The mtn. network announced that it is expanding into more homes, but not quite to the extent most fans of Mountain West Conference teams would have liked to see.
In a press release dated Sept. 20, the mtn. announced it would be expanding to three different markets in three different states, including Utah.
Levan Cable System, located in Levan, Utah — just 95 miles north of Salt lake City — has agreed to carry the mtn. as part of its basic cable package.
On a grander scale, a large contingency of fans of Utah athletics — and of teams within the MWC in general — are still waiting for their digital television providers, such as Dish Network, DirecTV and Cox Communications, to add the mtn. to their list of available programming.
Depending on who one talks to, the proximity of a deal being made with a digital television provider such as DirecTV ranges from “in the near future” to “no discernible timetable.”
Jordan Peel, an account representative with Vanguard Communications and a media contact for the mtn. network, acknowledged that talks with DirecTV are still taking place.
“They’ve been obviously in constant negotiation,” Peel said. “They don’t want to say that they’re close, they don’t want to say anything in case something doesn’t come through. There is no concrete date. I can’t give you a real time frame.”
Although Peel declined to comment on the exact time specifics of when a deal between the mtn. and DirecTV could be made, she did talk about the time frame this type of negotiation can take.
“Maybe people have unrealistic expectations to begin with,” Peel said. “There are experts, media experts out there on this sort of thing that can say, ‘These things take time,’ and people want it to happen really quickly. There’s a lot of money in the deal. It takes a lot of time to get these things figured out.”
Peel also pointed to the struggles a specific market network such as Yankees Entertainment and Sports encountered when trying to get picked up by different television providers.
“There’s some other networks out there, I think there is the YES network that covers the Yankees,” Peel said. “It took a long time for them to actually get picked up by people.”
One thing that seems to have helped progress those talks was the lawyer the presidents of the U and BYU hired.
“I think that’s helped,” U Athletic Director Chris Hill said. “It’s put more focus on trying to get this done as soon as possible.”
“I think that once, if and when we can get a satellite situation done, it changes the whole dynamic of the TV contract,” Hill said.
Upon calling DirecTV, a customer service representative mentioned that the mtn. could be available soon on DirecTV, but declined to offer any other specifics.
Hill admitted that while he has no way of knowing when a deal with DirecTV would officially be struck, he acknowledged hearing the two entities were close.
“We’ve heard that (a deal) might be a possibility, but since we’re not sitting at the negotiation table, I wouldn’t want to give a speculation or whatever, but we’re hoping something can get done with DirecTV,” he said.
“We never really know until it’s completely done, but we’re getting more optimistic that we can get a satellite deal done,” Hill said.
Despite the lack of coverage, the mtn. network is receiving a positive response from fans that do receive the mtn. With a station totally dedicated to MWC sports, it’s hard to argue that there has never been so much national television coverage for the MWC, depending on what one defines as “national” exposure.
While the response to the mtn.’s original programming with shows such as The Mountain Summit, The Mountain Cap, The Mountain View and in-depth looks into each of the nine MWC schools has been well-received, Peel admitted that the mtn. is still receiving its fair share of complaints regarding the distribution of the specialized station.
“Obviously people are concerned about the satellite coverage and when it’s going to happen,” Peel said. “We recognize that and everyone understands the frustration and everyone in the mtn. is frustrated with the situation,” Peel said. “(The mtn. and Comcast) want as many people to see it at the same time.”
Currently, Comcast subscribers within the Salt Lake City area can view the mtn. on channel 37. The mtn. still encourages fans within the Mountain West Conference who are customers of companies such as Dish Network and DirecTV to voice their concerns and desires.
The mtn. network lists the respective contact numbers on its website, www.themtn.cstv.com.
“Utah, they’re probably the most vocal out of all the markets,” Peel said.
Update on the mtn.