CSTV and Comcast Team Up to Launch 'The mtn.,' MountainWest Sports Network20 July 2006
CSTV Networks, Inc. and Comcast are teaming up to launch The mtn. - MountainWest Sports Network, which will deliver to fans the full action and excitement of Mountain West Conference athletics. The announcement was made today by Brian Bedol, President and CEO, CSTV Networks, Inc., Jack Williams, President and CEO, Comcast SportsNet, and Craig Thompson, Commissioner, Mountain West Conference (MWC).
The mtn., which will bring unprecedented exposure to Mountain West Conference athletics, will initially premiere on Comcast systems in Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, including expanded basic service in the Salt Lake City market, and digital cable service in the Denver, Colorado Springs, and Albuquerque markets. These markets are home to more than half of the MWC's nine members which include: the Air Force Academy; Brigham Young University; Colorado State University; San Diego State University; TCU; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; University of New Mexico; University of Utah; and University of Wyoming.
The mtn. will be available to cable and satellite providers throughout the nation. Comcast and CSTV each own 50% of the network, which will be managed by Comcast. Additionally, CSTV will be added to Comcast's digital basic systems in Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.
"Comcast is the perfect partner for The mtn.," Bedol said. "Not only does the company have a strong connection with these markets, they understand the value of quality programming and know what it takes to launch and maintain a successful sports network. This is a tremendous step for The mtn., which has already established its leadership position as the first network dedicated to exclusively covering a collegiate conference, offering more games and more sports than have ever been available before."
Williams said, "Comcast and CSTV are leaders in connecting fans with the teams they're passionate about through innovative sports programming. This partnership capitalizes on our collective sports media expertise, Comcast's distribution resources, and the action and excellence of MWC athletics. Sports fans have a new home for more MWC action than ever before and The mtn. has a solid foundation for growth."
"Through the collaborative efforts of CSTV, Comcast and the Mountain West Conference, The mtn. will be prominently positioned as not only the first network devoted to a single league, but also as an industry leader in both television programming and intercollegiate athletics," said MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson. "This is another major step towards building the Mountain West brand and we would like to express our appreciation to both CSTV and Comcast for their efforts."
The mtn. will give fans access to more MWC athletics than has ever been offered before across 19 different conference sports, including at least 25 football games, 75 men's basketball games, women's basketball games, conference championships, and men's and women's Olympic sports, such as swimming and diving, soccer, and tennis. The mtn. will also carry press conferences, coaches' shows, pep rallies, and feature stories on athletes and coaches. Other programming will tap into local sports culture. Supplemental MWC coverage, including selected football and basketball games, will appear on CSTV and Comcast's OLN network, which will be changing its name to Versus in September 2006.
In addition to televised coverage, fans will experience integrated multimedia cross-platform coverage of MWC athletics. This agreement includes rights for coverage on a myriad of other platforms, including Comcast's signature video on demand service, CSTV.com's industry-leading broadband product, high definition, wireless devices, as well as on iTunes and podcasts.
About CSTV Networks
CSTV Networks, Inc., now part of the CBS Corporation, is the leading digital and cable programming company dedicated to college sports. Connecting more fans to more college sports than any other company, its many platforms for programming distribution include CSTV: College Sports TV, televising regular-season and championship events for 35 men's and women's college sports; CSTV.com and its network of nearly 250 official athletic sites; CSTV All Access, broadband services providing live audio and video of more than 10,000 events annually; as well as satellite television and radio, in-flight entertainment, wireless networks and more. Further information is available at http://www.CSTV.com.
About Comcast
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA; CMCSK) (http://www.comcast.com) is the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services. With 21.7 million cable customers, 9.0 million high-speed Internet customers, and 1.5 million voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of broadband cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.
The Company's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, The Golf Channel, OLN, G4, AZN Television, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One and four regional Comcast SportsNets. The Company also has a majority ownership in Comcast Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia. Comcast Class A common stock and Class A Special common stock trade on The NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbols CMCSA and CMCSK, respectively.
About The Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference is one of the top collegiate conferences in the college sports arena and is comprised of nine Division I-A institutions including, The United States Air Force Academy, Brigham Young University, Colorado State University, University of New Mexico, and University of Nevada, Las Vegas, San Diego State University, Texas Christian University, University of Utah and the University of Wyoming.
Source: prnewswire
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