First ever college conference TV network debuts in Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico

College sports network CSTV and the Comcast cable network have joined forces to make collegiate sports television history, launching the first ever conference-specific TV network. The mtn., the Mountain West Conference Sports Network, will debut September 1, 2006 on Comcast.

The network aims to bring new exposure to the Mountain West Conference, and will premier only for Comcast customers in Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, states home to five of the conference s nine schools: the Air Force Academy, Brigham Young University, Colorado State University, University of New Mexico, and University of Utah. The other four schools represent four different states which, as of September 1, will not receive the network: San Diego State University, Texas Christian University, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and University of Wyoming.

This is a tremendous step for The mtn., which has already established its leadership position as the first network dedicated to exclusively covering a collegiate conference, offering more games and more sports than have ever been available before, said Brian Bedol, president and CEO of CSTV.

The mtn. is slated to eventually be available to cable and satellite providers throughout the nation.

As part of the deal, which names Comcast and CSTV as equal-share owners, Comcast will add CSTV to its digital basic systems in Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.

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, but also as an industry leader in both television programming and intercollegiate athletics, said Craig Thompson, MWC commissioner. This is another major step towards building the Mountain West brand.

The mtn. gives MWC fans access to 19 different conference sports, including football, men s and women s basketball, swimming and diving, soccer, and tennis. The network will also broadcast press conferences, coaches shows, pep rallies, and features on conference athletes and coaches. Selected football and basketball games will also air on OLN, another Comcast-owned network.

In addition to television coverage, the network will provide access to MWC athletics across multimedia platforms, including video on demand, CSTV.com broadband services, wireless devices, iTunes, and podcasts.

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