The BTN launched last August and it was made clear from the start that the conference wanted distribution on an expanded basic service of the cable operators in the eight-state Big Ten region. The operators, meanwhile, wanted to house it on a digital sports tier, meaning those who wanted it could pay a fee.
The Tribune story says the BTN will get its wish, with only Philadelphia excluded. However, Comcast eventually will have the right to switch the channel to a "more exclusive digital tier of service in some systems," according to the Tribune. A source also told the newspaper that the BTN had come down in its per month, per subscriber asking price from $1.10 to 70 to 80 cents.
It's never been satisfactorily explained to me why exactly the Big Ten needs a network. Last fall I viewed it as a giant pain in the ass as none of the games I wanted to watch were actually on any channel I got. Michigan's defeat at the hands of Division II Appalachian State? On the BTN. No one in America really got to see, save for the chosen few who had access to the BTN. This whole thing feels like just another money-making ploy by the Big Ten (and Universities, according to this article get $7 million from this situation, making it unlikely that they're going to do anything about it.) and the Big Ten continues to alienate fans of all schools by not broadcasting the games. The Big Ten's rather lame response to this is to blame the cable companies- but apparently even when a deal is made with the cable companies, we're still expected to pay for the privilege of watching football, basketball and all kinds of Big Ten sports. OK, so .70 to .80 cents is not a huge amount- but the economy sucks, money is tight and no one has yet to satisfactorily explain to me why the Big Ten needs a network to begin with.
No comments:
Post a Comment