Southeastern Conference And BIG EAST Conference Confirms Participation in The Papajohns.com Bowl

The Southeastern Conference and the Big East have reached four-year agreement to participate in the Papajohns.com Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., through the 2013 college football season.

The agreement also provides Conference USA with access to participate. The new agreements continue to provide the bowl game with quality matchups with leagues having geographic and historical ties to Birmingham.

The Papajohns.com Bowl has reached agreements with both the MAC and the Sun Belt to provide teams should there be an opportunity. The MAC will serve as the primary backup during the four year term, while the Sun Belt has a one year agreement to provide a team based on geographic qualifications.

The Papajohns.com Bowl will be played at Legion Field on Saturday, Jan. 8. Kickoff is set for noon ET and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, said “The Southeastern Conference is pleased to continue its relationship with the Papajohns.com Bowl. The city of Birmingham, the bowl staff and the many volunteers that support the bowl have helped create a tremendous atmosphere for college football. College football fans around the city of Birmingham are known for their passion for college football and the SEC, and the Papajohns.com Bowl gives fans a chance to support an SEC team in a quality postseason bowl setting.”

Pete Derzis, senior vice president & general manager, ERT, said “We are excited about extending our commitment to the outstanding football fans in the greater Birmingham area.”

Comcast Launches 50 Mbps High-Speed Internet Service in Sacramento

Comcast has completed the launch of high-speed internet in California with the rollout of the service in the Sacramento area. Comcast has enhanced broadband to wideband with the deployment of next-generation DOCSIS 3.0 in Sacramento.

Comcast has already deployed wideband in the San Francisco Bay Area and several portions of the Central Valley, including Davis, Roseville and Placerville.

Comcast has introduced a new echelon of Internet speed tiers, which will redefine the customer experience online and create a platform for Internet innovation in the years ahead with the launch of wideband.

Comcast now offers some of the fastest speeds available in Central California, including the Extreme 50 tier with download speeds of up to 50 Mbps. Wideband also enables Comcast to double speeds for the majority of existing high-speed Internet customers.

Comcast’s new internet services is available to residential homes and businesses in all regions of Sacramento County, including: Antelope, Carmichael, Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Elverta, Fair Oaks, Folsom, Galt, Gold River, Mather, North Highlands, Orangevale, Rancho Cordova, Rio Linda and Sacramento starting April 12.

Comcast has launched the new 50 Mbps premium speed tier to its residential and business customers. The new service is ideal for households or businesses simultaneously using several computers or Internet-connected devices, while also appealing to those who simply want some of the fastest speeds available:

New Residential Tier

Extreme 50, offers up to 50 Mbps of downstream speed and up to 10 Mbps of upstream speed at $99.95 a month.

With Extreme 50, Comcast customers will be able to download a high-definition movie (6 GB) in about 16 minutes, a standard-definition movie (2 GB) in about five minutes and a standard-definition TV show (300 MB) in a matter of seconds. Customers with Extreme 50 also will be able to download digital photos, songs and games faster than ever.

In addition to the new Extreme 50 speed tier, wideband is also enabling Comcast to boost speeds for most of its existing residential customers. Performance customers will benefit from increases in downstream and upstream speeds, offering up to 12 Mbps and 2 Mbps, respectively. Plus, with PowerBoost technology, customers are able to enjoy even faster speeds to download and upload files such as videos, games, music and photos.

New Business Class Tiers

Business customers will also benefit from wideband with increased efficiency and productivity. Customers can sign up for the Deluxe 50 Mbps / 10 Mbps tier for $189.95 a month, which includes a full suite of features and support. As part of their service, Comcast Business Class customers receive Microsoft Communication Services, providing corporate class e-mail, calendaring and document sharing, as well as additional benefits such as firewall protection, static IP addresses, multiple e-mail addresses and business class 24/7 customer support. A new Premium tier will also be introduced, offering speeds up to 22 Mbps / 5 Mbps for $99.95 a month.

Comcast has now rolled out the new wideband technology to nearly 80 percent of its footprint across the nation, which means that more than 40 million homes and businesses can now enjoy one of the fastest Internet services in the country.

Fred Walkover, Vice President of Comcast’s Sacramento Area, said “Wideband utilizes our existing advanced fiber-optic network in neighborhoods across our footprint to dramatically enhance our customers’ online experience. This new service will enable us to continue to offer our customers even faster speeds and an entirely new realm of Internet innovation.”

RCN Launches ‘Mag Rack’ And ‘Concert TV’ On Free ‘Video ON DEMAND’

RCN Corporation has launched two television networks, Mag Rack and Concert TV, to its free Video ON DEMAND platform. New York City-based media company Interactivation owned Mag Rack and Concert TV are free VOD television networks delivers highly interactive and personalized content to consumers.

Mag Rack is dedicated to helping viewers make the most of life with educational “how-to” content that inspires and informs. Mag Rack offers shows in a broad array of categories, including kids, health, fitness, pets, magic and cooking.

Concert TV airs live music performance, music documentary and lifestyle programming in genres which include rock, soul, jazz and hip hop. Offering quality live performances from acts ranging from Alicia Keys to ZZ Top, Concert TV supports artists and audiences looking for more than just a music video.

RCN Strategic External Affairs & Programming Senior Vice President Richard Ramlall, said “We are pleased to add these two excellent television networks to our free Video ON DEMAND lineup. In keeping with our commitment to provide the widest amount of viewing choices for our subscribers, these two networks, with their highly interactive and personalized content, are a perfect fit.”

National Cable Television Cooperative To launch Epix HD

Epix has recently signed carriage deal with Charter after Verizon, Cox and Mediacom. Now, the premium movie channel has entered a deal with National Cable Television Cooperative to launch Epix HD on small cable operators across the United States.

Jon Feltheimer, Lionsgate CEO said, “the mini-major had to date invested $51 million in Epix. The signing brings to 20 million households that will have access to Epix content.”

Verizon Launches 3G Network in Schoharie County

Verizon Wireless has launched its 3G network in Schoharie County. Verizon’s 3G Network will improve broadband network speed such as picture messaging, text messaging, V CAST and V CAST Music.

Verizon Wireless 3G network delivers average download speeds of 600kbps to 1.4Mb, and average upload speeds of 500-800kbps.

“We’ve always believed even the most advanced device is only as good as the network it runs on. We continue to aggressively invest in our Upstate New York network to increase coverage and capacity for our customers, add new services, and maintain our 3G network leadership” stated Gene Fassett, executive director of network for Verizon Wireless’s Upstate New York region.

STAR India PLUS Launches ‘ICC Cricket World’ And ‘Asian Variety Show’ Targeting Non-resident Indians

STAR India PLUS has launched two weekly show targeting Indian nationals settled in North America. STAR India PLUS is a general entertainment channel of South Asian STAR TV group available on DirecTV and Dish Network. ICC Cricket World and Asian Variety Show (AVS) are expected new programming to be launched.

STAR India PLUS will launch ICC Cricket World on January 16th to offer Cricket news, best of cricket every week. AVS is to debut on February 7 with local events and Bollywood related news.

ICC Cricket World broadcast on every Saturday at 8:30 PM ET will offer STAR India plus Cricket fans in North America a weekly half hour episode exclusive with the latest cricket news, recent cricket action including all Tests, Twenty 20s and One-Day International matches, as well as exclusive off-field features and interviews.

Asian Variety Show broadcast on every Sunday at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT. produced in North America will be a magazine format show showcasing the best of Bollywood entertainment stories that includes Bollywood Music, movie previews, star interviews with a local focus and programming for Non-resident Indians.

David Wisnia, STAR’s Senior Vice President of Distribution, Sales and Marketing and head of STAR’s North American and European offices, said “Localizing STAR India Plus allows us the opportunity to take the next step in the natural evolution of our business. We are constantly in touch with our viewers and advertisers and as much as they are all excited about the current (Yeh Rishta, Bidaai) and new programming (Maha Music Muqabla, Pratigya) on our channel, there have been requests for more Bollywood news and cricket related shows.”

Ed Gold, State Farm Advertising Director, said “State Farm finds sponsorship of ICC Cricket World/AVS to be an effective way to connect with an important audience of Indian consumers. Just as we are there to help bring them programming that fuels their personal interests and passions, so we will ‘be there’ in their time of insurance need.”

SonicTap To Replace XM Music Channel On DirecTV From February 9, 2010

DirecTV has announced that starting February 9 new music service SonicTap will replace XM/Sirius. SonicTap will provide up to 84 free music channels delivering crystal-clear sound and programming.

DirecTV will be adding 19 new music channels to the lineup on SonicTap.

DirecTV has given a comparison on SonicTap music channels and current XM/Sirius genres:

Ch XM SonicTap
801 The 40′s Jazz: Big Band/Swing
802 The 50′s Oldies: Malt Shop Oldies
803 The 60′s Oldies: 60′s Revolution
804 The 70′s Oldies: 70′s Hits
805 The 80′s Oldies: 80′s Hits
806 The 90′s Pop/Adult Contemporary: 90′s Hits
807 New Channel Rat Pack
808 Roadhouse Country: Traditional Country
809 Prime Country Country: Hit Country
810 Outlaw Country Country: Red, Rock and Blues
811 Willie’s Place Country: Honky Tonk Tavern
812 Bluegrass Junction Bluegrass: Bluegrass
813 The Village Folk: Folk Rock
814 The Highway Country: Modern Country
815 New Channel Holiday & Happenings
816 Top 20 on 20 Pop/Adult: Today’s Hits
817 Pop2K Pop/Adult Contemporary: Y2K Hits
818 The Pulse Pop/Adult Contemporary: Hottest Hits
819 Love Pop/Adult Contemporary: Love Songs
820 Escape Instrumental: Contemporary Instrumentals
821 The Blend Pop/Adult Contemporary: Adult Contemoprary
822 Cinemagic Standards: Silver Screen
823 On Broadway Standards: Showtunes
824 New Channel Groove Lounge
825 The Heat Urban: Hot Jamz (Hip Hop)
826 The Message Religious: The Spirit
827 Praise Religious: Gospel Glory
828 Enlighten Religious: Hallelujah
829 Hair Nation Rock: Hair Guitar
830 Bone Yard – XL Rock: Full Metal Jacket
831 Sirius XM U Rock: College Rock
832 The Spectrum Rock: Adult Alternative
833 Classic Vinyl Rock: Classic Rock
834 Alt. Nation Rock: Alternative
835 Octane Rock: Ink’d
836 The Loft Standards: Singers-Songwriters
837 Classic Rewind Classic Rock: Classic Hits Blend
838 Lithium Rock: Reality Bites
839 1st Wave Alternative: Flashback/New Wave
840 Deep Tracks Specialty: 8-Tracks
841 Liquid Metal: XL Rock: Spike (Explicit Lyrics)
842 Soul Town Urban: Classic R&B
843 Heart & Soul Urban: Silky Soul
844 The Groove Urban: Old School Funk
845 Strobe Dance: Retro Disco
846 Backspin Urban: The Boombox (Explicit Lyrics)
847 Hip Hop Nation Urban: Hype (Explicit Lyrics)
848 Coffeehouse Alternative: Coffeehouse Rock
849 The Bridge Rock: Soft Hits
850 Real Jazz Jazz: Classic Jazz Vocal Band
851 Watercolors Jazz: Smooth Jazz
852 New Channel Jazz
853 New Channel Metro Blend
854 Bluesville Specialty: Blues
855 New Channel Great Standards
856 Spa Health & Fitness: New Age
857 Chill Health & Fitness: Zen
858 Area Dance: SubTerranean
859 BPM Dance: Dance
860 New Channel Modern Workout
861 New Channel PUMP!
862 New Channel Classic Rock Workout
863 The Joint International: Reggae
864 Symphony Hall Classical: Symphonic
865 New Channel Piano
866 Pops Classical: Light Classical
867 Radio Disney Specialty: Be-Tween
868 Kids Place Live Specialty: The Playground
869 Caliente Latin: Bailamos!
870 New Channel Fiesta Tropical
871 Latin Contemporary Latin Hits
872 Music of the Americas Music of the Americas
873 New Channel Regional Mexican
874 Salsa Salsa
875 Hurbano Hurbano
876 New Channel Mariachi
877 New Channel Carnaval Brasileiro
878 Rock en Espanol Rock en Espanol
879 Latin Jazz Latin Jazz
880 New Channel Familiar Favorites
881 New Channel Italian Bistro Blend
882 New Channel Italian Contemporary
883 New Channel Irish
884 New Channel Tranquility

Big Ten Network To Launch Pre And Post-Game Hockey Programs in January

The Big Ten Network announced that it will launch pregame, intermission and post-game shows advancing its live coverage of men’s ice hockey this season. These shows will join the sports network’s Friday and Saturday telecasts in January, February and March.

The Big Ten Network has added a pair of former WCHA stars to its lineup, including former University of Wisconsin captain and current Chicago Blackhawks winger Adam Burish and former Golden Gopher and retired NHL veteran Darby Hendrickson.

Quentin Carter, coordinating producer for studio production, said “Adam and Darby both have a tremendous level of experience, knowledge and passion for college hockey, particularly in this part of the country, and that makes them a perfect fit for us.”

Cox Launches NBC Shows in High-Definition in MyPrimetime On Demand

Cox Communications has launched NBC shows in high-definition in MyPrimetime On DEMAND for HD subscribers. Cox has already launched hot shows of ABC, AMC and WE, now NBC joins the On Demand offering of Cox. Following are the shows available in HD On Demand:

  • The Office
  • 30 Rock
  • Community
  • Parks and Recreation
  • Mercy and Heroes

Chris Pantoya, Cox Vice President of Marketing, said “MyPrimetime gives our customers anytime access to some of the season’s hottest programming in crystal clear HD, whenever they want it. Plus, the addition of Saturday Night Live to the MyPrimetime lineup ensures customers don’t miss any of the “water cooler” moments for which that show has become so famous.”

NBC’s programs on MyPrimetime on Cox is available to HD subscribers on Channel 1. Cox customers can enjoy anytime access to hundreds of episodes from more than 20 networks including ABC, NBC, USA, AMC, TBS, TNT, Comedy Central, Disney and more.

Cox Launches Upgrade For On DEMAND To Digital Cable Subscribers

Cox Communications announced that it has launched an upgrade to the on screen interface to its Cox On Demand with thousands of choices available in the On DEMAND library. This new interface upgrade delivers faster and simpler navigation for Cox Digital Cable customers.

Cox new upgrade includes several enhancements to the Cox On DEMAND service:

  • Horizontal scrolling provides quicker navigation through folders
  • Jump back 10 seconds with the new Instant Replay function
  • Movie previews are available directly from a folder’s main menu
  • ‘Skip’ functions allow the user to skip forward or backward in 15-minute intervals while fast-forwarding or rewinding

Cox is also adding more choices to FreeZone, more HD content and more Movies On DEMAND, including movies that are available on the same day as DVD release.

Kim Stanley Vice President of Operations in Roanoke said “Cox’s goal is to provide customers with an attractive, fast and intuitive On DEMAND experience. The new features make navigation easy, especially since there is now more programming than ever to browse. Cox has increased the amount of On DEMAND programming available to subscribers.”