I have often blogged about the Big Ten’s network uphill struggle for distribution by the major cable companies. About a month ago, the upstart sport’s network cleared a major hurdle by getting distribution on Comcast. However the one state in the Big Ten region, that really missed out was Ohio.
Unlike other states in the midwest, the majority of Ohion’s get their cable from Time Warner, a cable distributor that claimed they were still in negotiations with the Big Ten Network.
Both sides seemed to be nearing a deal, as Time Warner ever promised prospective customers in Ohio that a deal would be brokered by the start of the season. However Ohio State athletic director in an outbound email, paints a much more pessimistic outlook. Below are some highlights, with the full version of the email being found here.
While I think its a nice courtesy that someone updates the fan’s who are weighing making decisions as consumers, I am not sure its the AD’s responsibility to do this. In what’s most likely a posturing move by the Big Ten, Time Warner is sure to lose a significant amount of customers who will not put with not having the network two years running.
Time will tell if a deal will ever be brokered, but to me Time Warner (already know for a inferior products and service) is really dropping the ball on this one by allowing hoards of customers to switch away from them.
