West Coast Big Ten Programs Could Face TV Blackouts This Weekend

As the 2024 college football season has finally arrived, new Big Ten members Oregon, Washington, USC and UCLA could all see TV blackouts of the Big Ten Network this weekend due to a carrier dispute.

The conflict involves an ongoing dispute between the Big Ten Network and Comcast Xfinity, which means Oregon and Washington fans could potentially lose coverage of their respective Week 1 games on Saturday.

The Week 1 matchups for USC and UCLA would be spared from the blackouts due to the coverage of their matchups airing on CBS (UCLA) and ABC (USC).

The dispute arose due to Comcast declining to pay higher in-market rates for the four new Big Ten programs following their departure from the Pac-12.

When fans in the coverage areas of the four programs attempt to watch the Big Ten Network, they are met with an error message and directed to AllBTNGames.com, which advises them to “take action now” by contacting Comcast or signing up to get email updates.

The negotiations between the Big Ten Network and Comcast will continue in the coming days as fans hope a resolution can be struck before the Week 1 slate of games. Obviously, if no deal can be met, the Big Ten Network will be unavailable in the areas that serve the four new Big Ten programs.

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