By Jesse Temple
If some of us are willing to pay upwards of $50 a month just for ESPN, then the Big Ten Network sure offers a steal of a deal ... if you live in the eight-state Big Ten market.
The Big Ten Network "appears poised to land its most significant carriage deal to date, as top executives from Comcast Corp. and Fox have agreed on the framework of an agreement, according to sources from both sides," says an article found here.
The article reports that it's not known how much Comcast will pay for carriage, but BTN had been charging a little less than $1 per subscriber per month. A signed deal likely will occur within the next few months.
"The turnaround has been stunning," according to the article. "Just a month ago, Comcast insiders were pessimistic, saying that enough major hurdles remained that any deal appeared unlikely."
Comcast has about 5.8 million subscribers in the Big Ten footprint, including in Chicago and Detroit. Comcast also has clusters of subscribers in Minnesota and Pennsylvania, key parts of Big Ten country. BTN is now available in about 30 million homes through its deals with DirecTV, AT&T U-verse digital television and about 75 smaller cable operators.
In other words, this deal is huge for Big Ten sports fans. And as someone who once lived in Iowa City, Iowa but did not receive the Big Ten Network, I know how frustrating it is when a carrier in the Big Ten market does not air the games you feel you have a right to see.
But the BIGGEST point that needs addressing: I'm sure Big Ten fans are thrilled this deal is near completion after football and likely after basketball season is complete. The excitement of Iowa's rowing team going up against national powerhouse Penn State is riveting to the core.
Seriously though, I wonder what percentage of people buy the package solely for football and basketball. I can't imagine more than a few people purchasing it for any of the other sports the Big Ten has to offer. But I could be wrong.