Canzano: Comcast Xfinity with first fumble of Big Ten season

Four new schools are affected by blackouts.

Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC are just days away from the first kickoff of their opening football season in the Big Ten Conference.

A new start.

A new conference.

Yet, they’re mired in some of the same old TV distribution problems.

I reached out to Comcast in early summer to determine how fans of the four new Big Ten schools might tune into football games on the Big Ten Network this season.

A Seattle-based executive at Comcast Xfinity was happy to help. Andy Colley provided the blueprint for customers in June but it came with a $10 upcharge.

Wrote Colley:

“The Big Ten Network is offered on our More Sports and Entertainment tier and can be added to our Xfinity Popular plan for $10 a month. Not only does the Big Ten Network cover college football for Oregon and Washington, but it also includes NFL Network, FanDuel TV, ESPN News, CBS Sports Network, NBA TV, NFL RedZone, NHL Network, MLB Network, PAC-12 Mountain, CMT, TCM, and FM. The Xfinity Popular Package is $60 a month.”

Customers in the region reached into their pockets for the extra $10. But it turns out that things aren’t that simple. A Washington women’s soccer game on Monday night, for example, was blacked out on Xfinity in the Pacific Northwest. And if nothing changes between now and Saturday, Xfinity customers won’t be able to see Oregon and Washington play their first Big Ten football games, either.

Comcast Xfinity provided a statement. (See below.) The distribution issue is rooted in a “territorial rights” debate and potential carriage fees.

The Big Ten Network believes that live games involving the four new teams should be considered “in-market” and be subject to higher fees and included as part of Comcast’s basic-tier package. Comcast doesn’t want to pay the “in-market” rate increase and wants the games made available on its upgraded sports tier.

The same issue happened when Nebraska, Rutgers, and Maryland were added to the Big Ten in prior years. Those were eventually resolved, largely because of fan backlash.

As one source told me: “Football has a way of moving the needle.”

The parties are engaged in discussions this week about how to resolve the matter. On Wednesday, UCLA plays a soccer match. Unless Xfinity changes its position, it won’t be available to its customers in Southern California. On Friday, there’s an Oregon-Pitt volleyball match that would be impacted as well. Then, comes Saturday and college football’s Week 1.

I’ll be curious to see if Xfinity softens its stance as customers flee to more reliable distributors. The irony won’t be lost on anyone — the four schools cited broader TV distribution as part of the reason for leaving for the Big Ten. Now, they’re mired in another distribution fiasco.

Pac-12 fans were traumatized for a decade by the lack of distribution for the Pac-12 Network. That involved a standoff with DirecTV and poisoned the well on what should have been a symbiotic TV relationship. The parties in this one aren’t involved in an ongoing negotiation and have no apparent reason to be at odds.

A simple misunderstanding?

Or something else?

Comcast Xfinity told a lot of people that if they invested an extra $10 in the upgraded sports tier, they’d be able to access the Big Ten Network. Technically, they can. But this feels dirty, doesn’t it? That’s not the truth of what’s happening here. Right now, customers can access the shoulder programming, but not live sports games at Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA.

Oregon plays Idaho at Autzen Stadium on Saturday. Washington hosts Weber State. One source wondered if Xfinity might try to substitute the Illinois State vs. Iowa football game on the Big Ten Network in the Pacific Northwest. Iowa’s games, after all, are already part of the agreement. The four new schools are new territory.

There are no blackouts of the Big Ten Network’s live games on Hulu, YouTube TV, Dish, Fubo, or other providers. The issue only applies to Comcast Xfinity.

A spokesperson for the Big Ten Network, offered a statement:

The Big Ten Network is proud to present an expanded slate of live sporting events featuring the newest members of the B1G conference, however, most Comcast subscribers will not see these games. As the one distribution partner that declined to expand along with us, Comcast Xfinity viewers in many areas will not have access to live broadcasts of the highly anticipated inaugural B1G season games for Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington. 

If you are an Xfinity subscriber and cannot find the Ducks, Huskies, Bruins or Trojans on the Big Ten Network in your area, please contact 1-800-Comcast or go to ALLBTNGAMES.com.

A statement from Comcast:

“We’re sensitive to the impact these costs have on our customers and have been in discussions with FOX and The Big Ten Network to find a solution to make certain former Pac-12 games available to the people who want them while not forcing others to pay for content they don't want to watch. We hope to be able to reach a fair agreement with FOX and the Big Ten Network to be able to offer these games to our customers.”

---

Thank you for reading. I appreciate all who support, subscribe, and share this independent endeavor with friends and family. If you haven’t already — please consider subscribing and/or gifting a subscription to someone who would enjoy it.

This is an independent reader-supported project, with both free and paid subscriptions. Those who opt for the paid edition are providing vital assistance to bolster my independent coverage.