Herndon, Va. and Chicago -- RCN Corporation, a leading provider of video, data and voice services to residential, small business and commercial customers, and the Big Ten Network announced Friday (Sept. 28) night that RCN will provide Big Ten Network to its expanded basic television customers in metropolitan Chicago and in its Pennsylvania markets in time for last Saturday's football action.
RCN will provide Big Ten Network to its more than 100,000 expanded basic customers in Eastern Pennsylvania and Lehigh Valley.
The Big Ten Network will be carried on RCN's expanded basic service in several Chicago communities that surround Northwestern University.
The Big Ten Network also announced Friday that WideOpenWest (WOW!), the nation's largest alternative cable video services provider and 11th-largest system operator overall, would provide Big Ten Network to its expanded basic television customers throughout Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana, in time for last Saturday's (Sept. 29) football games on the network.
With more than 400,000 subscribers, WOW provides bundled television, high-speed Internet and telephony services to major Midwest markets in the Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, as well as Evansville, Ind., areas.
By adding RCN and WOW!, Big Ten Network has recently entered into carriage agreements with every one of the major alternatives to the biggest cable system operators that currently provide local service within the eight states where there are Big Ten institutions.
The agreements help boost the Big Ten Network's reach beyond 30 million homes, making Big Ten Network the only new network in cable or satellite television history to surpass 30 million homes in its first 30 days. In fact, no other new cable or satellite network has surpassed 30 million homes in its first year, and only five others have achieved that milestone within their first two years.
"RCN prides itself on providing our customers with comprehensive choices in sports programming. Therefore, we are excited to bring the Big Ten Network to two of the most important areas surrounding Big Ten institutions," said RCN President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Aquino. "We're pleased to have reached an agreement to bring the Big Ten Network to our customers throughout Chicago and our Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania markets where these schools and their activities are often seen as cornerstones to the local community."
Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman added, "RCN is a very important addition to our growing list of distributors, because they offer another exciting alternative to the people in Chicago, Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley markets who consider themselves part of the Big Ten community. We've now reached agreements with every one of the top alternative video, satellite and even telephony-based video suppliers serving the eight states where there are Big Ten institutions, plus another 140 or so smaller, community-based cable systems. Though we have a ways to go, we're very proud that Big Ten Network is the first new network in the history of cable or satellite television to surpass 30 million homes within its first 30 days on the air."
With the addition of RCN, the Big Ten Network counts half of the largest video service providers in the eight states where there are Big Ten universities among its early carriers.
Big Ten Network offers fans 400 live events this year, including 39 football games, 140 regular season men's basketball games, including 64 of the 99 intra-conference games, women's basketball, Big Ten Championships and other NCAA championship sports, with most carried in stunning high-definition.
The Big Ten Network will air approximately 70 live Penn State events during its inaugural year, including last Saturday's football game at Illinois. The vast majority of Penn State's 29 varsity sports will be featured on the Big Ten Network in 2007-08, in addition to at least 60 hours of institutional, non-athletic programming.
To get the Big Ten Network, fans should call 1-866-WANT-B10 and record a message or be patched through to their cable operator and request that the network be a part of their expanded basic package.
For more information regarding the Big Ten Network, visit http://www.BigTenNetwork.com online.