Pac-12 Network to be launched in 2012

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In New York on Wednesday, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott announced the creation of a new Pac-12 network by creating one national network and six regional channels.

The regional six regional networks to be launched in 2012 will be dedicated to Washington, serving Washington State and Washington; Oregon for Oregon and Oregon State; Northern California, for Cal and Stanford; Southern California for USC and UCLA; and the Mountain States for Colorado and Utah.

According to Scott, the regional networks will be carried locally on basic and digital cable, and the national network will be on sports tiers that require an extra fee.

The regional networks will be carried locally, within their geographically proscribed areas, on basic and digital cable, and the national network will be shown on sports tiers that require an extra fee.

So far the Pac-12 has signed cable operators Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Cox and BrightHouse to carry the networks. Scott said there was no immediate plan to be, for example, on DirecTV, but that could happen someday. Scott said that 350 sporting events will appear on the national Pac-12 channel and another 500 ‘will populate the regional feeds,’ he said. The conference will keep ownership of the channels, Scott said.

The announcement was made in New York right before the Pac-12 football coaches were to conduct an East Coast media day.

Scott called the arrangement ‘cutting edge.’

‘It will be embracing technology television everywhere networks are available on any device, as long as a consumer can authenticate through a cable subscription.’

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-- Diane Pucin