The NFL and Time Warner Cable ended a nine-year impasse by reaching an agreement that will make the league-owned NFL Network available to millions more U.S. homes, and Hawaii subscribers are benefiting almost immediately.

Oceanic Time Warner Cable said it expects to have the NFL Network and RedZone Channel available for its Hawaii subscribers Sunday.

“We’re supposed to get some additional equipment to get these channels on,” said Bob Barlow, Oceanic president. “We have some spare equipment that we’re trying to get authorized right now, (so) I’m 100 percent (sure) that we will have the NFL Channel and Red Zone up for Sunday’s games,” Barlow said.

Approximately 60 percent of Oceanic’s nearly 400,000 customers subscribe to the packages that will include the NFL Network or RedZone, Barlow said.

The NFL Network will be available to subscribers to the Digital Variety Pak on channels 203 and 1203 (high-definition), while RedZone will be available to customers who have the Sports Pass tier on channels 204 and 1204.

“It will be a busy Saturday for our engineers, let’s put it that way,” Barlow said. “Sometime Saturday evening or early, early Sunday the NFL Network and RedZone will pop onto those customers that subscribe to those tiers.”

Barlow said, “This is so quick it won’t even be on the (channel) guide. If you tune in to the channel it will be there, but it won’t be on the guide until Thursday.”

Barlow said viewers can upgrade on their boxes or call customer service to subscribe.

Time Warner had been the only major national cable provider without NFL Network. Locally, Hawaiian Telcom cable and the DirecTV and Dish Network satellite services all already offered the NFL channels.

NFL Network is airing 13 primetime regular-season games this season, up from eight last season. The next will be the Cleveland Browns at Baltimore Ravens on Thursday.

RedZone is a game-day network that shows touchdowns and important plays inside the 20-yard line.