Big Ten Network, "through a series of upgrades with distributors" in the N.Y. and DC markets, "has bolstered its subscriber count by some 15% since the end" of the '13-14 academic year, according to Mike Reynolds of MULTICHANNEL NEWS. BTN President Mark Silverman said that when upgrades "are completed before the Aug. 28 kickoff of the football season the Big Ten Network will count some 60 million subscribers," up from 52 million last spring. BTN's eighth season also "will feature improved positioning on systems owned by Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision and RCN" in the N.Y. TV market, which includes Rutgers. Similarly, Comcast and Cox will boost BTN's availability "in and around the nation’s capital and northern Virginia, where Maryland has a significant fan base." Silverman said that BTN "has picked up better coverage on Time Warner Cable" in L.A., which "will complement carriage on DirecTV." The conference network "is putting the finishing touches on a media plan that will take form on outdoor and digital vehicles and other platforms" (MULTICHANNEL.com, 8/13).
