The stalemate is over, the deal is done, and Atlantic Broadband subscribers no longer have to worry about how they will watch Penn State football games.
Blair County's largest cable provider and the Big Ten Network announced Monday they have come to a carriage agreement, ending a two-year impasse. The Big Ten Network will be available on Atlantic Broadband's value level of service, and other more expensive levels, beginning Sept. 1.
The deal comes just in time for football fans as the Nittany Lions open their season Sept. 5 and will have their first three games televised by BTN.
"We are particularly pleased that we have reached this agreement with the Big Ten Network in time for the start of the Penn State football season," David Dane, Atlantic Broadband senior vice president and regional general manager, said during a press conference at Penn State Altoona.
Dane went on to note, "The negotiations were tough, long and sometimes arduous, but we stuck with it. All of us were committed to serving the best interests of Penn State, Penn State fans and Atlantic Broadband customers."
The BTN will be channel 66 on Atlantic Broadband's value and digital levels of service and channel 766 on the high-definition service. About 90 percent of subscribers have at least the value level of service, Dane said.
"The Big Ten Network is thrilled to add Atlantic Broadband to our growing list of affiliates," BTN president Mark Silverman said.
Penn State athletic director Tim Curley also used the word "thrilled" when discussing the agreement. The Big Ten Network is now available in about 80 percent of Pennsylvania homes, Silverman said, and Curley pointed out it's vital that passionate Penn State fans get to watch their team.
Not only will the first three football games be on BTN this fall, possibly two or three more of the Lions' 12 regular-season games will, too. That could include a potentially season-shaping game at Illinois in Week 5.
"This is Penn State country," Curley said, "and this is an important area for us to make sure that we provide a vehicle for [fans to watch games]."
Dane would not divulge specifics about the deal, but he said the two sides reached a multi-year agreement for the value level of service.
Other BTN deals with cable operators have called for a one-year commitment on the value or basic level. The cable operators then had an option to move the network to a more expensive level of service after the first year.
The major sticking point in negotiations was that Atlantic Broadband did not believe the network belonged on the value level. The company felt it should be on a more expensive level that customers could receive if they wanted to pay extra.
Football has been the most important component of the negotiations, but the success of the Penn State men's basketball team last season helped make the network more appealing. The network is expected to carry more than 20 games for the defending NIT champions this season.
"Basketball season last year was a little bit of a surprise to us," Dane said before adding, "We began to realize that there was really a lot more value to the Big Ten Network than simply the three-four football games that had been previously broadcast in years past."
It took two years to reach an agreement, but both sides pointed out Monday that negotiations never got contentious.
"There was always the effort to try and figure out how to get a deal done," Silverman said.
Dane made a point to address Penn State fans who had contacted him or his company about adding BTN. He said he became "pen pals" with some fans during the long negotiation process.
"I really applaud the professionalism and the level of courtesy extended to me by the Penn State fans ... They were persistent, but in a very nice way," Dane said.
