No deal between Charter, Big Ten

Thursday, August 30, 2007

No deal between Charter, Big Ten

By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-telegram Staff

When Big Ten Network kicks off tonight, Chippewa Valley cable TV customers won't be among the viewership.
Network officials want cable companies to add Big Ten Network to their expanded basic lineups, but many, including Charter Cable, have blocked that idea.

"It's a great program for those customers interested in Big Ten sports," said John Miller, director of communications for Charter. "But we have to protect our customers who are not interested in sports or the Big Ten."

Mike Vest, media relations manager for Big Ten Network, said he doubts the cable company could find people who said 70 other channels were more important. Big Ten Network ran a full-page ad in the Leader-Telegram last week urging Charter customers to call the company and ask it to add the channel to its expanded basic lineup.

"The cable industry doesn't operate on an a la carte system," Vest said. "They want to put us on a sports tier; the problem with that is there are no channels on the sports tier that provide local coverage."

Miller said Charter doesn't want to raise the cost for all expanded basic cable customers to add a channel a number of them may never watch.

The Big Ten Network reportedly is asking about $1.10 per subscriber per month for its network in the eight-state Big Ten region. Charter would rather put the network on a special "sports tier" with other sports channels and charge extra to those who want the sports tier.

Many cable providers, including Charter, are at a similar standoff with NFL Network, which is the only network that will televise the Green Bay Packers game on Thursday, Nov. 29, at Dallas.

Vest said Big Ten Network has made offerings to the cable companies that could help offset the costs so customers won't have to be charged more.

So far, one Badgers football game, The Citadel at Wisconsin at 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, is scheduled to appear exclusively on Big Ten Network.

The new network says it will televise more than 70 Badgers games in various sports in the coming year, including "25 football and basketball games."