Big Ten Gets Mediacom Carriage

The Big Ten Network announced its third cable carriage deal in a week, adding Mediacom Communications to its list Thursday, just in time for the college conference’s football season kickoff.

 The Middletown, N.Y.-based multiple system operator – which is the nation’s eighth largest -- joins Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications in recent Big Ten deals. All agreements are for cable systems where the Big Ten athletic conference has universities, which is the Midwest and Pennsylvania.

 Fox Cable Networks, which negotiates carriage, is in a 20-year partnership with Big Ten conference.   

 Thursday’s press release says, “Mediacom will launch the Big Ten Network in phases on its expanded basic level of service in states with Big Ten universities. The agreement also includes the Network’s high-definition and video-on-demand programming.”