Penn State Football: Will Comcast Subscribers be without the Big Ten Network this Season?

Comcast and the Big Ten Network are in the midst of negotiations, meaning that Penn State football fans could miss out on some games.

There is an art to lowering your cable bill, and as a Comcast Xfinity subscriber, I have mastered it.

The key is to lie and tell them you want, nay, NEED, them to cancel your services immediately. Except, a few nights ago, when I spoke to a Comcast customer service rep who we’ll call Sean, I was serious about canceling my services.

When Sean asked why, I explained to him that I am not confident that Comcast and the Big Ten Network will work out their contract dispute by the August 31 deadline, and I simply will not miss any Penn State football games because of it.

22 of the first 24 Big Ten games airing on Big Ten Network and FS1, which was thrown into the deal, will not be aired for Comcast Xfinity subscribers if a new deal is not reached.

You are now probably thinking, “Joe, there are a million ways to watch every Penn State game, cable package or not,” and I believe you, but it’s the principle of it.

Here’s the gist, Big Ten Network is asking Comcast for more money to use their channel as part of the Comcast Xfinity television package. Comcast, a company worth nearly $150 billion, doesn’t want to budge. That’s how the rich stay rich, my friend.

Business could still be better for Comcast, as “cord cutting” has become very popular in American households. This is when individuals opt to use streaming services for on demand and live programming. Hulu Live was my ace in the hole that I threatened to switch to.

When I explained this to Sean, he played dumb, telling me he didn’t even know this was going on. I half believed him,  but was unable to further our discussion of football, cable and economics before he was offering me free HD for a year and Cinemax for 6 months.

This was a tempting steak on a string to dangle before a fdogl, but I wanted to stick to my guns.

The commercial featuring several prominent Big Ten coaches, James Franklin included, explaining that us Comcast Xfinity subscribers may miss out on our teams games, continued to play over in my head.

Comcast is the primary cable source for 10 Big Ten Markets, so even if most aren’t as ravenous a fan as I am, it still would be a hit to Comcast if a portion of  fans chose to take their business elsewhere.

“That’s a tempting offer, Sean,” I said. “But my biggest concern is missing a Penn State game, and when I say biggest concern, I don’t mean just with my cable provider, I mean that is literally my life’s biggest concern.”

Sean was speechless, but then began to laugh. Of course, I was only half joking.

“Look, we never lose networks, these negotiations happen all the time, but we never lose networks. Well, we lost YES, but got it back.”

Comcast did, in 2016, drop the Yankee’s Entertainment and Sports Network in certain markets, but ended the blackout just in time for the 2017 Yank’s season. This tidbit Sean threw in didn’t exactly inspire confidnece, but perhaps with football season around the corner I was in a gambling mood, and took his offer anyway.

Before hanging up I, well I don’t want to say threatened, but I told Sean if this dispute isn’t resolved by the August 31 deadline, I’d be calling him directly.

Sean laughed, but I was only half kidding again.

As I type this, the two sides are still in discussions, and Big Ten Network president Mark Silverman is not pleased with their progress. They got off to a late start in the negotiations, and haven’t seen any real movement.

Big Ten fans don’t always see eye to eye, but watching their teams play is something they can all appreciate. Perhaps the Big Ten is crying wolf, but it certainly doesn’t sound it, nor does it appear Comcast is motivated. We’re in the fourth quarter and the clocking is ticking.

You have two weeks, Sean.