Oct. 31, 2001

BETHESDA, Md. - Comcast SportsNet has teamed with Comcast Cable to provide pay-per-view college football coverage this weekend when the 15th-ranked Maryland Terrapins host Troy State in a non-conference game in College Park, Md.

The game will be offered on a pay-per-view basis by Comcast in order to comply with the exclusive rights of the other ACC games. Comcast has set a $5 charge for the game, and proceeds will be donated to the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, including the Tornado Victims Fund.

The game was not to be televised originally since the Atlantic Coast Conference offers only one game in each television window for its syndicated game at noon and the ABC game at 3:30 p.m.

Instead, Comcast SportsNet proposed producing the game for pay-per-view distribution in Maryland, Washington, DC, northern Virginia and Delaware.

"We're excited to be carrying the Troy State at Maryland game this weekend because we know not all our viewers will be able to attend the game. With Maryland leading the ACC and fighting for a major bowl berth, we know Terrapin fans want to see this game, but because of the exclusive time slots for Jefferson Pilot and ABC games, the only way we could offer the game to viewers was through pay-per-view," said Comcast SportsNet President David H. Nevins.

"Thanks to the commitment of Comcast Cable and the collaborative efforts of the ACC and Maryland, Comcast SportsNet is now able to bring our viewers an important game they want to see, and in the process, we'll be making a positive impact on the Maryland community through the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, so we feel everyone wins on Saturday!"

The game will be available through Comcast iN DEMAND. Subscribers can order the game by calling 1-888-COMCAST or 1-800-885-TERPS. "As a Maryland fan, I am glad Comcast Cable is bringing Terp fans a game they otherwise could not see on TV," said Stephen A. Burch, President of Comcast Cable Mid-Atlantic Division.

"Comcast Cable is committed to bringing our customers the programming they desire, so using our iN DEMAND service for a Maryland game while giving back to the College Park community provided a perfect solution for Comcast SportsNet's plan to cover this game."

Maryland Athletic Director Deborah A. Yow added, "We appreciate the collaborative effort with Comcast to broadcast our game. The Tornado Victims Fund is an especially important charity to our campus. We are pleased that the proceeds from the game will benefit this fund."

Comcast SportsNet already has carried two Maryland games this season when local stations in Baltimore and Washington were unable to provide syndication clearance for the Terps' wins over Virginia and Duke. More details on the upcoming Maryland vs. Troy State game follow:

-- Play-by-play announcer Steve Buckhantz will be teamed with analyst Charles Mann while Comcast SportsNet reporter/anchor George Johnson will provide sideline coverage. In addition, Chick Hernandez and Carol Maloney will host halftime coverage.

-- Comcast Cable is offering the game at a reduced fee of $5 throughout its mid-Atlantic region, representing a 50 percent discount of its normal college football pay-per-view fee. All proceeds from pay-per-view fees will be donated to the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, for use in such initiatives as the September 11 Memorial Scholarship and the Tornado Victims Fund.

-- The telecast will be sponsored fully by Comcast SportsNet and Comcast Cable, resulting in fewer commercial breaks.

-- Comcast SportsNet, a division of Comcast Corporation, is a service of Philadelphia-based Comcast Regional Sports Television serving more than five million homes in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Washington, D.C., via more than 345 cable systems in the mid-Atlantic region and major satellite services.