Big Ten Network coming soon to DirecTV?
It appears that you may soon be able to get Big Ten sports on television 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Sportsline.com is reporting that the Big Ten conference is in talks with ESPN about a long term deal that would also include a side deal with DirecTV to broadcast a new Big Ten Network. It appears that the top conference games will still air on ESPN but the 2nd-tier games would appear on the Big Ten Network. There’s no mention of how this will affect cable subscribers. We’ll have to stay tuned since the conference isn’t officially commenting on the story yet.
While ESPN will still get top games, the Big Ten Network most likely will broadcast second-tier football and basketball games as well as minor sports.
“It does make sense. … The Big Ten will sell very well in Chicago, in Detroit, in Cleveland, in Pittsburgh, in Milwaukee, the footprint of the Big Ten,” said a high-placed industry source. “They will have a viewing audience. … You’re going to see more of this moving forward.”Why is the Big Ten forcing its consumers to the more-expensive satellite TV? Basically, because it can. The league has one of the most loyal — and well-heeled — fan bases.