SEC hopes to have TV deals renegotiated by end of the year

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The SEC hopes to have television negotiations completed -- including the mysterious Project X SEC Network – by the year of the commissioner Mike Slive said Saturday night.

Slive fielded questions at halftime of the Missouri-Georgia game and was asked about ongoing TV negotiations. The conference is seeking not only more money for its two teams but wants to launch a network that would rival the Big Ten Network, currently the industry standard.

“I hope that we will have something in place, hopefully, by the end of the calendar year, if not a bit sooner than that,” Slive said.

When asked if this included the new network, Slive said, “Project X has become Project SEC.”

SEC schools currently make approximately $20 million each per year in its current deal with ESPN and CBS. The league is in negotiations with each partner for more money. It is not believed that CBS is interested in partnering on the network.

Slive told CBSSports.com in November that it would exercise an option to “look in” to the contracts after adding A&M and Missouri. Saturday is believed to be the first time Slive has put such a precise timeline on the negotiations.