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It urges provider switch as dispute by Big Ten, Time Warner drags on
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Thursday, Aug 21, 2008
The Ohio State University Department of Athletics has jumped into the middle of the fracas between the Big Ten Network and Time Warner Cable.
The two entities have been locked in negotiations over the cable company carrying the year-old sports network. With the OSU football team's season set to start next week, hope that a deal can be reached in time to broadcast the opener against Youngstown State University appears grim.
Athletic Director Gene Smith is advising Buckeyes fans who want to watch the team to switch video service providers.
''While negotiations are ongoing with Time Warner, it appears very unlikely that an agreement will be reached before the first game of the year and anything beyond that is problematical,'' Smith wrote in a open letter to Buckeyes fans on OSU's Web site. ''Therefore, we feel compelled to let Buckeyes fans know that there is only one way you would be guaranteed to get the Big Ten Network in time to see us take the field against Youngstown State and that is to call one of the providers now carrying the network in the state . . . ''
In every Big Ten state except Ohio, the BTN has access to at least 70 percent of homes. In the Buckeye State, it's a scant 40 percent, primarily because Time Warner is the dominant cable company in Ohio.
The Buckeyes will appear at least twice on the Big Ten Network during the early part of the season. In addition to the YSU game, the Sept. 20 game against Troy University will air there.
A source told the Beacon Journal that the network also will broadcast the Sept. 27 conference opener against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
While some might construe Smith's letter as putting OSU out on a limb, Ohio State's assistant athletic director for broadcast services, Steve Snapp, said that's not so.
Snapp acknowledged that talks continue, but that doesn't change the current situation, he said.
''We got a lot of feedback last year when the games weren't on [Time Warner],'' Snapp said. ''There was a lot of rhetoric that they were going to be on, and people waited until the very last minute, and then they couldn't change, and we didn't want that to happen again.''
Bill Jasso, Time Warner's vice president of government affairs and media relations, remained hopeful about the negotiations.
''We were disappointed to see the university falsely report that we have made a decision not to carry the Big Ten Network,'' Jasso said in a prepared statement. ''We are actively negotiating with Fox [the Big Ten Network's partner] for Big Ten Network carriage on Time Warner Cable. It appears the university has not been fully briefed on the status of negotiations.
''We have had positive discussions with Fox in recent days, including the active exchange of proposals. There is no stalemate or meltdown in discussions as the Smith letter would have our customers believe. On the contrary, talks are moving in the right direction.
''We have every intention of continuing to work through negotiations with Fox until we are able to reach a mutually acceptable agreement. We are ready to carry the Big Ten Network.''
George M. Thomas can be reached at sportswriterabj@sbcglobal.net. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/sportsblitz/
The Ohio State University Department of Athletics has jumped into the middle of the fracas between the Big Ten Network and Time Warner Cable.
Get the full article here.
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