DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Big Ten Network: Time Warner offer sacked

Per-game plan to broadcast Buckeyes games rejected
Saturday, August 23, 2008 3:03 AM
By Jeffrey Sheban

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Time Warner Cable wants the Big Ten Network to make Ohio State football games available to its subscribers on a per-game basis.

Under terms of a temporary arrangement proposed yesterday, Time Warner said it would provide free converter boxes with pay-per-view capability to its subscribers.

Customers would pay the Big Ten Network to watch network programming; Time Warner would receive nothing.

The offer was quickly rejected by the Big Ten Network, which called it a publicity stunt.

Time Warner, the dominant cable provider on central Ohio, is the largest cable company without a deal to carry the Big Ten Network. The network is scheduled to broadcast three of the first five Ohio State games, beginning with the opener next Saturday against Youngstown State.

On Wednesday, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith criticized Time Warner for the stalled discussions and urged the cable company's customers to consider switching to a service that offers the Big Ten Network.

In a letter sent to Smith yesterday, Terry O'Connell, executive vice president of Time Warner's Midwest region, wrote: "While we continue our negotiations, we are willing to offer the Ohio State football games carried on the Big Ten Network to our customers on a per-game basis, at a retail price set by you, with 100 percent of the revenue going to you.

"Now the decision is in Ohio State's hands. We look forward to your immediate response."

Smith referred the matter to Big Ten Network headquarters in Chicago. The Big Ten Conference owns 51 percent of the year-old network, and Fox Cable Networks owns the rest.

It didn't take long for the network to reject the proposal.

"Time Warner is well aware that we cannot selectively choose to air the network's programming in lieu of full carriage," spokeswoman Elizabeth Conlisk said. "This is a publicity stunt on their part."

jsheban@dispatch.com

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I hate Time Warner. If you call and ask them, "Why dont you have the NFL network?" they respond, "There is no interest" RIGGGHHHTTT, no interest in football in central and NE Ohio. If it wasnt for satelite, they would have a monoply. I dont want a dish.

As long as I get to watch my Browns, college football on Saturdays is a far second anyways.

TW is the worst. I would drop them in a heartbeat if I could.

Unfortunately, that's simply not possible right now. Maybe if we could get a little competition in the cable business, then it might happen.

CDawg, check and see if AT&T UVerse is available in your area. Thats who I have now and I have Big Ten.

I only really watch it during football season. besides the games your not missing much.

Let me second that Time Warner is the worst. Big business monopolies are the absence of freedom, The problem is contracts that treat the opportunity for customers business like a sellable commodity. The fact is consumers are slaves to contracts they cannot negotiate, because each consumer has been made part of a collective, originally this was due to geography and which company would pay to install cable lines. Some residences contracts have been sold to up to 3 different companies, so this is no longer the case.

Some people have only one cable option, or have to move and moving is a whole life change, their only other option is a much larger financial commitment to several satelite/type options. Time warner cable as one of the largest cable providers, dominates other contracts for customers like Coke or Pepsi dominate all others for beverage contracts. TW's service, quality and options have always been poor, substandard, and their collcetive attitude toward the consumer is to be arrogant and tell the customer its everybody elses problem, not time warners. IN short "deal with it b'tches".

That is why I second that Time warner is the WORST company.

The current Football Time Warner Big Ten Network problem that keeps footall games off of T.V. is not Time Warners fault in my opinion though. I blame the Big Ten, simply because in years past their was no problem finding football games on television, Then the Big Ten had to go and make a network and start taking games off T.V.

I agree with you. TW can be considered the evil empire. I was nothing but unsatisfied with them as far as cable went. When I moved here the community had their own cable system or I could get a dish. I went the dish route and got suckered punched by DirecTV b/c of their installer. Now I am in a fight with them b/c of a contract I didn't know I was locked into. Now hopefully 3rd time is a charm with AT&T UVerse whom I am quite happy with thus far.

Bottom line they all suck IMO

LOL you guys are bagging on Time Warner, but the FACT is just having to pay for TV no matter what company you use is BS, but that's how the times have changed. As for the big ten thing, who really cares? maybe a few, but hardly not the majority, hell most people probably don't even know about the big ten network ( which by the way needs to change it's name since there are 11 teams, but that is just more proof on how weak the division is, lol) but either way this is not life altering, unless you have no life. Time Warner is fine, their product is fine, and their prices are reasonable. Just because Time Warner doesn't have the "big ten" package doesn't make them bad it makes them smart, why waste money on a product most will not use? As for the NFL network, that is a crock too, I love football but even if Time Warner offered it, I sure as hell wouldn't pay extra for it. Either way I think it is a smart move on Time Warner's part, why pay for a product most people will not use. Really who cares? I know I don't and know I am in the majority concerning this situation.

How about the NFL Network? I'd love to be able to get that on TW as well.

So yes, TW is in fact the work of the devil.

Time Warner sucks.

No NFL Network (which was one of my favorite channels until TWC took over).

No Big Ten Network

Very few HD channels

Higher prices than a dish.

I think it's obvious when I get the chance to, I'm gonna go the dish route. 100+ HD channels will do that for ya.

I thought you guys up in Cleveland had Comcast. For instance, I grew up on the East side (Mentor), and I swore that last time I was home my parents had Comcast. Obviously I was wrong.

TW is terrible. Comcast isn't much better, but at least they finally came to an agreement with BTN, and on top of that they offer a Sports pack for 7.99/month that includes NFL Network HD...

Thank goodness for Browns/Buckeye bars throughout America...

Well, I guess it's off to the local bar for me...again.

Quote:

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I think it's obvious when I get the chance to, I'm gonna go the dish route.

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Ditto.

It was great when Adelphia was here on the East Side - got the stations I wanted, great customer service, etc. Too bad some of their guys at the top got a little greedy...

I applaud Gene Smith's effort

nicely done

A deal has been reached just in time fr the first game.

Ohio State football: Time Warner and Big Ten Network reach deal
by Doug Lesmerises
Monday August 25, 2008, 10:06 PM

Time Warner Cable and the Big Ten Network have reached a deal that will allow Time Warner subscribers to see Saturday's Ohio State season-opener on the network and full Big Ten Network programming.

The handshake deal is done with some details to follow, but the Network will be available on Time Warner's expanded basic service, according to a Time Warner spokesperson.

With 1 million customers in Northeast Ohio and 2.5 million in the Big Ten region, Time Warner was the largest remaining cable carrier in the Big Ten states without a Big Ten Network deal. Prior to this agreement, only 40 percent of households in Ohio had access to the year-old network, which will televise three of Ohio State's first five football games this season.

The deal came after the two sides traded strongly worded letters in the public forum on Friday, with the Big Ten Network calling one Time Warner offer a "publicity stunt." The sides worked through the weekend to get the deal done.
Source

Well this is good.

Still...I'm very salty that they only added USAHD for the Olympics...I was all set to watch Raw in HD tonight and it was gone.

Anyone know if The Big Ten Network HD will be part of the deal?

I get about 60+ HD channels on Comcast here in Florida, maybe 20-25 that I have any interest in, but those PBS telethons look great in HD.

The biggest issue I see so far, is while I have a lot of HD channels to choose from, most are sydicated programming, which are shows not shot in HD to begin with.

I get in HD off the top of my head
ESPN
ESPN2
Disney
SciFi
Discover Sciense
Discovery
History International
PBS
TNT
MTVHD
UniversalHD
CW
NBC
CBS
ABC
FOX
TBS
USA
HD (Weird Channel, it's off the air half the time)
NatGeo
HGTV
Family Channel

And I got the Sports package so I get NFL Channel in HD

seems like the title of this thread should be changed, anywho here are the channel lineups.

http://www.timewarnercable.com/MidOhio/products/cable/Big10.html

Yay, new HD channel for Ammo.

Now give me back USAHD, add FXHD and NFL Network (in any form, SD or HD) and I'll stop complaining about TWC.

TWC is crap. Their whole digital cable package pales in comparison to Cox, and their prices really aren't that good. They offer you insane deals but then you have to crowbar 'em into honoring it. I'm honestly surprised they decided to carry the Big Ten Network at all.

Next step, NFLN.

While I am pumped for the addition of the Big Ten Network and the HD channel as well, i cant find my area/ Whats up with that, am I blind?

Lake County, Willoughby Hills area?

oh yeah, the link i posted was for central ohio, i couldnt find one for northern ohio

Could an agreement with the NFL Network be next????

My guess: no.

Here's the info on NE Ohio...

http://www.timewarnercable.com/NortheastOhio/Programming/082608_BigTenNet.html

The SEC was going to do the same until ESPN stepped in with a 2.25 billion dollar offer not to...

If you want the SEC, watch CBS or ESPN to catch the action. You don't have to worry about your cable company not carrying those channels. All the SEC action will be carried on those channels for the next 15 years.

FYI...

The regular channel for BTN is 77. HD is on channel 433.

Shame of it is the AD at Ohio State had to threaten "reverse-PR" in order to get a deal struck. In the end, TW saw that it was more important to keep what it already had rather than risk the loss of future guaranteed income. I know I was getting ready to switch,....