REVISE: Illinoisans locked out of Big Ten Network?
Revise: "4 million" in third to last graph changed to 3 million.
Big Ten Conference commissioner Jim Delany called negotiations between Big Ten Network executives and the nation's largest cable supplier "immature'' Thursday, sounding an alarm that the start of the Big Ten football season will be lost on a channel blocked from cable customers throughout Illinois.
The network launches Aug. 30, two days before the Big Ten football season begins Sept. 1 with Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State on the conference's revolutionary cable channel. Yet there is no deal with Comcast, the cable giant that will take over Insight's operations in Peoria, Springfield and Rockford later this year.
During a promotional tour stop on the Illinois campus, Delany admitted he was nowhere close to an agreement with Comcast, although other cable companies and Dish satellite TV appeared closer to cutting deals.
"The five major distributors are the ones we're in discussions with,'' Delany said. "Some of those are actually pretty mature. Some of those are immature, in particular the Comcast negotiation.
"We're in the fourth quarter as far as the launch. That negotiation (with Comcast) is in the first quarter.''
Before Illinois football makes its conference network debut against Western Illinois on Sept. 8, states where football is king will likely face the first deadline. The negotiating timetable also includes the start of conference football play, basketball season and the conference basketball season.
"There is going to be tension, and there is going to be frustration,'' Delany said. "I understand that and empathize with that. The only thing I can say is we've grown our television at every opportunity we had.''
Under Delany's direction, the Big Ten increased the number of football games broadcast live from 18 in 1989 to 67 last season. The Big Ten Network does have agreements with about 75 smaller cable operators, AT&T and DirecTV, a satellite provider.
Negotiations between the Big Ten and Comcast are stuck on one major point: level of service. In the eight-state region that's home ground to the league, the Big Ten demands the channel placed on expanded basic cable that doesn't take extra equipment or an costly service upgrade.
Comcast said it thinks the channel is niche sports channel that should be placed on a higher-level sports tier that would increase the monthly charge by consumers. Big Ten Network president Mark Silverman called Comcast's stance inconsistent.
According to a story in the Sports Business Journal, Comcast approached the Southeastern Conference about converting a regional cable sports channel already on expanded basic in the Southeast into the SEC Channel.
"Having it both ways rings a bit hollow,'' Silverman said.
The Big Ten Network will broadcast roughly 40 football games and 64 of the 99 men's conference basketball games this year, plus the bulk of non-conference play. Selections of football games don't always occur until a week or two prior to kickoff, but Illinois already has three games (Western Illinois, Syracuse, Minnesota) slotted for BTN.
In men's basketball, the Illini play 10 conference games on the league's cable channel. When the non-conference television package is released as soon as next week, Illini men's basketball may have 17 to 20 games on the channel.
The Big Ten won't give fans any advice.
"We're in the fourth quarter in terms of games on Sept. 1,'' Delany said. "You have options and alternatives. I'm reluctant to tell anybody what to do. Maybe we have something on Sept. 1 or Sept. 5. They will have made an investment beause we encouraged them to do so. We should try to create as many options as possible.''
Consumers may call 1-866-WANT-B10 to be connected directly to their cable or satellite provider.
In a market where there is little competition, the Big Ten must rely on the consumers to A) push the point across by switching to a system that offers the Big Ten channel or B) voice their concern with cable operators, Silverman said.
"I believe we can get a deal done with other major operators before Comcast,'' Silverman said. "Certain operators are listening to fans and want to carry the network. Their viewpoints earlier seem to have shifted.''
With roughly 3 million alumni in the eight-state region -- plus fans of Big Ten schools that could multiply that number in the Big Ten's footprint -- Delany hopes Comcast hears the disapparoval.
"They'll find out how important these events, schools and tailgates are over the next several months,'' Delany said. "We think people care that these teams are important and these schools are important.''
The Big Ten decided to build its own channel when ESPN, where the league contracted much of its coverage, wanted a deal that would push more events to ESPNU and ESPN 360 and thus trim distribution.
John Supinie covers college athletics for GateHouse News Service. He can be reached at Johnsupinie@aol.com.