Big Flop Network

This weekend saw some great Big Ten games, of interest to many Big Ten fans. No. 5 Michigan was embarrassed in the “upset of the century” by the Division I-AA Appalachian State Mountaineers. Back home in Indiana, IU trounced Indiana State to open the season right at The Rock.\nUnfortunately for anyone outside of the 3.5 million homes reached by the Big Ten Network – including some cable customers in Bloomington and Indianapolis and anyone with a DirecTV dish – the games were only available to those select few with access to the exclusive network.\nWhile fans trudge to bars to watch the games, the Big Ten Network, a venture by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, continues to duke it out with local cable providers such as Insight Communications, Bloomington’s cable network provider. Insight currently carries the Big Ten Network on half of its cable systems, yet bizarrely (or cleverly) decided not to include Bloomington. Comcast, the most adamant holdout, calls the Big Ten Network’s programming “second- and third-tier sporting events.”\nWell, judging by banner headlines like “Best Upset Ever?” about a game that the bulk of college football fans couldn’t watch, there is quite a lot of interest in such “third-tier” sporting events. While the Big Ten Network continues to hold its fans hostage with its holdout of programming, the games continue to be played, and fans continue to lose out.\nAt the heart of this conflict is one sticking point: a monthly subscriber charge of $1.10 in order to view the network. Referred to as “The Big Ten Tax,” the charge essentially makes the viewing of Big Ten games a premium affair, another greedy foray into changing for programming that used to be free. Apparently the Big Ten Network will give the schools more viewers outside the Midwest, but for fans who have religiously followed their universities with vigor, the failure to come to a deal hurts worst of all.\nIn recent years, athletics organizations from Major League Baseball to the National Football League have made programming decisions to punish fans and make more cash. For these profit-hungry businesses, the decisions can be justified, but for an organization that professes scholarly goals in amateur athletics, the Big Ten can’t be excused. Furthermore, an organization of universities should probably avoid any behavior that makes cable and telecommunications companies look downright consumer-friendly.\nIt’s true that marquee match-ups like Michigan-Ohio State football will still receive national television coverage, but both sides in this coverage competition are being counterproductive in their race to the bottom. The Big Ten risks losing longtime fans with a subscription rate to view games against sub-par opponents, and the cable providers risk alienating viewers already grumbling over high rates. Rather than take the path of professional sports who have made their product the domain of the diehard who plops down huge sums for his home team, the Big Ten and cable companies should remember who its biggest audience should be: students and alumni who want to view the games.