Canzano: Drilling into Comcast dispute with Big Ten Network
Canzano: Drilling into Comcast dispute with Big Ten Network
Source: "There’s more in play here.”
An ongoing dispute between the Big Ten Network and Comcast blew into public view this week. Fox is involved, too. I spoke with multiple sources and came away shaking my head at the absurdity and irony.
Oregon, Washington, UCLA, and USC fled the Pac-12, in part, because of poor television distribution. Now, the Ducks and Huskies are preparing for their first Big Ten games on Saturday and find themselves mired in an aggravating TV distribution fight.
Said a source on the Comcast side: “Fox stacked those football games on the Big Ten Network in Week 1 on purpose.”
Said another: “I will deny I ever said this if anyone asks, but yes, there’s more in play here.”
Caught in the middle of the dispute?
Comcast Xfinity subscribers in Oregon, Washington, Southern California, and other pockets. Consumers may soon discover that live sporting events are blacked out, even if they paid a $10 fee to upgrade to a sports tier. Fans are faced with either dumping Comcast and cutting the cord, or waiting out what one industry expert called “a game of chicken.”
Here’s what I know: