Ohio State Buckeyes - BTN and TW Reach a Deal
Posted August 25th, 2008 by George Thomas
Sources familiar with negotiations said that the Big Ten Network and Time Warner Cable have reached an agreement in principle for carriage of the year-old cable network in time for this weekend’s Ohio State Buckeyes season opener against Youngstown State Saturday.
The deal calls for Time Warner to carry the channel on expanded basic on all of its systems in the eight-states where Big Ten schools operate. As recently as Friday, it looked as if an agreement wouldn’t be reached in time to broadcast the game.
‘’We have a handshake deal with Fox (the Big Ten Network’s partner) that will ensure that Time Warner customers will be able to watch the game this weekend,’’ said Bill Jasso, Time Warner’s vice president for government affairs and media relations. ‘’And ware are confident that we’ll reach a deal for carriage shortly.’’
BTN and Time Warner have been locked in a battle over the station since the network began. When Comcast, the nation’s top video provider reached a deal last spring, an agreement with Time Warner seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
That’s not been the case and in recent days negotiations had grown a bit contentious with both sides taking their respective cases to the media. In fact, Ohio State University athletic director Gene Smith sent an open letter to Buckeyes fans advising them to switch video providers.
No details of the deal were available.
August 25th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
[...] Original post by George Thomas [...]
August 25th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
[...] sure how legit this is… Ohio State Buckeyes - BTN and TW Reach a Deal [...]
August 26th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Finally! Now what about the NFL Network?
August 26th, 2008 at 4:32 am
I have DirectTV ordered to install on Thursday. If Brighthouse has it here in Florida I'll cancel the change order. Any news on BTN in Florida?
August 26th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Sorry Florida Buckeye, but that's a bit beyond my area. I'm not even sure where Brighthouse operates in Ohio. TW is the dominant cable company here.
August 27th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
George, you can now end your hunger strike.
August 27th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
George, one thing you haven't opined about, and it would seem to me that it's plain pussyfooting if you don't: What in the hell was Gene Smith doing getting on his high horse and bellowing through his big-money football megaphone, telling people to switch from Time Warner? It's not in his job description, in any way, shape or form, to tell ordinary citizens, let alone a business, how to conduct themselves.
No matter one's personal opinion, including your own, George, Time Warner was simply trying to get the best deal possible for itself and for its shareholders. How can a state-supported educational institution possibly condone this type of conduct from one of its top administrators? I've been surfing all Ohio newspapers I can find, and I haven't been able to find one newspaper writer nor editor who's had the guts nor the balls to slam Smith. Why not? Is the university in EVERYBODY'S pockets? Not one single peep? Smith's behavior was simply egregious and a helluva lot more wrong than anything Time Warner supposedly did.
August 30th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Well now, it's 7:40 am on saturday morning. As of yet I have not seen anything on tbn so far (program directory.)
August 30th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Your opinion Alan. Did it seem unusual. I won't dispute that, but given that coaches have done PSA regarding it, I didn't think twice about it.