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Comcast users get good Pac-12 Network news

The Pac-12 Networks national feed will now be standard on the "digital starter" package.

By Jon Woods
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Starting on July 21 the Pac-12 Networks' national feed will become part of the "digital starter" package for Comcast subscribers and the six regional channels will move to the higher-tier (and more costly) premium sports package. Even better (and finally correcting a ridiculous decision), the national feed will finally be available in high definition.

Here's more from the Seattle Times:

In March, Pac-12 Networks president Lydia Murphy-Stephans told The Seattle Times that she had encouraged cable providers make this "flip" with the Pac-12's national and regional channels. The change will allow the 4 million Comcast subscribers in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Utah and Colorado access to all Pac-12 football games and more than 100 conference basketball games — including the conference tournament games — plus 300 Olympic sports events.

This past basketball season, the six regional channels showed only the games featuring local teams. For example, while Arizona and Oregon played an overtime thriller in one semifinal at the men's basketball tournament in March, local Comcast subscribers saw a replay of the UW-WSU game from the 2011 Pac-12 tournament on the Pac-12 Washington feed.

Comcast's flip is especially good news for, say, Husky fans living in California or Cougar fans in Arizona, who otherwise would not have been able to watch most UW or WSU games under the localized programming model.

Unfortunately, those of us with DirecTV are still SOL.

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