NCAA Basketball Big Ten Network

The long, long, long, long rumored Big Ten Network-Comcast deal is done:

Comcast Corporation and the Big Ten Network announced today that they have reached a long-term multimedia agreement for Comcast to carry Big Ten Network programming across television, broadband and video-on-demand in time for the 2008 college football season.

As to the key issue -- a potential move off expanded basic after an eight-month "trial" -- discussed in last night's post: sports tiers are off the table.

Under the terms of the agreement, Comcast will initially launch the Network as part of its expanded basic level of service... In Spring 2009, Comcast may elect to move the network to a broadly distributed digital level of service in most of its systems in these states.

This isn't quite "expanded basic or death" like the Big Ten wanted but it's not Bennigan's coupons. 80% of the BTN footprint already has digital and that number will only increase going forward. The important thing: no sports tiers in the footprint. Outside the footprint, Comcast can put it wherever it wants, which means sports tier. Overall: a win for the Big Ten, especially if Charter, Mediacom, and Time Warner follow suit.

One final note: we at the Fanhouse would like to bid adieu to Sparky, the jean-shorts-wearing boxing guy who was our mascot during the protracted standoff. You and your preposterously oversized gloves will be missed. Godspeed.

Let's have a parade.

The Fanhouse has told you this at least thrice before, but here it is again: the Big Ten Network and Comcast are about to make a deal. So says everybody. This one's from the Chicago Tribune:

Comcast and the BTN are prepared to put nearly two years of bitter negotiations aside to announce a long-term partnership, the Tribune has learned.

"For all intents and purposes, it's done," one source close to the negotiations said Sunday. Technically, it's not done. But sources expect the deal will be completed and unveiled this week.

(Link via Spartans Weblog.) What's more, the Big Ten Network will provide on demand content including classic games and condensed "snap to snap" replays.

The price? somewhere between 70 and 80 cents, which is some way off the $1.10 that was bandied about as the BTN's asking price during the contentious PR battle waged last summer but also way, way higher than the 25 cents a Comcast vice president told me was the most they'd pay for the network.