Aug. 14, 2008

CHICAGO - Comcast, the nation's largest cable television provider, launches the Big Ten Network on Friday. Nittany Lion fans with the network will be able to watch up to 70 Penn State events in high definition and approximately 400 live Big Ten events overall this year.

Channel numbers will vary by Comcast system and level of service customers receive. Beginning Friday, Comcast subscribers within the Big Ten's eight-state footprint can find their Big Ten Network channel number by using the ChannelFinder tool at www.BigTenNetwork.com. On the website, viewers can enter their zip code and select their provider and level of service to determine their local channel assignment. Subscribers outside of the eight-state footprint should contact their local Comcast office.

In the State College area, the Big Ten Network will air on Channel 55 for Comcast customers with standard cable, on Channel 257 for customers with Digital Classic and on Channel 191 for HD customers. Please click here for additional Network channel listings.

"We are very pleased that Penn State alumni and fans that have Comcast Cable will have access to the Big Ten Network as the new school year approaches," said Tim Curley, Director of Athletics. "More than 80 percent of cable subscribers in Pennsylvania will be able to watch the vast majority of Penn State teams on the Network. The growing number of viewers will be very impressed with the Network's programming schedule and the quality of the telecasts, 95 percent of which will be in HD. The Video on Demand platform also is a great feature for Comcast subscribers."

At 9:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 21, fans will get a rare opportunity to look inside a Penn State football practice. A 90-minute Big Ten Tonight: Penn State Football Practice will take fans to State College to see how the Nittany Lions are preparing for the season. The show will include interviews with coaches and players, team and individual drills and observations from host Dave Revsine and analysts Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith. Big Ten Tonight is taking viewers to a preseason football practice at each Big Ten school this month, and Penn State is the final stop on the tour.

At 6:30 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 25, the Big Ten Tonight: Penn State Football Preview will give fans all the information they need to get ready for the 2008 season in 30 minutes. The Nittany Lions open the season Aug. 30, hosting Coastal Carolina at 12:00 p.m. The contest will air on the Big Ten Network, the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com, the official website of Penn State Athletics.

The Big Ten Network also will televise the Nittany Lions' Sept. 20 game with Temple at 12:00 p.m. and at least one conference clash this season.

Additional Big Ten football programming includes Big Ten Tonight, the only nightly sports show dedicated to covering the Big Ten, airing at 10:00 p.m. ET and Big Ten Friday Night Tailgate presented by Nissan, the irreverent, off-beat program that airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. ET and captures the excitement of game week on campus;.

The network is offered in both standard and high definition. All football games that the network produces will be available to Comcast to place on "overflow" channels. Comcast will determine how it will offer those games. In addition, many new features will be available on Comcast video-on-demand.

The network is now available to about 70 percent of households within the eight Big Ten states.

The Big Ten Network aired approximately 75 Penn State events during its inaugural year, with coverage of 23 Nittany Lion teams. Including coverage of 15 Big Ten Championships, the Big Ten Network aired three Nittany Lion football games, 19 Nittany Lion basketball games, 12 Lady Lion basketball games and six matches of the 2007 NCAA Champion women's volleyball team amongst its Penn State coverage in 2007-08.

In addition, at least 60 hours of Penn State non-athletic programming aired on the Big Ten Network in 2007-08 and will do so annually.

About the Big Ten Network: The Big Ten Network is the first national network dedicated to covering one of the premier collegiate conferences in the country. With more than 400 live events, and nearly all of them available in HD, the network is the destination for Big Ten fans across the country and allows fans to see their favorite team, regardless of where they live. The Big Ten Network showcases a wide array of classic-to-current sports and televises more Olympic sporting events and women's sports than has ever been aired on any other network. Original programming highlights activities and accomplishments of some of the nation's finest universities. Each year, the network offers approximately 40 football games, 140 regular season men's basketball games, 55 women's basketball games, dozens of Big Ten Championship events, a nightly studio show, coaches' shows and classic games. Available to all cable and satellite providers nationwide, the network has agreements with Comcast, DirecTV, DISH Network, AT&T U-Verse, Verizon FiOS and 230 cable operators and is now available to 55 million households. For updated information on the Big Ten Network, go to www.BigTenNetwork.com.