Big Ten Network to air

Big Ten sports fans in Dubuque, flip to Channel 61.

Yes, it's true. The Big Network and Mediacom reached a deal Wednesday and just in time for Saturday's college football openers.

"We're very thrilled and pleased that we were able to come together, and it showed a commitment on both sides to get a deal done in time," said Elizabeth Conlisk, of the Big Ten Network.

The network has been busy all week making deals that also include Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable. Mediacom, which serves about 400,000 households in Iowa, has been negotiating with the Big Ten Network to televise games for more than a year. Terms of the deal have not been released, but local subscribers will not immediately see a rate increase, said Craig Nowack, cable TV franchise administrator for the city of Dubuque.

Mediacom will phase the network into its local cable station lineups, but already it is available in Dubuque. Where it is not currently available, Mediacom will air Saturday's games on its Mediacom Connections stations. It could take up to 30 days before

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the network is completely integrated into Mediacom's lineup.

"It may be added more quickly in some areas where we have open channels, but we may have to do some moving of channels in other areas," said Mediacom spokeswoman Phyllis Peters. "The areas where it's 30 days is not because of technology but because of regulatory requirements that we give 30 days' notification."

Nowack has waived the notification requirement in Dubuque, and Channel 61 was available.

"It has been vacant for some time and last carried the Asian Network," Nowack said. "Channel 61 will be its home, and we won't be moving any channels around."

The network televised four Iowa home football games and 24 men's basketball games last year. At least four Iowa football games will be televised this fall, including the intrastate rivalry against Iowa State on Sept. 13. Iowa hosts Maine in its opener at 11 a.m. Saturday, while at the same time, Wisconsin residents will see the Badgers opener against Akron. The Big Ten Football Saturday pregame show begins at 10 a.m.

Conlisk said demand for the network has steadily grown and Saturday's football openers were a motivating factor to get deals done with cable companies not yet on board.

"I would say that every day this week, with every subsequent deal we announced, we got more than 1,000 e-mails each day," Conlisk said. "There has been incredible interest. People who have had the network have received it well and told their friends about it, and certainly the network has been gaining popularity."

Previously, the Big Ten Network's primary providers in Iowa were DirecTV and the Dish Network. The network features live coverage of Big Ten athletics and in-depth features and previews of Big Ten teams.