OSU Fans Still Looking for the Big Ten Network

While Ohio State Buckeye fans are certainly excited about their football team as they match up tomorrow with the Louisiana State Tigers, they are not as excited about their prospects for seeing much Big 10 basketball over the next two months.

Today’s Big Ten home opener for the Buckeyes resulted in a 62-51 win over Northwestern, but many fans were shut out of the opportunity to watch the victory. The next two games will also be televised on the Big Ten Network, leaving those without either DirecTV or Dish Network out in the cold, so to speak.

Time Warner, the largest cable TV provider in Ohio, has not yet been able to strike an agreement with the Big Ten Network. Or is it the other way around? Many have faulted the Big Ten Network for creating an entity that shuts the fans out. Similar to the recent dispute between the NFL Network and large cable TV operators, the end users seem to be the ones suffering from corporate America’s disputes over sports programming.

The sides continue to fight over the Big Ten Network’s asking price, reportedly in the area of $1.10 per subscriber in Big Ten areas, and .30 cents in other markets. The Big Ten is also demanding inclusion on either basic or expanded-basic service, a demand also in place by the NFL Network. Time Warner wants to put the network on an optional tier of service, such as a sports-extra tier, where those who want it would have to pay more each month.

Certainly the dispute was in the headlines early on in football season. Many in Ohio missed out on early season action, as four Ohio State games were televised on the Big Ten Network. Satellite television providers raked in new customers, as many made the switch to Dish Network and DirecTV. Whether Time Warner is feeling enough heat from their subscriber base is the question.

According to Time Warner, however, interest in the network waned as football season rolled on. As the calendar flips over to basketball season, only time will tell if any big changes will come to the channel lineup. If customers start to switch away from Time Warner Cable in large numbers, a deal may finally be struck for Big Ten fans.

by Aaron Kemp on January 6, 2008 · 1 comment

in Cable TV