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Media & Entertainment Law

Big Ten Network and Comcast Call Truce

According to the Chicago Tribune, the two year long trench war between Comcast and the Big Ten is about to end. The deal should be announced this week, putting the Big Ten Network into about 55 million homes and doubling the homes within the Big Ten Conference's footprint to 13 million. It will also significantly ratchet up the pressure on Time Warner and Charter to make deals of their own with the Big Ten rather than be left on the outside with angry subscribers, as they would be the only major cable or satellite systems left without the network.

Apparently, the Big Ten did not have to cave in on its most important point, keeping the channel on the basic tier, at least within the footprint of the conference, more or less. You Penn State fans in Philadelphia will have to pay up as Comcast won the right to put the BTN on the digital sports tier there. The Big Ten had been holding out for a fee of $1.10 per subscriber but apparently settled for around $.70, still a nice chunk of change for a relatively unproven and mostly second tier product and a major cash infusion for the member schools.

The Big Ten's success in getting the BTN established with the satellite providers and now Comcast will likely influence the SEC to more strongly consider starting its own network as its TV contracts roll out. There was a discussion about it at the last conference meetings and it will be examined in more detail throughout the year, I'm sure. In fact, the only two BCS conferences not currently known to be considering their own networks are the Big East and Pac-10. The Pac-10 could be examining it and just not announcing the fact and the Big East doesn't need its own network as it has made ESPN its network with its most recent contract.

Full post as published by Sports Biz on June 17, 2008 (boomark / email).