TNT Sports is wasting no time in ramping up for its first year of Big 12 football coverage. The network announced it will roll out an expansive programming lineup designed to highlight the conference’s top players, personalities, and storylines across multiple platforms.
The debut season will include live games, studio shows, behind-the-scenes features, and magazine programming airing on TNT, truTV, HBO Max, and Bleacher Report.
The action begins Saturday, Aug. 30, when Arizona hosts Hawaii in a late-night kickoff at 10:30 p.m. on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max. J.B. Long will handle play-by-play duties, with Mike Golic Jr. providing analysis and Allie LaForce reporting from the sidelines.
Studio coverage will carry a mix of familiar names to both college football and NFL audiences. Former standouts Champ Bailey, Takeo Spikes, and Victor Cruz will serve as analysts throughout the season. Adam Lefkoe will serve as host of the programming.
To complement the live broadcasts, TNT Sports is introducing XII Uncovered, a weekly access-driven series that premieres Aug. 30 at 9:30 p.m. on truTV and HBO Max. The show will offer behind-the-scenes features and an in-depth look at Big 12 teams featured on the network’s schedule.
Additionally, truTV and HBO Max will carry Inside the 12, a magazine-style program hosted by Pete Sousa and Taylor McHargue. The show will air Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and focus on the upcoming slate of games, interviews across the conference, and expanded coverage once basketball season begins.
Bleacher Report will also play a central role in TNT Sports’ Big 12 rollout. The brand is launching original content concepts aimed at maximizing fan engagement. Among the highlights is Field Study, pairing Big 12 stars with their coaches for film sessions designed to break down the finer points of the game. Another feature, Alumni Walk, will capture the energy of campus tailgates as famous alumni return to their schools with cameras documenting the atmosphere.
In addition, Bleacher Report will push highlights, storylines, and key moments around the clock through its social platforms, including House of Highlights and B/R CFB.
TNT Sports acquired the Big 12 broadcast rights as part of a settlement struck between the NBA and Warner Bros. Discovery. The Big 12 will see 13 of its football games per year moved from ESPN’s streaming platform to linear television on WBD channels TNT and TBS. ESPN is also sublicensing 15 Big 12 men’s basketball games to be aired on either TNT or TBS. The sublicensing deal begins this academic year and spans six seasons, running concurrent to the Big 12’s new television contract with partners ESPN and FOX Sports.
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