Sept. 29, 2007
HERNDON, VA and CHICAGO, IL - RCN Corporation (NASDAQ: RCNI), a leading provider of video, data, and voice services to residential, small business and commercial customers, and the Big Ten Network announced that RCN will provide Big Ten Network to its expanded basic television customers in metropolitan Chicago and in its Pennsylvania markets in time for this weekend's football action.
RCN has more than 100,000 expanded basic cable customers in Eastern Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley and will carry today's Penn State at Illinois football game at 12:00 p.m. ET. The Network will also be airing the Penn State-Northwestern men's soccer game tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET and Sunday's 3:00 p.m. ET Penn State-Illinois women's soccer contest.
By adding RCN, Big Ten Network has recently entered into carriage agreements with every one of the major alternatives to the biggest cable system operators that currently provide local service within the eight states where there are Big Ten institutions. The agreement helps boost Big Ten Network's reach beyond 30 million homes, making Big Ten Network the only new network in cable or satellite television history to surpass 30 million homes in its first 30 days. In fact, no other new cable or satellite network has surpassed 30 million homes in its first year, and only five others have achieved that milestone within their first two years.
"RCN prides itself on providing our customers with comprehensive choices in sports programming. Therefore we are excited to bring the Big Ten Network to two of the most important areas surrounding Big Ten institutions," said RCN President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Aquino. "We're pleased to have reached an agreement to bring the Big Ten Network to our customers throughout Chicago and our Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania markets where these schools and their activities are often seen as cornerstones to the local community."
Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman added: ""RCN is a very important addition to our growing list of distributors, because they offer another exciting alternative to the people in Chicago, Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley markets who consider themselves part of the Big Ten community. We've now reached agreements with every one of the top alternative video, satellite and even telephony-based video suppliers serving the eight states where there are Big Ten institutions, plus another 140 or so smaller, community-based cable systems. Though we have a ways to go, we're very proud that Big Ten Network is the first new network in the history of cable or satellite television to surpass 30 million homes within its first 30 days on the air.""
The Big Ten Network will be carried on RCN's expanded basic service in Chicago communities including the Gold Coast lakefront, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Streeterville, Hyde Park, Rogers Park and several other regions that surround Northwestern University. RCN will similarly provide Big Ten Network to its expanded basic customers in Eastern Pennsylvania and Lehigh Valley, adjacent to Big Ten powerhouse Penn State University.
With the addition of RCN, the Big Ten Network counts half of the largest video service providers in the eight states where there are Big Ten universities among its early carriers. Big Ten Network offers fans 400 live events this year, including 39 football games, 140 regular season men's basketball games, Big Ten Championships and other NCAA championship sports, with most carried in stunning high-definition.
About RCN Corporation RCN Corporation, http://www.rcn.com, is one of the largest facilities-based competitive providers of bundled cable, high-speed internet and phone services delivered over its own fiber-optic local network to residential, small business and commercial customers in the most densely populated markets in the U.S. RCN provides service in the Boston, Chicago, Eastern Pennsylvania, New York, and Washington, D.C. metropolitan markets. In addition, RCN operates two commercial divisions - RCN Business Services, a provider of bulk video, broadband internet access and voice services to small and medium business customers, and RCN Business Solutions, a fiber facilities-based provider of high-availability telecommunication services to both retail and wholesale business customers
About the Big Ten Network Big Ten Network is dedicated to covering the Big Ten Conference and its 11 member institutions. Big Ten Network provides unprecedented access to an extensive schedule of conference sports events and shows and original programs in academics, the arts and sciences, campus activities and associated personalities. Sports programming includes live coverage of more major men's and women's events than ever before, along with news, highlights and analysis. The network is available to all cable and satellite carriers and television distributors nationwide, with most programs offered in stunning high-definition television (HDTV). Big Ten Network, launched August 30, 2007, is a partnership between the Big Ten Conference and Fox Cable Networks.