CHICAGO, Ill.; June 14, 2007 - Big 12 Conference Commissioner Kevin Weiberg will join the Big Ten Network¡¯s executive team in late July, network President Mark Silverman announced today. Weiberg was deputy commissioner at the Big Ten Conference before leaving in 1998 to become the second commissioner in the Big 12¡¯s history.

¡°We are very fortunate to have someone with Kevin¡¯s expertise and successful track record joining the team that will launch the first national collegiate sports network dedicated to a single conference,¡± Silverman said. ¡°His experience and reputation in collegiate athletics will bring an added dimension to our leadership team.¡±

Weiberg, who will be vice president of university planning and development, will report directly to Silverman.

Weiberg said he is excited about the opportunity to reconnect with Big Ten universities while participating in an exciting new venture. ¡°I believe in the idea of the Big Ten Network, and believe it will be extremely successful,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a tremendous opportunity for me to be associated with a venture that has such a great future.¡±

As Big 12 commissioner, Weiberg has had a prominent role in collegiate athletics, serving terms as coordinator of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), as a member of the NCAA Division I Men¡¯s Basketball Committee and as chair of the Division I-A Collegiate Commisioners¡¯ Association. He also is on the board of directors of the Collegiate Women¡¯s Sports Award and the women¡¯s basketball officiating consortium. During his tenure, Big 12 teams have won 27 NCAA championships. And in fiscal year 2006-07, the conference distributed a record $106 million to its member institutions.

The Big Ten Network is a national television network, available to all cable and satellite providers nationwide, that will allow fans to see their home teams regardless of where they live. The network currently has national agreements in place with DirecTV and AT&T. Additionally, the network has agreements pending with more than 40 other cable operators within the eight states of the Big Ten, including one with Buckeye CableSystem in Toledo, Ohio, for more than 150,000 subscribers in northwestern Ohio and southeastern Michigan.

The network already has announced its prime-time schedule, which kicks off Sept. 1 during the opening weekend of Big Ten action. The entire 2007 Big Ten Network football schedule and other programming details will be announced as details become available.

The sports programming on the Big Ten Network and alternative platforms will include, but is not limited to:

• More than 35 football games each season
• More than 105 regular season men¡¯s basketball games, with four to six weeknight games and four to seven weekend games per week
• A nightly studio show including segments from each campus
• Women¡¯s sports, including basketball, volleyball, soccer and softball
• More than 170 Olympic sporting events including baseball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, swimming, diving and more
• Classic games and historical footage from ESPN and ABC libraries
• Original campus programming produced by Big Ten member universities showcasing their academic excellence, talented students and award-winning programs
• Weekly coaches shows

About the Big Ten Network: Launching this August, the Big Ten Network is dedicated to covering the Big Ten Conference and its 11 member institutions. The Big Ten Network will provide unprecedented access to an extensive schedule of conference sports events and shows; original programs in academics, the arts and sciences; campus activities; and associated personalities. Sports programming will include live coverage of more major men¡¯s and women¡¯s events than ever before, along with news, highlights and analysis, all complemented by hours of university-produced campus programming. The network is available to all cable and satellite carriers and television distributors nationwide, with most programs offered in stunning high-definition television (HDTV). The Big Ten Network is a joint venture between subsidiaries of the Big Ten Conference and Fox Cable Networks. For more information regarding the Big Ten Network, visit www.BigTenNetwork.com.