Insight agrees to carry Big Ten Network |
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Published
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Wed, 29 Aug 2007 21:58
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NEW YORK (AP) - Insight Communications Inc. agreed to carry the Big Ten Network on half of its cable systems, the company said Wednesday, putting the regional sports network in two Big Ten markets in time for the start of the college football season.New York-based Insight, currently the nation's ninth-largest cable operator with 1.4 million households, will distribute the network to 640,000 households, including in Columbus, Ohio -- home to Ohio State University -- and Evansville, Ind., near Indiana University.The Insight deal is the biggest distribution agreement with a cable operator for the fledgling sports network, which is a joint venture between the schools of the Big Ten Conference and Fox Cable Networks. Neither Insight nor the Big Ten Network would disclose the financial terms.The network has national agreements with satellite television operator DirecTV Group Inc. and telecommunications company AT&T Inc.'s U-Verse video product, according to a spokeswoman.A Big Ten Network spokeswoman said 18 million households will have access to the network when it starts broadcasting Thursday at 8 p.m. EDT -- most of them through DirecTV's satellite service.The company is still trying to reach deals with the country's two largest cable operators, Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable Inc. The network is asking that it be carried on those companies' basic cable packages in Big Ten media markets.Insight will carry the network on its expanded basic packages in Columbus and Evansville. In its Kentucky markets, which are not home to any Big Ten schools, Insight will broadcast the network on digital cable packages.The cable company also operates in Illinois and other parts of Indiana, but those businesses are not covered by the agreement because Insight recently agreed to sell them to Comcast.The conference, which has 11 members, also has schools in Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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