Aug. 24, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State fans served by Comcast for their cable needs are unlikely to be able to see the Nittany Lions' opening game against Florida International on Sept. 1, or any other Big Ten contests on the network that day, unless they switch cable providers.
Fox Cable Networks, involved in launching the Big Ten Network, predicted it will not be able to reach a distribution agreement with Comcast to carry the Big Ten Network before the Aug. 30 launch of the new venture.
"The fact is that Comcast is unwilling to negotiate with us," said Bob Thompson, president of Fox National Cable Sports Networks, who is working closely with the Big Ten Network during its initial stages and is a member of the network's Board of Directors. "Anyone who lives in an area serviced by Comcast who wants to make sure they don't miss a game had better make alternative plans."
The Big Ten Network, dedicated to showcasing the nation's premier athletic and academic conference -- which includes Penn State -- has been negotiating with local cable operators to carry it in the eight-state footprint of the Big Ten schools. The network currently has carriage commitments with approximately 100 smaller cable operators, as well as national providers DirecTV (Ch. 220) and AT&T, and is in productive discussions with the majority of the nation's five largest cable operators.
Additionally, Penn State campus cable will carry the network, and numerous establishments in the State College area will have the network available. D&E Communications in State College and Lewisburg will carry the network as well.
"For many weeks now representatives of Big Ten Network have said that our initial asking price is negotiable, but Comcast operatives continue to portray our position on this as intractable, which is false," Thompson said. "We have proposed a lower rate to them, and still they choose to confuse consumers by saying we won't budge."
Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany said, "It's unfortunate but clear that Comcast refuses to negotiate and would rather devote its energy to confusing the public. I have to believe that focusing our attention on more productive negotiations with other operators is the right thing to do."
The Big Ten Network will televise 350-400 events during its inaugural year, including at least 35 football games, more than 125 men's basketball games, including 64 of the 99 intra-conference games, women's basketball and more than 170 Olympic sport events.
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 (Ch. 220) and AT&T and agreements with more than 90 cable operators within the eight states of the Big Ten. In total, the network currently is available to viewers in more than 16 million homes. The Big Ten Network is a joint venture between subsidiaries of the Big Ten Conference and Fox Cable Networks.
The Big Ten Network will air more than 600 hours of Penn State programming during its inaugural year. The vast majority of Penn State's 29 varsity sports will be featured on the Big Ten Network in 2007-08, in addition to at least 60 hours of institutional, non-athletic programming.
At least three Penn State football games and approximately 20 Nittany Lion basketball games will air on the Big Ten Network during the upcoming year, including the season opening football game with Florida International on Sept. 1 at 12:00 p.m.. At least 15 of Penn State's conference men's basketball games will air on the network.
Penn State's field hockey, women's volleyball and men's and women's soccer teams will appear on the Big Ten Network this fall, with the schedule to be announced soon.
To get the Big Ten Network, fans should call 1-866-WANT-B10 and record a message or be patched through to their cable operator.
For more information on the Big Ten Network, visit http://www.BigTenNetwork.com