K-State Announces New Agreements with SIDEARM Sports and ESPN3
Aug 22, 2017 | Baseball, Football, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Soccer, Volleyball
September 2 football opener against Central Arkansas will air live on ESPN3
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State Athletics has partnered with SIDEARM Sports on an improved full digital platform, including a new k-statesports.com, in addition to collaborating with ESPN3 to add exposure and accessibility of live Wildcat sporting events to K-State fans across the country.
Highlighting the new ESPN3 agreement is the September 2 football opener with Central Arkansas, which will now be streamed live exclusively on ESPN3, produced by K-StateHD.TV. Brian Smoller and former Wildcat tight end Travis Tannahill will call the action. In addition, approximately 20 other live events featuring women’s soccer, volleyball, baseball and women’s basketball will be included in the arrangement.
“We are excited to team up with SIDEARM Sports as our full digital provider as well as add additional live events to ESPN3,” said Kenny Lannou, senior associate athletics director for communications and public relations. “Both of these platforms will bring more exposure to the K-State brand and our programs while also making it easier for our fans across the globe to watch their favorite Wildcat teams.”
When combined with the department’s third-tier television package, ESPN3 will carry approximately 40 live K-State telecasts during the 2017-18 season, all produced by K-StateHD.TV.
ESPN3 is accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets and streaming devices through the ESPN app. The network is currently available nationwide at no additional cost to those 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.
Current television partners Fox Sports Midwest, Cox Channel Kansas and Fox College Sports will continue to carry a variety of K-State games and coaches shows. For the men’s basketball third-tier package, FS-Kansas City will continue to carry the games to the state of Kansas and in the Kansas City metro area, while those games will also be streamed on K-StateHD.TV and available outside the state on ESPN3. In all, approximately 70 live games will be produced by K-StateHD.TV staff and broadcast across the various television platforms.
On the digital front, SIDEARM Sports will become the new service provider for K-State Athletics and is working with the department on a new k-statesports.com, mobile/tablet applications and full digital platform, providing Wildcat fans with industry-leading features and enhanced mobile and video experiences. The new website will be launched next week in time for the September 2 football season opener.
The department also has announced that ALL K-StateHD.TV content will become FREE, including live press conferences and events not selected by the school’s television partners, in addition to all on-demand content.
“During this process, we felt that exposure and accessibility were two key elements, and making all K-StateHD.TV content free moving forward was the best decision for our fans and their ability to watch the Cats,” Lannou added.
SIDEARM Sports, a Learfield company since June 2014, has experienced incredible organic growth from delivering quality service, reliability and customization. Serving more than 980 partners, SIDEARM Sports is the nation’s leading digital provider in college athletics, and its easy-to-use interface allows schools to customize their content streams and digital presence. The company will play host to nearly 225 Division I university athletic sites during the 2017-18 season, including 41 schools in the Power Five conferences. SIDEARM Sports provides the software and technology that powers websites, mobile applications, live stats, social presence and video streaming for its athletic partners.
