[NU Sports] The Big 10 monster

[Dennis W. Brandt]

No sooner did I write about the Big Ten Network's greed in demanding $1.10 from every cable subscriber in a Big Ten state than the spit or other bodily excretion hit the political fan.  Rep. John Dingell of Michigan is getting lots of complaints from Wolverine fans that no cable company in the state at this point plans to carry the network, thus denying fans three televised Michigan games.  Dingell, who apparently is not a Michigan State, Eastern Michigan, or Western Michigan fan, has already talked with the Big Ten commissioner.  Watch out!  Washington's involved.

Then there is the battle of political correctness between the Big Ten and Comcast who dared call Iowa women's volleyball "second tier," which, of course, is true, along with any gender of college lacrosse, wrestling, track and field, soccer, swimming, tiddlywinks, etc.  For that matter, so is the Northwestern-Indiana football game (probably).  The Big Ten Network is a niche channel that is very unlikely to ever carry a sporting event of anything more than local or specialized interest just like CSTV.  A buck-ten for one channel of this nature is outrageous.  The odds are that most cable companies will not be carrying the channel this season.

I also note that Congress may be very close to demanding a la carte programming from cable and satellite providers, which columnist Cal Thomas thinks is a bad idea because the government should not be involved.  I tend to agree, but I also smell monopolies at work.  (Cue Sen. John Sherman and his famous act.)  The cable/satellite industry may fight back with ridiculous pricing for individual channels or tiers.  Bring it on!  I got DirecTV.