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D&E Communications to Carry Big Ten Network in Central Pennsylvania
Aug. 22, 2007 Penn State's home football schedule is one of the hottest tickets in the nation, with all seven games at Beaver Stadium this season sold out. Fans without tickets to the Sept. 1 Florida International game will have another option to watch it, as another cable carrier has signed on to carry the Big Ten Network. D&E Communications, Inc. announced today that it will carry the Big Ten Network when the network launches on Aug. 30. Dave Moore, D&E Vice President of Marketing, and Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman made the announcement. Additionally, Penn State campus cable, DirecTV and AT&T will carry the network, and numerous establishments in the State College area will have the network available. D&E customers in State College and Lewisburg will receive the Big Ten Network on channel 68 in D&E's expanded cable package. In making the announcement, Moore said that D&E believes the national network, dedicated to showcasing the nation's premier athletic and academic conference, will be an instant hit with Penn State fans in the area. "We're really very pleased that our customers will be able to get the Big Ten Network on channel 68 from the beginning," Moore continued. "Our service area, which includes State College, is obviously Big Ten country, and I expect the Big Ten Network to become a popular destination very, very quickly." Silverman said in agreeing to carry the network, D&E Communications is in tune with its customers - the passionate Penn State and Big Ten fans who live in central Pennsylvania. "D&E Communications believes that the network is compelling and attractive to its subscribers, who will enjoy unparalleled coverage of Big Ten sports, as well as campus programming featuring entertaining stories about what's happening at their favorite universities," he said. Most of the Centre Region is served by Comcast Cable, which has not yet indicated it plans to carry the Big Ten Network to tens of thousands of Penn State students, employees, alumni and fans who subscribe to the cable service in State College and the surrounding area. At Penn State, the Big Ten Network will reach most residence hall students, 7,300 rooms in all. Campus cable also reaches 380 housing lounges and common areas, as well as 775 outlets in other buildings. 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. Numerous local establishments have indicated that they will have the Big Ten Network available. They include:
American Ale House - 821 Cricklewood Drive, State College The Big Ten Network will televise 350-400 events during its inaugural year, including at least 35 football games, more than 125 men's basketball games, including 64 of the 99 intra-conference games, women's basketball and more than 170 Olympic sport events. The Big Ten Network is a national television network, available to all cable and satellite providers nationwide, that will allow fans to see their home teams regardless of where they live. The network currently has national agreements in place with DirecTV (Ch. 220) and AT&T and agreements with more than 90 cable operators within the eight states of the Big Ten. In total, the network currently is available to viewers in more than 16 million homes. The Big Ten Network is a joint venture between subsidiaries of the Big Ten Conference and Fox Cable Networks. The Big Ten Network will air more than 600 hours of Penn State programming during its inaugural year. 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. At least three Penn State football games and approximately 20 Nittany Lion basketball games will air on the Big Ten Network during the upcoming year, including the season opening football game with Florida International on Sept. 1 at 12:00 p.m.. At least 15 of Penn State's conference men's basketball games will air on the network. Penn State's field hockey, women's volleyball and men's and women's soccer teams will appear on the Big Ten Network this fall, with the schedule to be announced soon. For more information regarding the Big Ten Network, visit www.BigTenNetwork.com. D&E is an integrated communications provider offering high-speed data, Internet access, local and long distance telephone, data, professional IT services, network monitoring, security solutions and video services. Based in Lancaster County, D&E has been serving communities in central Pennsylvania for more than 100 years. For more information, visit www.decommunications.com, or call 1-877-4DE-TODAY to sign up for service, which includes the Big Ten Network in its expanded cable package.
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