The Longhorn Network, the 24-hour television channel that has covered University of Texas athletics since 2011, will relaunch as a reimagined free streaming service on July 1, the university announced Monday.
Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said in February that LHN would no longer exist in its original linear form because the Longhorns’ move to the SEC meant all of the school’s live broadcasts that would have previously been broadcast on LHN would move to SEC Network and ESPN+, where the rest of the SEC schools’ third-tier live programming is shown.
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But Texas owns all the content that broadcast on LHN during its 13-year existence, and the new LHN will be a home to that, as well as original content and other live programming, including coaches’ shows, press conferences, highlights, behind-the-scenes content and interviews with players and coaches. The new LHN will be available on a free app for smartphones, tablets, computers and connected TV and streaming devices.
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“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,” Del Conte said in a statement. “Our team here, along with the help of Endeavor Streaming and Learfield (Studios), have been hard at work to bring this platform to life for Longhorn Nation.”
LHN, a 20-year, $300 million joint venture between the school and ESPN, became a catalyst in conference realignment upon its original launch because of the school’s intention to broadcast football games exclusively on the network. Although it struggled to gain cable carrier distribution in its early years, it became a trusted home for UT fans to watch baseball, softball, volleyball and other live events. LHN, which won dozens of Emmy awards, was home to roughly 175 live Longhorn sporting events per year, as well as studio shows, press conferences and documentaries.
The reimagined LHN will be a 24-hour network and will include replays of classic games in the LHN archive. The school said it is currently in development of content franchises with new series that will debut in the fall. Fans will be also be able to watch live football game statcasts with radio play-by-play serving as the audio.
Original content for the reimagined LHN will be produced from a new studio inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
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After its final live game broadcast in May, LHN baseball broadcast partners Keith Moreland and Greg Swindell had an emotional send off.
“It’s been a heck of a run,” Moreland said. “We’ve had a blast doing this.”
Emotional final sign-off by Keith Moreland and Greg Swindell on the Longhorn Network. 🥲
Just an incredible team of really good people who changed the way fans got to watch Texas athletics. pic.twitter.com/SvDcdNdvmE
— Tyler Feldman (@TylerFeldmanTV) May 18, 2024
(Photo: Erich Schlegel / Getty Images)
