FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The NFL Network will remain available to Comcast cable customers.

The league and the cable provider announced a long-term agreement Tuesday that will keep the NFL-owned channel out of Comcast's premium sports tier of programming.

Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, had said the NFL wanted a 350 percent increase in fees it would pay to carry the network. Those fees are based on numbers of viewers, so Comcast aimed to move the channel from a digital tier with 8.6 million subscribers to a sports package with 2 million subscribers and for an additional monthly fee.

The NFL said Comcast will begin repositioning NFL Network to its digital classic level of service and have a full launch by Aug. 1.