22 Nationally Televised Meets; Seven Consecutive-Weeks Scheduled for “Friday Night Heights” Doubleheaders

The 2016 gymnastics season vaults onto television screens nationwide, Friday, Jan. 15 with a doubleheader that begins with defending Southeastern Conference champions, Alabama, facing conference opponent Missouri at 7 p.m. ET, on SEC Network. This year’s national television schedule includes 22 meets available on either ESPN2, ESPNU or SEC Network. After successfully producing 10 meets live on television for the first time last season, SEC Network expanded live coverage in the 2016 schedule to 15 meets including the SEC Gymnastics Championship. All 22 television meets will be streamed live on WatchESPN.

The SEC dominated the 2015 season with five teams listed in the nation’s Top 10 rankings and the Florida Gators capturing the National title. The SEC holds 11 national titles since 2000.

Items of note in the 2016 SEC Gymnastics television schedule:

• “Friday Night Heights”: Fridays will continue to be must-watch television for gymnastics fans. SEC Network opens the schedule with back-to-back meets on Friday, Jan. 15, the first of seven consecutive weeks of live primetime doubleheaders on the network
• Champions Tilt: The 2015 SEC Champions, Alabama, face the 2015 NCAA champions, Florida, on Friday, Jan. 29 on SEC Network
• Rivals: Georgia at Alabama, gymnastics fiercest rivalry as documented in the SEC Storied film “Sarah and Suzanne,” closes out SEC Network’s Friday Night  Heights gymnastics series Feb. 26
• First Time Feats: Both sessions of the SEC Gymnastics Championships will be available live on a linear platform for the first time this year. It was previously aired in tape delay on ESPN2
• But wait, there’s more: SEC Network + events, additional school produced meets available exclusively via WatchESPN to SEC Network subscribers, will be released at a later date

*tape delayed
**reairs

-30-

The SEC Network
The Southeastern Conference and ESPN have a 20-year agreement through 2034 to create and operate a multiplatform network which launched August 14, 2014. The new network and its accompanying digital platform carry SEC content 24/7 and featured more than 1,400 live events the first year. The network televises over 45 SEC football games, more than 100 men’s basketball games, 60 women’s basketball games, 75 baseball games, and events from across the SEC’s 21 sports annually. Programming includes in-depth commentary and analysis in studio shows, daily news and information, original content such as SEC Storied, spring football games, and more. The network has 70 million subscribers in the US and is also available in more than 50 countries throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa via ESPN Player, ESPN’s sports streaming service in the region.   Hundreds of additional live events from various sports are offered exclusively as SEC Network+ events via WatchESPN and SECNetwork.com through authenticated access from AT&T U-verse, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DIRECTV, DISH, Google Fiber, Suddenlink, Verizon FiOS and members of the NCTC, NRTC and NTTC.