MountainWest Sports Network MountainWest Sports Network , informally known as the mtn . ( pronounced as " the mountain " ) , was an American regional sports network dedicated to the Mountain West Conference . It launched on September 1 , 2006 at the start of the 2006 – 07 academic year . It was shut down on June 1 , 2012 due to the Mountain West Conference ' s ongoing realignment . Most properties were taken by NBC Sports Network and CBS Sports Network . History . The Mtn . premiered on September 1 , 2006 as the first network dedicated to a college athletic conference - the Division I Mountain West Conference ( MWC ) . The Mtn . annually produced and aired more than 170 collegiate sporting events , including football , basketball , Olympic sports , and conference championship coverage . The Mtn . ’ s expanded coverage included news programming , coaches ’ shows , pre and post game analysis and feature programming about MWC athletics . The Mtn . was owned by the conference , Comcast , and CBS Corporation . Despite CBS owning the largest stake , Comcast handled much of its operation . Closure . On April 5 , 2012 it was announced that the Mtn . would cease operations on June 1 , 2012 . With the Mtn ' s closure , the Mountain West had not announced formal broadcast plans for 2012 – 2013 , though a " Colorado Springs Gazette " report suggested that some MWC games might be picked up by CBS Sports Network and / or NBC Sports Network , or offered to a third party such as ESPN . Eventually all three networks picked up some MWC games while Root Sports Rocky Mountain picked up a cable package of games . Additional games were shown on Comcast , Time Warner , and Charter Cable Networks or on third tier local stations . Programming . Live events . The network covered over 800 live sporting events in its first four years of operation . Details of football and basketball telecasts are listed in the events section below . Also on the schedule are current and former Olympic sports like baseball , softball , soccer , volleyball , and track and field . The Mtn . airs pregame and post game shows from its suburban Denver , Colo . studios in support of most of the network ' s live event coverage , including football , men ' s and women ' s basketball , baseball , soccer , volleyball and softball . Halftime shows take place for all football and men ' s and women ' s basketball game telecasts . Former shows . " The Mountain View " ( final show 9 / 3 / 10 ) , " The Mountain Cap " , " Mountain Peak Performances " ( final show 9 / 1 / 10 ) and " On Campus Cam " have been canceled . " On Campus Cam " , which featured a panel of students from different institutions across the Mountain West Conference , was rolled into " Around the Mountain , presented by Jeep " roughly once per month . Awards . The Mtn . received 28 Emmy Award nominations and won five times . The network has also garnered three Promax / BDA nominations and won two Promax Awards . In 2009 , The Mtn . was a finalist in the Live Game or Live Event for Corporate Entities category at the SVG / NATAS Global Media Awards for College Sports . Distribution . The Mtn . was available in all nine MWC markets on the following providers : Distribution controversy . On June 1 , 2007 , the presidents of Brigham Young University and the University of Utah , unsatisfied with the current distribution , issued a joint press release that they " retained a sports broadcasting attorney to explore all possible options in improving the distribution of athletic broadcasts to their fans " . On June 5 , 2007 the MWC Board " reaffirmed its unanimous support of the league ' s television model and its commitment to working collectively as a unified group " , and its Directors unanimously voted to join BYU and Utah to retain the attorney they had hired . In an interview with KUTV , President Michael K . Young of Utah stated that " Every [ MWC member ] knows . . . President Samuelson and I have been clear about this for the last year and a half that it is absolutely essential that we get on satellite to make our games available to our fans . Anything short of that is unacceptable . " He then added that " We are passionately committed to our having our football games being on TV this year . " Since Time Warner Cable does not have a carriage agreement with The Mtn . , it is unavailable on cable in 2 areas in MWC ' s market : The Dallas / Ft . Worth area , and a significant portion of San Diego County . As of November 3 , 2007 Precis Communications which services roughly 25 rural areas throughout Utah , Nevada and Arizona has refused to carry The Mtn . unless they are allowed to put it on a tier package . Comcast states that it is a requirement that it comes with expanded basic service . Precis Communications has stated that " in order to pay for the cost of having The Mtn . we would either have to have it on a tier or raise all our customers rates by 2 to 3 dollars , which would dissatisfy our customers who do not want The Mtn . " These disputes are similar to those that Big Ten Network had its in first year on the air . The Mtn . HD . The Mtn . HD was a 1080i high definition simulcast of The Mtn . that launched on November 22 , 2008 at 11 AM MT . The first show on the new HD version of the channel was " MWC Football Saturday " , followed by two football games in HD : first Colorado State at Wyoming , then the Brigham Young at Utah rivalry game . Starting in 2010 , all football games aired in HD , as well the 2011 Mountain West Conference Basketball Championships . References . Information on specific programs comes from the half - hour special " This is the Mtn . " , which aired in conjunction with the DirecTV launch . See also :