Penn State fans belly up to bar … TVs
September 6, 2007
With most cable systems refusing to carry the Big Ten Conference’s new sports TV network, a lot of football games are not available to home viewers. That’s led our friends at Ohio Media Watch to call it the “Big Ten Notwork.”
One of the games blacked out on free TV was last Saturday’s laugher between Penn State and Florida International. (JoePa’s boys clobbered the smaller team 59 to 0.) At least three State games this year are “exclusive” to the Big Ten Network.
As Adam Smeltz of the Centre Daily Times and Bill Kibler of the Altoona Mirror report, it’s a bonanza for bar owners who subscribe to DirecTV … which is carrying the Big Ten Network. The same thing is happening in Ohio, where some OSU games are now off local TV.
Meanwhile, the CDT says that the Big Ten Notwork … er, Network … and Comcast remain in negotiations. In the interim, Penn State President Graham Spanier has canceled his Comcast service.
On the other hand, there are more college football games available on local cable systems for people who receive Fox Sports Pittsburgh. According to the Tribune-Review, FSN is carrying football games every week from small-school teams like California University of Pennsylvania and Robert Morris University.
