer in a number of ways.’’

Before BTN began broadcasting, the six Bowl Championship Series conferences with automatic qualifiers were fairly similar in terms of money generated and national exposure.

Now?

Money earned from the Big Ten Network has helped that league distribute $21 million to $22 million annually — more than double and in some cases triple the current earnings by Big 12, Pac-10, Big East and Atlantic Coast Conference schools.

Only the Southeastern Conference, at about $17 million per school, hasn’t been lapped.

“This really did create a dramatically different scenario in terms of revenue and exposure,’’ Weiberg said. “That’s a large portion of what you’ve just witnessed in all the discussion of potential realignment.

“Folks are trying to figure out how to be positioned to compete in this new environment.’’

When Nebraska looked over its position during the recent expansion/realignment hubbub, the Big Ten Network and its success were key points of emphasis.

“This is not something that is speculative,’’ NU Athletic Director Tom Osborne said. “It is up and running and certainly has worked out well for the Big Ten.

“The network also enables you to talk to parents when you’re recruiting and let them know they will be able to see almost all your games.’’

In 2008, through deals with ABC/ESPN and BTN, 87 of 88 Big Ten football games (99 percent) were televised. No other league had more than 70 percent. In men’s basketball in 2008-09, 84 percent of games were televised and another 10 percent were streamed on the Internet.

Mark Silverman, president of the Big Ten Network, said from his office in Chicago that the recent flurry of conference realignment talk has led to discussion about the network’s impact on history.

He declined to take part, saying he’s too close to it to make such a determination.

But Silverman added: “It’s had a bigger impact than I initially thought it would.’’

Bringing it together

What exactly did those involved with the launch of the Big Ten Network think of Delany’s big idea?

Said Silverman, who left the ABC Cable Networks Group to join: “Right away, it sounded like it had the key ingredients to be successful.’’

Among them: A well-known brand, a loyal following, a partner (Fox) willing to invest in quality production and a commissioner, presidents and athletic directors who worked together.

Weiberg, while in the Big 12, tried to interest his presidents in developing a network. Those talks stalled in 2007, largely because some schools balked at assigning all rights to their events to the conference.

“That ended up being a bigger decision,’’ NU’s Osborne said, “than many people realized at the time.’’

Frustration with that and the Big 12’s regular bickering over its unequal revenue sharing played parts in Weiberg’s decision to resign in June 2007. He went to the Big Ten as vice president for planning and development for the network.

Weiberg and Delany remain close, and Weiberg said his old boss gave him about a six-month heads up on the BTN plans before they were announced in June 2006.

The enterprise is a 20-year joint project between the Big Ten (51 percent ownership) and Fox Cable Networks (49 percent).

What caught Weiberg’s eye were the potential for more revenue, wider exposure and better leverage in future negotiations with traditional media.

“I don’t claim to be a soothsayer on this,’’ Weiberg said. “But I certainly had a gut feeling when I first heard about it that it would be something very difficult to compete against as the commissioner of another conference.’’

BTN went live on Aug. 30, 2007. Within 30 days, it had 30 million subscribers — a first in the cable and satellite TV business. Today, more than 75 million households in the United States and Canada have access to the network.

Battles with large cable companies to carry BTN the first year led to strife over distribution.

“I don’t want to underestimate the challenge of getting the network launched and distributed,’’ Weiberg said. “It was a hard fight.’’

But after a breakthrough in 2008, Silverman said, the Big Ten Network increased its ad sales 30 percent from 2008 to 2009 and doubled its ratings.

Of the $21 million to $22 million distributed to Big Ten schools, BTN contributed $7 million to $8 million. Some national industry reports indicate a doubling of growth is possible in the next two to three years.

Big Ten coaches had questions about the network initially, but saw benefits quickly.

“It’s had a tremendous impact on recruiting,’’ Minnesota baseball coach John Anderson said. “This is a window to your program and your university.

“We’ve had people see us play on TV and call us and say, ‘Hey, I’m interested in your program.’”

Nebraska a driver

Mention “Nebraska’’ to officials in the Big Ten and the Big Ten Network and good feelings come rushing out.

“We’re beyond happy that Nebraska is coming aboard,’’ Silverman said. “It increases the growth we have. Nebraska is a nationally known entity that increases the relevance of our network across the country.’’

Critics such as Oklahoma State benefactor Boone Pickens have been dismissive of Nebraska’s potential impact because of its relatively small population (1.8 million) and TV households (700,000).

Silverman sees it differently.

“It’s not all about how many TV homes are in the local market,’’ he said. “It’s much bigger than that.’’

Nebraska’s national reputation can motivate Big Ten alums and students — the league has more of both than any other conference in the country — to watch more events involving the Huskers.

Also, NU’s highly motivated and far flung alumni groups may stir interest in areas where the Big Ten Network isn’t currently available. Their phone calls to request service from local cable companies are another avenue for growth.

“Bringing on Nebraska,’’ Silverman said, “helps us in every way — distribution, more advertisers and bigger ratings.’’

Speculation continues that the Big Ten might expand from the current 12 teams to 14 or 16. Silverman said his growth projections and long-range plans aren’t necessarily tied to a specific conference size.

“There is plenty of growth at 12 teams for us,’’ he said. “We’re no different than any other network — we expand our distribution over time.

“We’re the top-rated cable network in our eight-state region on football Saturdays. The way we’re going to grow is for our viewers who are coming for games to realize there is other stuff on the network that is interesting.’’

Contact the writer:

444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com

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