Well, we’ll keep an eye on the Big Ten Network which looks like it is working late today to pick up carriage on cable systems across the Midwest. No word if Mediacom, Time Warner or Bright House have signed up, but if they do, we’ll let you know. Insight is a big win for BTN.
Let’s give you some links.
NESN says it got big ratings for the Red Sox-Yankees game on Tuesday. Ratings for Tigers games on FSN Detroit remain strong.
William Houston of the Toronto Globe and Mail says CBC is looking to expand the Hockey Night in Canada brand by bringing it to satellite radio.
Comcast is looking to sign the Vancouver Canucks as possible programming for its new Comcast SportsNet Portland channel which already has the Trail Blazers. John Ourand of Sports Business Journal has more.
Kevin Seifert and Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune report that the Vikings are 5,800 tickets short of selling out their season opener and thus would be blacked out on TV locally. The story says the Vikings will launch an advertising campaign to get people to buy tickets as the team has not been blacked out in Minneapolis-St. Paul in ten years.
Back to the Big Ten Network, Gillian Wee of Bloomberg News writes that the channel is confident it will triple (!) its subscribers in 2 years. Bob Baptist of the Columbus Dispatch also has the story of BTN finalizing a deal with Insight Communications. We told you this last night, but Bob Baptist picks up on it as well, that the Ohio State-Youngstown State game Saturday will be on channel 218 on DirecTV. Joe Huddleston of the Mount Vernon (OH) News says fans are being left in the lurch by the Big Ten Network-Time Warner dispute.
The Detroit Free Press reports that while Comcast viewers won’t be able to watch the Big Ten Network, it will take care of Notre Dame fans with an On Demand channel.
The annual rivalry game between Colorado and Colorado State will be widely available on FSN Rocky Mountain this year unlike last year when it was on the mtn. and Versus.
SportsSouth picks up the rights to University of Tennessee sports.
Jim Corbett of USA Today reports that former Steelers coach Bill Cowher announced to CBS last week that he will not coach this year or next which means he will be seen on the NFL Today for at least two seasons.
The Detroit Pistons announce their local TV schedule on FSN and WDIV-TV.
If you’re wondering what Dan Patrick’s been up to since leaving ESPN on August 17 and filling in on WEEI last week, check out this video.
Those are your links for now. I’ll have Primetime and Late Night Viewing Picks coming up.
