Pac-12 Enterprises has selected iN DEMAND and the Comcast Media Center (CMC) to provide technical distribution services for the Pac-12 Networks, a new collection of collegiate networks set to launch this August.
The Pac-12 Networks were first announced in July, 2011 but Wednesday's announcement is the first news on aspects of their technical infrastructure.
As part of their work for the Pac-12 Networks, iN DEMAND and CMC will provide distribution services for the seven linear feeds (one national and six regional feeds) that will offer hundreds of live sports events annually as well as programming from the 12 colleges in the conference.
In addition, the two companies will provide a free on demand (FOD) package of about 20 hours of content each months and a TV Everywhere solution for the channel.
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.
CMC and iNDEMAND will also be providing master control origination services located at the CMC; compression and satellite front-haul services; satellite receiver authorizations; disaster recovery and staffing for these technical operations.
"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," noted Gary Stevenson, president of Pac-12 Enterprises in a statement describing their reasons for selecting the two companies. "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."
