The more that is written and said about the new Big Ten Network and its "battle" with prospective cable carriers, particularly Comcast, the less the dispute really has to do with sports.
It has to do with who pays.
The Big Ten Network, which will broadcast a variety of Big Ten athletic events, a studio show and coaches' shows among other things, is pushing to be available on basic expanded cable.
Comcast, the cable system that serves most of Lancaster County's homes, is balking at that request. That's because the BTN wants to charge cable companies $1.10 per month per subscriber, a cost that would certainly raise everyone's rates, approximately $13 a year. So, even if your clicker never stops on the channel, you'll have to pay for it.
Comcast, however, wants to slot the Big Ten Network on a digital sports tier. In that case, only the subscribers who want the Big Ten Network would have to pay for it, as part of the sports tier.
The Big Ten Network is pushing for basic expanded cable for the greater exposure it would provide (for itself and for Fox, which owns 49 percent of the new network).
"We continue to discuss this with the Big Ten Network in good faith because we want to resolve this for customers," said Comcast spokesman Jeff Alexander. "As we've stated from the beginning, we're happy to make the network available on a sports tier to those who want it. Our aim is to avoid passing the high cost on to our customers."
Like customers on fixed incomes or in retirement communities for instance.
Should the BTN agree to be placed on Comcast's sports tier channels, along with the NFL Network, CSTV and several Fox regional sports channels, the cable system would not increase the $5 fee for the tier channels.
"With a sports tier, Big Ten fans would be able to subscribe to the Big Ten network while the majority of our customers would not be burdened with what we see as a $13 Big Ten Network tax," Alexander said.
As a reference, the NFL Network charged cable companies 70 cents per subscriber per month when it launched. Comcast has the NFL Network on its sports tier channels. Blue Ridge Cable has the NFL Network on expanded cable.
A message left for a Blue Ridge spokesman was not returned. Blue Ridge provides cable service to residents in northern Lancaster County.
As much as Comcast has held a hard line against the BTN's request to be on expanded cable, the folks at the Big Ten Network have been on the offensive, too.
Penn State president Graham Spanier, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany and Big Ten Network president Mark Silverman, got together to issue a statement Wednesday, which, in part, read, "Consumers typically receive 60-70 channels in their expanded basic level of service that are not selected by them, but by their cable operator. If consumers could choose the networks they prefer, we believe many Pennsylvania viewers would select the Big Ten Network over a dozen or more other networks their cable operator has selected for them already.
"Since the cable industry insists on bundling a large number of channels together and charging one fee for them, networks with a heightened degree of local relevance such as the Big Ten Network rightfully should be included in that group."
The Big Ten Network, a 24-hour channel devoted to Big Ten sports and other aspects of the 11 universities in the conference, will launch on Aug. 30 and is scheduled to broadcast the Florida International at Penn State football game on Sept. 1. The Buffalo game will also be telecast by the new network.
Basketball games, more women's sports than are currently seen anywhere and "Olympic" type sports also will be shown
If you subscribe to DirecTV, you'll see the Big Ten Network. But as of early this week, only 20 percent of cable subscribers in the eight states that house Big Ten teams will get the channel.
E-mail: kfreeman@lnpnews.com