The Pac-12 Conference has named sports media veteran Mark Shuken president of Pac-12 Networks.  Shuken, who has run sports networks for major media companies like Time Warner Cable, DirecTV, Fox Sports and Liberty Media, joins the college sports network officially on Sept. 6.

Shuken takes the spot vacated by former president Lydia Murphy-Stephans, who stepped down in June.

“Mark Shuken has consistently delivered growth across all areas of the sports media business and his track record of success and effective leadership makes him the right choice to take our Pac-12 Networks to the next level,” Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement. “In a rapidly changing media landscape, Pac-12 Networks is well positioned to take advantage of new technologies, platforms and consumer habits, and Mark’s creative leadership skills and expertise will enable us to continue to best serve our fans and University members.”

Shuken has a long history of running sports networks. He led the formation and branding of three regional sports networks for Time Warner Cable for the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Dodgers and LA Galaxy; served as president and CEO of DirecTV Sports Networks and as president and CEO of Liberty Sports Group, where he created and led the stand-alone division of regional sports networks and doubled revenue.  Prior to that at Fox Sports Net Northwest, he was responsible for a significant increase in distribution, ratings and brand presence, including through innovative programming strategies and partnership agreements with both professional and collegiate teams.  Previously, Shuken also served as president of Rivals Networks, a digital network of over 600 sports websites.

“I am thrilled to join the Pac-12 Networks, which I believe have a great opportunity to reach new audiences and deliver even more value for our universities and student-athletes,” said Shuken. “The athletic departments in the Pac-12 and student-athletes deliver incredible sporting moments and championships year in and year out.  I’m really excited to work with them to further the Pac-12 Networks’ best-in-class media platforms for our fans. The Pac-12 Networks wholly-owned model gives us a unique ability to innovate across digital and linear content, production, programming and distribution, and I’m looking forward to working closely with our Networks management team to explore new ways to do so.”

The Pac-12 Networks, launched in 2012, serves as a showcase for Pac-12 universities: The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Colorado, the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Stanford University, the University of Southern California, the University of Utah, the University of Washington and Washington State University.

Mediacom said Thursday that it has agreed to carry the SEC Network, part of a larger carriage deal with ESPN parent The Walt Disney Co, removing one of the last remaining holdouts for the college sports network.

Mediacom, which has a significant presence in Missouri, one of the 11 states within the Southeastern Conference's footprint, was one of the few remaining major pay TV distributors that held off carrying the network, which debuted on Aug. 14. With Mediacom’s 1 million customers on board, the SEC Network is now counts more than 60 million cable, satellite and telco TV customers.  Earlier today, RCN and Vyve Broadband agreed to carry the channel.

For its part,Grande Communications, the Texas-based broadband communications company that offers Internet, TV and phone services  also announced an SEC Network agreement to launch in all markets where it provides service, including Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Midland, Odessa, San Antonio, San Marcos and Waco.

Cablevision Systems and Verizon Communications’ FiOS TV as the last remaining major market holdouts for the network. The SEC Network has launched in more than 60 million homes and is available to more than 90 million customers.

Mediacom said it would release details of its broader Disney pact at a later date. Today’s agreement with the SEC network is ahead of the first SEC 2014-15 college football season game, Texas A&M vs. South Carolina, on Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. ET. Mediacom subscribers will also have authenticated access to additional live events scheduled for the SEC Network’s digital platforms – including WatchESPN and SECNetwork.com – with the ability to watch SEC Network live and on-demand on their computer, tablet, or mobile devices.

"Our cable systems in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee are located in the heart of SEC country,” said Mediacom senior vice president of operations Ed Pardini, in a statement. "By launching the SEC Network, we will bring even more live college sports action to SEC alumni and fans.”

The SEC Network and its accompanying digital offering will air more than 1,000 live events in its first year, including at least 45 exclusive SEC football games, more than 100 men’s basketball games, 60 women’s basketball games, 75 baseball games, 50 softball games and events across all of the SEC’s 21 sports. The network will be an all-access pass to nationally competitive events, news and information, expert analysis, classic games and in-depth features on the most storied conference in college athletics.

"Mediacom serves many fans of the Southeastern Conference," said ESPN senior vice president, college networks Justin Connolly in a statement. "We look forward to providing an array of outstanding SEC programming to Mediacom customers on the new SEC Network."