As the 2024 college football season officially kicks off, new Big Ten members Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA could all see TV blackouts on Comcast’s Xfinity pay TV platform this weekend due to an ongoing carrier dispute.
Washington’s soccer game against former Pac-12 conference rival Oregon State on Monday night was the first match impacted.
When fans in the coverage area of the four programs attempt to watch the Big Ten Network, they are redirected to a Big Ten website which urges them to “take action now” and call Comcast.
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If the impasse between the cable giant and the regional sports network isn’t solved by Saturday, Comcast will continue to black out live events involving the four new Big Ten schools in their local markets.
That includes third-ranked Oregon's season opener against Idaho on Saturday afternoon, and Washington's first game against Weber State on Saturday night. (USC plays LSU on ESPN Sunday night and UCLA opens against Hawaii Saturday on CBS and Paramount Plus.)
All four West Coast schools are beginning their first academic year under the Big 10 banner after decades of allegiance to the venerable but now forsaken Pac-12.
The disagreement reportedly hinges on Comcast’s refusal to pay higher in-market rates for the four new Big Ten programs, following their new addition to the division.
The Big Ten Network, a joint venture between Fox and the Big Ten athletic conference, said in a statement that Comcast “declined to expand along with us.
“The Big Ten Network is proud to present an expanded slate of live sporting events featuring the newest members of the B1G conference," the network added. "However, most Comcast subscribers will not see these games. 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.”
Comcast's response: “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.”
