The Southeastern Conference and ESPN Regional Television recently announced a regionally syndicated college sports package called the SEC Network that will air in 73 television markets, reaching 47 percent of the U.S. population. The network is part of the conference’s 15-year agreement with ESPN.

Football and men’s and women’s basketball will be prominent in the telecasts, including an SEC football game of the week for 13 consecutive Saturdays with a live SEC studio show preceding each game. Talent for the weekly games will include longtime SEC announcer Dave Neal, analyst Andre Ware and reporter Cara Capuano.

The basketball package will include Wednesday and Saturday men’s games, Sunday women’s games and multiple rounds of both conference tournaments. Coverage will begin in January.

The network will be aired by the local carrier of the events within the nine states home to SEC schools. Outside the SEC footprint, the syndicated programming will air on local stations or regional sports networks.

“The SEC Network, through the efforts of ESPN, will be the largest college sports syndication television package in the country,” SEC Commissioner Mike Slive said. “The comprehensive market coverage in the nine-state SEC area, combined with the out-of-market reach, gives us significant additional exposure for our programs.”

Also this week, the conference announced the debut of SEC Gridiron LIVE, a 60-minute studio show in conjunction with Fox Sports South, Sun Sports and Fox Sports Southwest. The show will feature interviews with student-athletes and coaches, game breakdown, debate and discussion of upcoming matchups. Social networking will allow viewers the opportunity to interact with the on-air broadcast team. Charles Davis, Randy Cross and David Pollack are expected to participate in the show.

Last summer, the SEC signed a 15-year deal with ESPN reportedly worth more than $2 billion.