Broadcast disputes can hit sports fans at the most inconvenient times. And just days before college football season begins, Big Ten Network games appear to be blacked out on Comcast/Xfinity. If you’re currently a cable subscriber, that could mean you miss the early football games of the season for Oregon, Washington, USC, UCLA and more Big Ten football broadcasters starting this week. Unless you find a quick solution with a streaming service.
- If this dispute is not resolved by kickoff this week, fans can watch Week 1 Big Ten college football games for free streaming with Fubo (free trial) or DirecTV Stream (free trial).
What games are on the Big Ten Network this week? Which games are blacked out?
These are the games that may be blacked out and unavailable to Comcast/Xfinity subscribers if the broadcast dispute continues throughout the weekend:
- Rutgers vs. Howard on Thursday, August 29 at 3:00 p.m. PT
- Illinois vs. Eastern Illinois on Thursday, August 29 at 6 p.m. PT
- Michigan State vs. Florida Atlantic on Friday, August 30th at 4:00 p.m. PT
- No. 25 Iowa vs. Illinois State on Saturday, August 31 at 9 a.m. PT
- Purdue vs. Indiana State on Saturday, August 31 at 9 a.m. PT
- Indiana vs. Florida International on Saturday, August 31 at 12:30 p.m. PT
- Northwestern vs. Miami (OH) on Saturday, August 31 at 12:30 p.m. PT
- Oregon Ducks vs. Idaho Vandals on Saturday, August 31st at 4:30 p.m. PT
- Washington Huskies vs. Weber State on Saturday, August 31 at 8 p.m. PT
As a reminder, you can watch every week one college football game for free on Fubo (free trial) or with DirecTV Stream (free trial). You can also watch a month of college football for about $26 by signing up for a month of access to Sling (promotional offer for the first month, cancel anytime).
Why is the Big Ten Network blocked on Comcast/Xfinity?
Broadcast disputes often result in blackouts, and sports fans are often the hardest hit when cable/satellite providers go to war with the broadcasters over the costs and fees to carry those channels. Big Ten Network released a statement harshly criticizing Comcast/Xfinity: “Because Comcast/Xfinity is the only distribution partner that has refused to expand with us, viewers in many areas will not have access to live broadcasts of the highly anticipated B1G season openers for Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Comcast/Xfinity struck a more optimistic tone, saying, “We recognize the impact these costs will have on our customers and are in discussions with FOX and the Big Ten Network to find a solution… we hope to reach a fair agreement with FOX and the Big Ten Network to provide these games to our customers.”
So far, Comcast/Xfinity customers have only reported blackouts on live events broadcast on BTN. Although Big Ten Network is partially owned by FOX, a blackout would not impact Big Ten football games broadcast on FOX or FS1 this weekend.
What is Fubo? How much does it cost and what does it include?
Fubo is a sports-centric live TV streaming service. The package that includes Big Ten Network costs $94.99/month, but there’s currently a free trial (four days) that lets you watch every college football game this week as long as you sign up starting Wednesday, August 28.
Fubo also carries most of the channels broadcasting college football and NFL games nationwide this season, including the local ABC affiliates and ESPN networks, as well as the RedZone channel for NFL football junkies.
What is DirecTV Stream? Is it better than Fubo?
Like Fubo, which we described above, DirecTV Stream is a live TV streaming service. The price for the package that includes Big Ten Network is also $94.99 ($79.99/month base, plus $15/month Sports Pack), but it also offers a five-day free trial period that lets you watch every college football game starting in Week 1 of the season.
What about Sling? Does Sling have a Big Ten Network?
Sling is the cheapest streaming option for football fans who want to watch Big Ten Network and more college and NFL football this season. The basic Sling Blue package costs $40/month, but to get Big Ten Network, you’ll need to add the Sports Extra package for $11/month. The total package at $51/month is almost half the price of Fubo or DirecTV Stream. However, this option doesn’t offer a free trial. Still, Sling is offering a special deal of $25 off your first month, so if you sign up now, you can get the service for just $26 to watch a month of football and decide whether or not you want to keep it.
