The following is from today's Columbus Dispatch. You'll notice that BTN is asking $1.10 per subscriber to carry the channel. This does not bode well for carriage on the DISH network.
BIG TEN NETWORK
Agreements with cable companies not imminent
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Don't be surprised if the Big Ten Network and major cable companies don't announce an agreement this month, next month or even well into August.
In any game of brinksmanship, urgency does not build until the last minute. In this case, the network plans to launch in late August, maybe only a week or so before football season.
"There's nothing to flip a switch on, there's no programming right now," said Elizabeth Conlisk, the network's vice president of communications. "Deadlines are deadlines. I think you will see that we likely will reach some of the larger agreements closer to launch."
Ohio State confirmed Tuesday that its first two football games will be aired on the Big Ten Network: Sept. 1 against Youngstown State and Sept. 8 against Akron.
Right now, central Ohio's three major cable providers - Time Warner, WOW and Insight - have not agreed to pick up the network on their expanded basic tiers.
The Big Ten Network hopes to persuade cable companies in the league's eight-state home area to carry it on their expanded basic tiers; Big Ten fans outside the Midwest likely will have to watch it on digital cable or satellite.
"We're optimistic," Time Warner spokesperson Judy Barbao said. "This type of discussion is typical for channel additions."
Satellite providers DirecTV and AT &T have forged agreements with the network. In mid-May, the network announced a deal with Buckeye CableSystem, which serves more than 150,000 households in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.
The stumbling block, of course, is money. A report in Street and Smith's Business Journal said the network is seeking $1.10 per subscriber from cable providers compared with the 70 to 90 cents the NFL Network sought last year. That cost was a factor in Time Warner's decision not to add the NFL Network to its digital tier.
Conlisk remains hopeful.
"I can't speak to specifics, but I think we are continuing to have productive conversations," she said. "With the bigger operators, things are a little bit more complicated."
kgordon@dispatch.com
BIG TEN NETWORK
Agreements with cable companies not imminent
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Don't be surprised if the Big Ten Network and major cable companies don't announce an agreement this month, next month or even well into August.
In any game of brinksmanship, urgency does not build until the last minute. In this case, the network plans to launch in late August, maybe only a week or so before football season.
"There's nothing to flip a switch on, there's no programming right now," said Elizabeth Conlisk, the network's vice president of communications. "Deadlines are deadlines. I think you will see that we likely will reach some of the larger agreements closer to launch."
Ohio State confirmed Tuesday that its first two football games will be aired on the Big Ten Network: Sept. 1 against Youngstown State and Sept. 8 against Akron.
Right now, central Ohio's three major cable providers - Time Warner, WOW and Insight - have not agreed to pick up the network on their expanded basic tiers.
The Big Ten Network hopes to persuade cable companies in the league's eight-state home area to carry it on their expanded basic tiers; Big Ten fans outside the Midwest likely will have to watch it on digital cable or satellite.
"We're optimistic," Time Warner spokesperson Judy Barbao said. "This type of discussion is typical for channel additions."
Satellite providers DirecTV and AT &T have forged agreements with the network. In mid-May, the network announced a deal with Buckeye CableSystem, which serves more than 150,000 households in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.
The stumbling block, of course, is money. A report in Street and Smith's Business Journal said the network is seeking $1.10 per subscriber from cable providers compared with the 70 to 90 cents the NFL Network sought last year. That cost was a factor in Time Warner's decision not to add the NFL Network to its digital tier.
Conlisk remains hopeful.
"I can't speak to specifics, but I think we are continuing to have productive conversations," she said. "With the bigger operators, things are a little bit more complicated."
kgordon@dispatch.com