Tuskegee Athletics to Expand Coverage of Golden Tiger Sports Network as Part of SIAC Media Rights Deal

Tuskegee Athletics to Expand Coverage of Golden Tiger Sports Network as Part of SIAC Media Rights Deal

August 07, 2024

Contact: Jordan Benson, Tuskegee University Athletics

TUSKEGEE, Ala. - The Tuskegee Athletic Department has announced plans to expand the in-house coverage and production on the flagship program, the Golden Tiger Sports Network, as part of the conference-wide partnership with HBCU GO, Byron Allen's Media Group free-streaming platform.

Released earlier this year, HBCU GO - the leading media provider for the nation's 107 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) - has publicized a 10-year media rights partnership with the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). This agreement grants HBCU GO cable, linear, streaming, broadcast, VOD, and pay-per-view rights coverage of all SIAC team sports through 2032 worldwide. Those sports include regular season contests for football, men's basketball, women's basketball, and Olympic sports.

As part of the partnership, Tuskegee will expand the in-house production on the Golden Tiger Sports Network (GTSN). GTSN will be the one-stop shop for all Tuskegee Athletics digital content and serve as the exclusive streaming home for live and on-demand coverage of the department, with on-air talent from a pool approved by the SIAC and Commissioner Holloman.

GTSN broadcasts will include all home regular season conference and non-conference games all varsity sports at Tuskegee University, voiced by Play-by-Play veterans Charles Ward and Mark Lassiter. Fans can expect more than 80 live events to be streamed through the network on a yearly basis.

"This is a historic moment for the SIAC and Tuskegee University," Reginald Ruffin, Director of Athletics said. "Now our alumni and fans will continue to see the Tuskegee brand displayed worldwide with the HBCU GO platform. This new platform gives Tuskegee University the opportunity to increase and generate revenue to help support athletics."

The partnership with HBCU Go will boost the profile of the SIAC and Tuskegee University by providing more nationally televised athletic events than ever before. Starting with the upcoming football season, HBCU Go will televise at least nine regular-season games involving schools from the SIAC before continuing coverage for all other sports throughout the year. Viewers will be able to watch games in large markets and on TheGrio Television Network in addition to digital platforms like the HBCU GO mobile app and FAST channel, which is available on AMG's free streaming platforms TheGrio Gold and Local Now.

The HBCU Go platform is available in mobile/tablet apps (iOS and Android), connected TV device apps (AppleTV, FireTV, and Roku), and a web-based browser interface (hbcugo.tv).

"This partnership will help us continue to grow within the conference imprint, as well as help promote our in-house production and value on our Golden Tiger Sports Network. Our network will continue to be the standard, as we provide coverage for all sports in our department." Ruffin added.

For more information about HBCU GO, visit HBCUGO.tv or follow the streaming network on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Find out where to watch and download the FREE app at HBCUGO.tv.

ABOUT HBCU GO
HBCU GO is a cultural lifestyle destination and leading sports media provider that embraces and represents the voice of Black Excellence every day of the year through an all-new platform that captures the rich history, diversity, perspectives, and cultural experiences at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). HBCU GO also provides a platform for emerging creatives in media production, branding, and broadcasting. We offer our viewers the best in live sports, original series, documentaries, films, comedy, and edutainment programming produced by African American leading producers, directors, and students from select HBCUs.

Launched in 2012, the free-streaming service HBCU GO was purchased by Byron Allen in 2021 and is part of Byron Allen's Allen Media Group (AMG). AMG is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Charleston, SC. AMG owns 27 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX network affiliate broadcast television stations in 21 U.S. markets and twelve 24-hour HD television networks serving nearly 300 million subscribers: THE WEATHER CHANNEL, THE WEATHER CHANNEL EN ESPAÑOL, THEGRIO TELEVISION NETWORK, PETS.TV, COMEDY.TV, RECIPE.TV, CARS.TV, ES.TV, MYDESTINATION.TV, JUSTICECENTRAL.TV, THIS TV, and PATTRN. AMG also owns the streaming platforms HBCU GO, THE GRIO STREAMING APP, SPORTS.TV, THE WEATHER CHANNEL STREAMING APP, and LOCAL NOW -- the free-streaming AVOD service powered by THE WEATHER CHANNEL and content partners, which delivers real-time, hyper-local news, weather, traffic, sports, and lifestyle information. For more information, visit www.allenmedia.tv.

ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors seven men's and six women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit www.thesiac.com.

ABOUT TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY
Located in Tuskegee, Alabama, Tuskegee University is a private, state-related and nationally ranked land-grant institution that serves a racially, ethnically and religiously diverse student body of 3,000-plus students. The institution was founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington and is one of the nation's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges since 1933, Tuskegee's academic programs __ many accredited by their respective accrediting bodies __ currently lead to 41 bachelor's, 16 master's and five doctoral degree opportunities. For more information about Tuskegee University, visit www.tuskegee.edu.

How to Follow the Golden Tigers: For complete information on Tuskegee Golden Tigers Athletics, visit GoldenTigerSports.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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