Continued: Comcast, Big Ten make deal

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Joel Maturi was at a golf outing Monday when someone asked if he knew when Comcast would start carrying the Big Ten Network.

"I've been asked that a lot in the last year," the Gophers athletic director said. "People haven't always liked my answer."

They will now. The Big Ten Network and Comcast finally agreed to a long-term deal that was announced Thursday.

Under the agreement, the network will be available on expanded basic cable beginning Aug. 15 and extending through the 2008-09 basketball season. At that point Comcast can move the network to a digital level of service in states with Big Ten universities. Outside of the Big Ten market, Comcast can provide the network on any level of service, including its sports entertainment package.

The announcement is welcome news for Gophers fans who were unable to watch numerous events last season while the two sides dug in their heels during negotiations.

"This is a great step for the Gophers," said Maturi, who received many angry e-mails and calls the past year. "It's huge."

The impasse was especially disappointing for the Gophers because the school had new coaches in its most high-profile sports. The arrival of football coach Tim Brewster and men's basketball coach Tubby Smith sparked statewide interest, but many fans were unable to watch the product because of the BTN's stalemate with Comcast.

The football team, for example, had eight of its 12 games broadcast by the network. This season's opener on Aug. 30 against Northern Illinois will carried by the network.

The Gophers men's basketball team appeared on the network 18 times. BTN also featured a behind-the-scenes series that chronicled Smith's first season.

"This is such a great thing for Minnesota and Gophers fans," Brewster said. "We understand that everyone can't make it to games. This is such an amazing vehicle that allows us and the Big Ten to get into so many homes."

Said Smith: "We realize what it means to Golden Gopher and Big Ten Conference fans to now have an opportunity to tune in every week and watch Minnesota and the rest of the Big Ten Conference compete on the BTN."

Comcast is the largest cable provider in Minnesota, with roughly 600,000 subscribers (including western Wisconsin) and serves much of the metropolitan area.

Launched last August, the BTN demanded distribution on the expanded basic tier of the cable operators in the eight-state Big Ten region. Many operators wanted to put it on a digital sports tier, meaning those who wanted it could pay a fee.

The Chicago Tribune reported this week that the BTN reduced its per-month, per-subscriber asking price from $1.10 to 70 or 80 cents. Sources say that figure probably will be around 70 cents per subscriber.

"We are very pleased to have reached an agreement for digital carriage of the BTN that gives us flexibility on its carriage, including previewing it on our expanded basic service during the upcoming college football and basketball seasons, as well as a significant amount of content that we will deliver through video on demand and Comcast.net," said Mary Beth Schubert, Comcast's vice president for corporate affairs.

Minnesota, like every Big Ten school, is already guaranteed $7.5 million a year from the venture, but the Comcast agreement helps the network's long-term viability.

Charter Communications, which has about 300,000 subscribers in Minnesota, and Mediacom, which is right around 110,000, still do not have deals with the network, but network and Gophers officials hope that Thursday's announcement will speed up those negotiations.

Staff writer Judd Zulgad contributed to this report.

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