Time Warner-Big Ten Network Deal Coming?

The Big Ten Network's Comcast deal is done, and now there may be a thaw in relations with Time Warner:

"I think the fact that the Big Ten Network and Comcast came to an agreement is very encouraging and is a positive development," [VP of public affairs Mary Jo] Green said. "I think the fact that Comcast had similar concerns that we do, and that they were able to come to an agreement is encouraging."

That's a far cry from the standoffish quotes from Time Warner last summer and may indicate a potential deal in the offing. Or it may just be "please don't switch to satellite" posturing. This one, however, seems indisputably positive:

"We know that certain customers are interested in the network and we do hear from them," Green said. "We're hopeful that we can reach an agreement before football season."

Never in the thousand-year history of the Big Ten Network-cable war has a cable company acknowledged that customers might want the channel, and never has anyone come out and claimed they would like to make a deal.