Press Release #126 (6/6/12)
6/6/12
for immediate release
Pac-12 Networks Selects iN DEMAND and
Comcast Media Center to Jointly Provide Technical Distribution Services for the
New Collegiate Networks
Denver,
Col. and New York, June 6, 2012 - iN DEMAND and the Comcast Media Center (CMC) have been selected by Pac-12 Enterprises
to work together to provide a broad range of technical distribution services
for the Pac-12 Networks, the new collection of collegiate networks set to launch
this August. Work will begin
immediately.
The
Pac-12 Networks were announced last July, 2011 by the Pac-12 Conference, in
conjunction with Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Bright House
Networks and iN DEMAND L.L.C.
"It's
hard not to be impressed by the experience and expertise that iN DEMAND and the
Comcast Media Center have in delivering network distribution," said Gary
Stevenson, President of Pac-12 Enterprises. "We needed a partner that could
help us manage the challenges that come with building seven networks. With all
of their network distribution experience, particularly in sports, it really was
an ideal fit for us."
For the Pac-12 Networks, the coordinated
iN DEMAND/CMC offering will provide distribution services for the seven linear
feeds (one national and six regional feeds), including hundreds of live sports
events annually, plus other programming from the 12 colleges in the conference. In addition, iN DEMAND/CMC will provide a
Free On Demand (FOD) package of content including approximately 20 hours per
month, plus a TV Everywhere solution. The infrastructure
of their linear network technical distribution services will include fiber
connectivity between the Pac-12 San Francisco studio, all 12 of its member
universities and the CMC in Denver; master control origination services located
at the CMC; compression and satellite front-haul services; satellite receiver
authorizations; and disaster recovery. iN
DEMAND/CMC will also provide staffing to run these technical operations.
"iN
DEMAND and Comcast Media Center have a proven history of outstanding collaborative
work, conducted over the years by our engineering and network teams," said
Richard Buchanan, Vice President and General Manager, Content Services for
Comcast Media Center. "We are looking
forward to putting the expertise of our combined capabilities to work for the
Pac-12 Networks and affiliates."
iN
DEMAND and the Comcast Media Center have collaborated for the past 14 years on
complex infrastructure solutions for multiple live sports and other
Pay-Per-View (PPV) telecasts on behalf of their owners and many cable clients.
Last year, they concluded a rebuild of their new HD live-event environment and
an MPEG-4 HD distribution platform. The
CMC currently provides iN DEMAND with an end-to-end content management solution
for its channels, including multi-channel network origination, traffic
management, sports origination and transmission. The CMC enables iN DEMAND's delivery of more
than 10,000 live sports and event feeds
annually, representing over 30,000 hours of sports package content and PPV
events.
"The Pac-12 Networks is an
innovative collegiate TV concept which will serve not only the 12 schools but
will connect them to the broader communities around the country," said Bob
Benya, President and CEO of iN DEMAND. "We and the CMC are honored to bring our
joint technical expertise to the launch pad of this significant programming
venture."
For
almost 20 years, the CMC has been an industry-leading provider of content
services across multiple platforms for customers worldwide. Live sports are one
of the CMC's specialties. The CMC
currently originates more than 20,000 HD, SD, and 3D live and recorded events a
year for its industry customers, including out-of-market pay-per-view sports
packages, and recently managed more than 100 events in a single 24-hour
period. CMC's live event capabilities
include live commercial insertion, client graphic creation and manipulation,
branding, facilitation between remote sites, one-on-one coverage and
monitoring, and time-delayed and/or immediate replay of live media.
About Pac-12 Enterprises
Pac-12
Enterprises is the new content and multiplatform media company for the Pac-12
Conference, a leader in collegiate athletics that includes 12 of the most
prestigious universities in the world and a nation-leading 450 NCAA titles
across 27 sports. Headquartered in San Francisco, Pac-12 Enterprises was
created in 2011 to develop and launch the Pac-12 Networks and Pac-12 Digital,
and to control the distribution of the Pac-12 intellectual property rights in
sports and other Conference initiatives. Launching in August 2012, the Pac-12
Networks are full-time native HD linear networks available to video programming
operators, dedicated solely to the Pac-12. It will consist of a national
network and six regional feeds that will televise hundreds of live sporting
events annually and provide 24/7 access to Pac-12 teams and universities.
Pac-12 Digital encompasses the digital network, mobile, the university
websites, social media and innovative digital initiatives across the company.
About iN DEMAND L.L.C.
iN DEMAND L.L.C. is a pioneer and world leader in providing
exciting transactional entertainment delivered through television's most
innovative technologies. iN DEMAND creates and delivers programming through
cable Pay-Per-View (PPV), Video On Demand (VOD) as well as online. PPV
programming includes movies, boxing, wrestling and mixed martial arts
events and the digital out-of-market subscription professional sports
packages for MLB, the NBA, the NHL and MLS. The company also offers a range of
VOD products including first-run movies. Content is delivered in SD, HD
and 3D. iN DEMAND's owners are Comcast
iN DEMAND Holdings, Inc., Cox Communications Holdings, Inc., and Time Warner
Entertainment - Advance/Newhouse Partnership. Further information about the
company can be found at www.indemand.com
About Comcast Media
Center
Denver-based
Comcast Media Center (CMC), a subsidiary of Comcast Cable, provides centralized
content management and distribution solutions for cable systems, video content
providers and advertisers. More information about the CMC is available at www.comcastmediacenter.com.
###
Comcast and
Comcast Media Center are trademarks or registered trademarks of Comcast. All
other product or service names are the property of their respective owners.
for more
information, please contact pressoffice@indemand.com.
www.indemand.com
