ESPN, Southeastern Conference to Launch TV, Digital Service in 2014

As expected, ESPN and the Southeastern Conference will launch the SEC Network in August 2014.

Coming out of the gate, the SEC Network will present over 1000 events annually, 450 on television, across football, basketball and Olympic-style sports, the balance on digital platforms.

AT&T U-verse has signed on as SEC Network's first affiliate, 16 months ahead of its launch.

With the launch of the network, which was officially announced Thursday afternoon at a press conference in Atlanta, ESPN said it had extended its primary rights deal with the SEC through 2034, according to president John Skipper.

Click here to read the full story at Multichannel.com.