Pac-12 Enterprises has collaborated with Cisco to power the Pac-12 Networks with its Videoscape technology. By providing the servers that support the delivery networks at all 12 universities, the data routing and switching capabilities in the Pac-12 Studios in San Francisco and the encoding and transcoding equipment, Cisco's video distribution technology will be delivering the live events from each campus to the fans at home.

"With innovation and excellence at our core, the Pac-12 and Cisco have common values, which make this a very natural collaboration," said Pac-12 Enterprises President Gary Stevenson.  "Given the diverse demands that we have with both national and regional networks, Cisco provides the kind of flexibility and reliability we need to deliver all of the great live content from the campuses to all of our fans spread across the country."

The Pac-12 Networks, which will consist of one national and six regional networks, began its signal test Monday, July 16, delivering a live feed from its San Francisco headquarters to Comcast Media Center in Denver to each of its affiliates through Cisco's PowerVu system. The PowerVu system allows the Pac-12 Networks to deliver MPEG4 HD content with surround sound audio to both MPEG4 and MPEG2 CATV headends, while also managing dynamic programming changes, ad insertion and providing a control and conditional access system for the highest levels of security.

"Cisco is proud to be collaborating with Pac-12 Enterprises and delivering our Videoscape technology that will make the Pac-12 Network a model that future organizations can follow," said David Hsieh, vice president, Marketing, Video Collaboration Group, Cisco. "Cisco's network will enable the Pac-12 Network to give passionate college sports fans the dynamic experience they demand, allowing them to be more than just viewers."

The Pac-12 Networks, which launch August 15, are scheduled to televise 850 live sporting events annually, including 35 football games and more than 130 men's basketball games in the first year.