The Big Ten Network, which already has an agreement with DirecTV, is nearing its first major cable deal with Comcast. As reported by Broadcasting & Cable:

A source close to the talks confirmed that Comcast and Big Ten Network are close to a carriage deal that will put the sports network into about 5 million homes for what is described as an extended-basic preview, but one that will last probably from August (the beginning of football season) through March (college basketball).

According to the source, Comcast will be paying “on the low side” of a 70-to 80-cent-per-subscriber price for the channel, down from the reported $1.10 Big Ten Network had been asking.

The source also states that although a deal is near, there is no official agreement. The deal would be limited “to the eight-state area hosting Big Ten college sports teams”.  Comcast will carry the network on a different sports platform outside of those markets.

OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK

• Nat's Chartese Burnett Awarded for Cancer Fundraising - The Biz of Baseball
• Fire in the Hole! Mariners Fire Bavasi. Mets Can Randolph - The Biz of Baseball
• State of Major League Baseball - 2008 - The Biz of Baseball
• Sunday MLB on TBS: Comments from Red Sox/Reds Game - The Biz of Baseball
• Baseball World Mourns the Loss of NBCÂ’s Tim Russert - The Biz of Baseball
• Rangers Offer Promotion with Gas Cards - The Biz of Baseball
• Interview - Tim Marchman - New York Sun - The Biz of Baseball
• Tim Donaghy’s Tales - The Biz of Basketball
• Ex-Ref Donaghy Claims NBA Playoff Games Were Altered. See Video of David Stern’s Response - The Biz of Basketball
• Pistons Name Michael Curry as Head Coach - The Biz of Basketball
• Judge Rules on Motions Filed in Sonics Trial - The Biz of Basketball
• AEG Reaches 5-Year Agreement with Blazers to Run Rose Garden Arena - The Biz of Basketball
• NHL 2K9, First Officially Licensed Game by NHL and NHLPA for Wii, Coming this Fall - The Biz of Hockey
• Dion Phaneuf Selected for Cover of EA Sports "NHL 09" - The Biz of Hockey
• NBC Reports 6.8 Million Viewers for Game 6. Up 111% from 2006 - The Biz of Hockey
• Post-Game Commentary from Babcock, Zetterberg, Lidstrom, Osgood, Therrien, Crosby, Lemieux, Whitney, and Malkin - The Biz of Hockey
• TV Ratings for Decisive Game 6 of Stanley Cup Up Dramatically From Last Game 6 Played - The Biz of Hockey
• Dion Phaneuf Selected for Cover of EA Sports "NHL 09" - The Biz of Hockey
• NHL.com Breaks All-Time Record for Number of Fans Consuming Streaming Video - The Biz of Hockey
• NHL Renews Agreement with Anheuser-Busch for Bud Light - The Biz of Hockey

Nick Kappel is a staff member for the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey.

He can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network's Author Profiles

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed