Comcast reaches agreement to carry NFL Network, ESPNU

Comcast announced separate deals with the NFL and ESPN on Tuesday that should come as good news to sports fans who are customers of the cable giant.

Comcast, which has 560,000 video customers in the Twin Cities area, settled its legal feud with the NFL and reached a long-term agreement to carry the league's network on its Digital Classic level of service instead of the more expensive Sports Entertainment Package. That is key in part because the NFL Network airs eight regular-season games each year. The Associated Press reported the deal is for 10 years.

Shortly after its truce with the NFL was made official, Comcast revealed it will begin providing ESPNU on its Digital Classic tier in time for the start of college football season. Comcast also will add ESPN360.com to its Internet service (www.comcast.net). Neither ESPNU or ESPN360 previously had been available through the provider.

The University of Minnesota should be pleased because Gophers football and basketball games have been carried on ESPNU and ESPN360 in recent years. ESPNU also carries postseason men's college hockey games.

The agreement between Comcast and the NFL comes after the NFL Network nearly was taken off the cable provider on May 1 because the two sides could not agree on what level of service the league's channel should be provided. It's expected the NFL Network will be placed on the Digital Classic level of all Comcast systems by Aug. 1.

That means that instead of being available in a little more than 2 million homes nationally, the NFL Network will be seen in approximately 10.8 million Comcast households.

The terms of this agreement also could help establish the guidelines for the league's negotiations with cable operators that don't carry the network. This includes Charter and Mediacom, which both serve portions of Minnesota.

One reason why Comcast was willing to do this deal was because the NFL offered the opportunity to carry its RedZone Channel, which airs live look-ins at games each Sunday and probably will end up on a premium tier. Brian Roberts, chairman and CEO of Comcast, said moving the NFL Network to a more accessible tier does not mean rates will increase.

"I don't believe we plan to have a specific charge as such," he said.

The Associated Press reports the deal would cost Comcast 40 cents to 45 cents per subscriber, down from the NFL's previous asking price of 70 cents.

Meanwhile, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also announced Tuesday at the league meetings in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that the NFL has reached two-year contract extensions with CBS (AFC games) and Fox (NFC) that will now take those contracts through the 2013 season. That gives each network an additional Super Bowl and called for only a 1 to 2 percent increase over the current rights deals.

Fox, CBS and ESPN's contracts with the NFL now go through 2013; NBC's deal for Sunday night games currently is set to expire after 2011.