Oregon Ducks Big Ten Network Blackout: No Timetable Comcast/Xfinity Resolution?

For those who carry Comcast Xfinity in the Pacific Northwest, you won't be able to watch sporting events involving the Oregon Ducks and the Washington Huskies on the Big Ten Network. The blackouts will also potentially affect the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins in Southern California.
Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; A Big Ten Network camera captures the action between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium.
Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; A Big Ten Network camera captures the action between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Many Oregon Ducks fans in Eugene can't watch their favorite football team play against the Idaho Vandals this Saturday. The Big Ten Network has made a fatal error at the start of the new era for the conference.

The disagreement between Comcast Xfinity and the Big Ten Network had led to blackouts in the Pacific Northwest. It will also trickle down into Southern California so the Washington Huskies, USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins will also be affected along with the Ducks. Barring a late agreement, the Oregon and Washington will not be able to view their respective week one matchups. UCLA plays on CBS and USC's matchup is on ABC.

Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith talk during the Big Ten Network \ "BTN Tailgate
Dave Revsine, Gerry DiNardo and Howard Griffith talk during the Big Ten Network "BTN Tailgate" live television show prior to the Iowa Hawkeyes taking on Minnesota in a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game, Saturday, Nov., 16, 2019, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. / Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen, Iowa City Press-Citizen via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Here is the statement from a Comcast spokesperson on the Xfinity-Big Ten Network standoff mess. It mentions that the company is in "discussions" with Fox and the Big Ten Network.

"We’re sensitive to the impact these costs have on our customers and have been in discussions with Fox and the Big Ten Network to find a solution to make certain former Pac-12 games available to the people who want them while not forcing others to pay for content they don’t want to watch," a representative for Comcast said in a statement. "We hope to be able to reach a fair agreement with Fox and the Big Ten Network to be able to offer these games to our customers."

Comcast spokesperson

A source told OregonLive.com that the negotiations are ongoing and the blackout of games will last until rights to the four new Big Ten schools are granted to Comcast by Fox and the Big Ten Network. John Canzano spoke to an anonymous source on the issue: “This will take a little bit of time.”

Big Ten Network is owned in part by Fox. A Big Ten spokesperson is putting the blame completely on Comcast in the latest statement.

“The Big Ten Network is proud to present an expanded slate of live sporting events featuring the newest members of the B1G conference, however most Comcast subscribers will not see these games. As the one distribution partner that declined to expand along with us, Comcast Xfinity viewers in many areas will not have access to live broadcasts of the highly anticipated inaugural B1G season games for Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington.”

Big Ten spokespoers

Some similar situations like this happened when the Big Ten added Nebraska in 2011 as well as when Rutgers and Maryland joined the conference in 2014. Those issues were quickly resolved back then but this season's predicament looks to have a different outcome as it's coming down to the wire. Oregon's debut as a member of the Big Ten Conference kicks off against Idaho on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PT.

If you're dealing with this problem, you can go to http://ALLBTNGAMES.com.

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Arden Cravalho
ARDEN CRAVALHO

Arden Cravalho has been covering Oregon football and basketball for Sports Illustrated's Oregon site since June 2024. Arden has been writing extensively about college athletics beginning in 2018. His other work can be seen on "The Slipper Still Fits" at SB Nation. Arden is a graduate of Gonzaga University and brings a deep understanding of college sports to his writing. Residing in San Francisco, CA, Arden continues to follow his passion for college sports with a focus on the Ducks. His experience and dedication to covering Oregon's athletic programs are evident in his insightful articles and analysis