Complex sentence: On May 19,2009, ESPN announced a deal had been reached with Comcast, allowing them to carry ESPNU on a widely-distributed digital cable tier, instead of a less popular sports tier.
Split into simpler sentences: On May 19,2009, ESPN announced a deal had been reached with Comcast to add the channel to their lineup. The deal allows them to carry ESPNU on a widely-distributed digital cable tier, instead of a less popular sports tier.