CSTV Strikes Comcast Deal

By Michael Barzee

The days of watching BYU football on TV for free are over.

BYU football fans with Comcast cable will be able to watch BYU games on CSTV and its regional sports channel, the mtn. ? but only for a price.

Ten of the Cougars'' 12 games will be broadcast on CSTV or the mtn., with the other two being on TBS and ESPN.

'Through the collaborative efforts of CSTV, Comcast and the Mountain West Conference, the mtn. will be prominently positioned as not only the first network devoted to a single league,' MWC commissioner Craig Thompson said in a press release, 'but also as an industry leader in both television programming and intercollegiate athletics.'

To get CSTV and the mtn. through Comcast, subscribers must at least have the basic digital cable package, which costs $56.55 a month, and then buy the digital sports package for $5.99. With roughly four games a month on either CSTV or the mtn., BYU fans will pay about $15 per game. Additionally, CSTV will only be added to Comcast digital systems in Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.

However, if football fans have other cable providers or a satellite dish, they should not switch over to Comcast just yet.

MWC associate commissioner for communications Javan Hedlund said CSTV and the MWC are in talks with Cox Communications, Time Warner, Dish Network and DIRECTV. He also said distribution agreements should be made with all of the above cable and satellite companies by the start of football season.

For all BYU students who get free cable provided by their landlords but want CSTV and the mtn., they must call Comcast to upgrade their package. The cable company will then will set up a separate account, allowing students to pay the difference between what their landlords are paying and the package upgrade.

'Now that we have gotten this deal done with, we are working on getting it out to other cable providers.' Comcast spokesman Tim Fitzpatrick said.

This is where BYU students with BYU cable fit in the mix, Fitzpatrick said. However, there has been no agreement made with BYU cable yet. Like Comcast, it will cost BYU cable subscribers a pretty penny, which might break the deal because BYU cable has only its standard package and no upgrades.

'There is no such thing as free TV,' Thompson said.

Football won''t be the only sporting events that CSTV and the mtn. will broadcast. It will also cover 75 men''s basketball games, women''s basketball games, conference championships and men''s and women''s Olympic sports, such as swimming and diving, soccer and tennis. Additionally, the mtn. will also carry press conferences, coaches'' shows, prep rallies and feature stories on athletes and coaches.

BYU Football TV Schedule