NCAA Basketball: Big East/Big Ten-Press Conference

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany's expansion to include Rutgers and Maryland has already paid off with television distribution deals.

(Andy Marlin/USA TODAY Sports)

NEW BRUNSWICK -- It's no secret that access to large media markets was part of the Big Ten's motivation to expand East to add Rutgers and Maryland.

While the schools don't officially join the conference until July 1, they've already delivered the television sets that made them attractive. Big Ten Network president Mark Silverman announced on Wednesday afternoon that the network has reached deals with the three biggest cable providers in the New York/New Jersey television market.

Silverman told NJ.com last month he had secured deals with Time Warner Cable and Cablevision. During a luncheon with local reporters on Wednesday, Silverman announced that the BTN has struck a deal with Comcast, the cable provider to a large portion of New Jersey.

Silverman said the BTN has reached similar distribution agreements in Maryland. The network will now reach 60 million homes, up from 52 million last year.

The network will be available on expanded basic cable, which is in line with how the BTN is carried in other Big Ten states. Previously, the BTN had been part of a sports tier. Silverman expects the changes to take effect by late August.

“It is a nice accomplishment for us," Silverman said. "Our distribution team has done a fantastic job getting that done, and now we have to go make sure those people actually want to watch the network.”

Silverman did not divulge the financial terms of the agreements, but he said the network is receiving rates comparable to deals in other markets.

A plan to hold "Rutgers Day" on the network July 2 has been postponed due to delays acquiring the broadcast rights to some of Rutgers' past games. The plan had been to welcome Rutgers to the conference by broadcasting 24 hours of classic games from the school's history. "Maryland Day," which was scheduled for July 1, has also been pushed back.

"Due to some difficulty in getting the games in house, 'Rutgers Day' is going to have to happen a little bit later in the summer," Silverman said. "I don't want to do a 'Rutgers Day' and not have the programming to rationalize it. And we don't own the game rights so it's just taking us longer than we anticipated to get those rights. There will be a 'Rutgers Day,' but it will not be July 2."

Rutgers football already has two games scheduled on the BTN -- primetime home matchups against Penn State and Michigan. High Point Solutions Stadium is up to the BTN's broadcasting standards, but the other facilities on campus will need to be upgraded.

Silverman said the upgrades mostly involve wiring and cabling, as most of the facilities don't have the foundation to support a television broadcast. The BTN encountered similar issues at the facilities for lower profile sports at other Big Ten schools when the network launched seven years ago.

"It's not like we're talking about reconstructing some of the buildings or anything like that," Silverman said. "If you look at the numbers we're going to show more games from the RAC than anywhere else – men's basketball, women's basketball, some events may be moved there that were previously in other locations. That was a priority. Football was fine."

Silverman expects the kickoff times and broadcasting information for the first three weeks of the football season to be released in the next few weeks. Rutgers' season opener at Washington State on Aug. 28 kicks off at 10 p.m. and will be broadcast by Fox Sports 1. The Sept. 13 matchup against Penn State kicks off at 8 p.m. on the BTN. The time and network for Rutgers' second game against Howard on Sept. 6 hasn't yet been announced.

During the season, the kickoff times and broadcasting information will typically be released during a 12-day window before the game.

Silverman reiterated the network's plan to bring its studio show to broadcast live from High Point Solutions Stadium before the Penn State game. It will be the network's first on-campus pregame show and Silverman hopes to capture an electric atmosphere for Rutgers' Big Ten debut.

“Networks help build rivalries and rivalries help build networks," Silverman said. "I think if we can help create and build a rivalry, it’s good for the schools, it’s good for the conference and it’s good for us. I think Penn State now has two natural rivals in Rutgers and Maryland. ... We are very excited about the Penn State-Rutgers game.”