| The Mtn. - MountainWest Sports Network | |
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| MountainWest Sports Network | |
| the mtn. | |
| Launched | September 1, 2006 |
| Owned by | Comcast (50%) CBS College Sports Network (50%) |
| Picture format | 480i (SD) 1080i (HD) |
| Slogan | Where The West Is Won |
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters | Denver, Colorado |
| Sister channel(s) | CBS College Sports Network Versus |
| Website | http://www.themtn.tv |
| Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | 616 (SD) 616-1 (HD, part time) |
| Cable | |
| Available on many cable systems | Check local listings for channels |
MountainWest Sports Network, informally known as The Mtn. (pronounced "the mountain") is an American regional sports network dedicated to the Mountain West Conference.
The Mtn. also produces MWC events that air on Versus and CBS College Sports Network.
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Launched on September 1, 2006 by the Mountain West Conference (MWC) and CBS College Sports Network, "The Mtn." is the first network dedicated solely to a college athletic conference. In 2006, the MWC elected to discontinue affiliation with ESPN due to a conflict over game schedules and financial compensation.
The network has covered 290 live sporting events in its first two years of operation. Details of football and basketball telecasts are listed in the events section below. Also on the schedule are current and former Olympic sports like baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, and track and field.
(past and present listed in alphabetical order)
The Mtn. is currently available in all nine MWC markets, on the following 19 providers:
On February 22, 2008, DirecTV and The Mtn. reached a carriage agreement in which the channel was added in time for the 2008-09 academic year.[1] Currently, DirecTV only carries the HD feed of the channel for certain football and basketball games.
On July 7, 2009, it was announced that Cox Cable will add the channel in Orange County, California and Arizona on August 1, 2009.[2]
On June 1, 2007, the presidents of Brigham Young University and the University of Utah, unsatisfied with the current distribution, issued a joint press release that they "retained a sports broadcasting attorney to explore all possible options in improving the distribution of athletic broadcasts to their fans".[3]
On June 5, 2007 the MWC Board "reaffirmed its unanimous support of the league's television model and its commitment to working collectively as a unified group", and its Directors unanimously voted to join BYU and Utah to retain the attorney they had hired.[4]
In an interview with KUTV, President Michael K. Young of Utah stated that "Every [MWC member] knows...President Samuelson and I have been clear about this for the last year and a half that it is absolutely essential that we get on satellite to make our games available to our fans. Anything short of that is unacceptable." He then added that "We are passionately committed to our having our football games being on TV this year."[5]
Since Time Warner Cable does not have a carriage agreement with The Mtn., it is unavailable on cable in 2 areas in MWC's market: The Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and a significant portion of San Diego County.
As of November 3, 2007 Precis Communications which services roughly 25 rural areas throughout Utah, Nevada and Arizona has refused to carry The Mtn. unless they are allowed to put it on a tier package.[citation needed] Comcast states that it is a requirement that it comes with expanded basic service. Precis Communications has stated that "in order to pay for the cost of having The Mtn. we would either have to have it on a tier or raise all our customers rates by 2 to 3 dollars, which would dissatisfy our customers who do not want The Mtn."[citation needed] These disputes are similar to those that Big Ten Network had its in first year on the air.
The Mtn. HD is a 1080i high definition simulcast of The Mtn. that launched on November 22, 2008 at 11:00 AM MT. The first show on the new HD version of the channel was MWC Football Saturday, followed by 2 football games in HD, first Colorado State at Wyoming, then the Brigham Young at Utah rivalry game, though many fans were unhappy with the poor picture quality of these and subsequent HD games broadcast on the Mtn.[6]
The channel broadcasted nine football games in HD between November 14–28, 2009.[7]
Information on specific programs comes from the half-hour special This is the Mtn., which aired in conjunction with the DirecTV launch. See also:
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   | the mtn. homepage - web02: The MTN West Sports Network - Home |
| | channel listing - Mountain West Conference Official Athletic Site |
| | MWC Board address TV distribution - Mountain West Conference Board of Directors Addresses Status of Television Model - MWC OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE |
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