Washington, D.C. (June 19, 2007) -- The Big Ten Network will begin broadcasting college football games in high-def this August. But several cable operators may take a pass.

That's according to an article in The New York Times.

The Big Ten Network this fall will begin airing football games for such powerhouses as Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State. Over the next year, the network will carry 35 football games and 105 college basketball contests, according to The Times.

DIRECTV has announced that it will carry Big Ten Network HD when it launches this fall. The channel will be available to all 16 million DIRECTV subscribers.

But the cable operators are claiming that the Big Ten Network is asking for unreasonable programming fees, in large part because it was forced to pay $50 million annually to the Big Ten conference for the rights to the games.


Will Ohio State be in high-def on cable?

Comcast, which has 5.7 million subscribers in the eight states where Big Ten teams play, says it would have to raise programming fees for all subscribers it it added the new network to basic programming packages.

“I have no doubt that the Big Ten will try to rile up their fans and alumni to say that big bad Comcast is denying their content to Big Ten fans and alumni,” David Cohen, an executive vice president of Comcast, told The Times. “We’d like to make the network available to those who want to watch it and not force customers who have no interest in the content to have to pay for it.”

A Time Warner Cable spokesman told The Times that it agrees with Comcast's view.

Comcast says it would like to make the network available in programming packages that would require higher customer fees. In essence, customers would have to pay extra for the right to watch the Big Ten games.

But Big Ten Network president Mark Silverman says his channel will have national appeal because of the teams involved.

“It’s a national network with a heightened appeal within the eight states, but the level of competition and quality games will give it a national feel,” said Silverman.

At this point, it's unclear if Comcast and other large cable operators will carry the Big Network HD at launch.