Xfinity customers won’t be able to see Washington Huskies football opener
Aug 27, 2024, 12:27 PM | Updated: Oct 8, 2024, 10:50 am
Grady Gross (95) of the Washington Huskies reacts after kicking the winning field goal against the Washington State Cougars in the 115th Apple Cup at Husky Stadium in Seattle on Nov. 25, 2023 in Seattle. (Photo: Steph Chambers, Getty Images)
(Photo: Steph Chambers, Getty Images)
It could change by this weekend, but right now, Xfinity customers won’t be able to see the game between the University of Washington (UW) Huskies and Weber State on the Big Ten Network (BTN) Saturday. Xfinity is a division of giant media and technology corporation Comcast.
The network sent the following statement to MyNorthwest:
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.If you are an Xfinity subscriber and cannot find the Ducks, Huskies, Bruins or Trojans on the Big Ten Network in your area, please contact 1-800-Comcast or go to ALLBTNGAMES.com.”
It comes down to a contract dispute between BTN and Comcast. There’s still time to resolve the impasse. MyNorthwest has reached out for comment from Comcast and has not yet heard back.
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The lack of access is causing a stir on the internet.
“I’ve been a long, long time Xfinity customer, but if they don’t stand up here and do what is right, this will make me leave as there are better options out there when it comes to sports,” one customer wrote on the Comcast Community Forum page.
Sports packages listed on the Xfinity website start at $69 a month, but does not include the BTN. According to several sports programming industry sources, Comcast said its decision to drop the network came following a regular review of its channel lineups.
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UW officials explained the school’s move to the Big Ten was for financial benefits and a greater level of media exposure. In the case of Comcast, that exposure is limited if you are a Husky fan.
All West Coast Comcast customers are impacted.
The Big Ten Plus app is free to download on mobile and connected devices, but most of the app’s content requires a subscription. Full conference subscriptions are $89.99 per year or $12.99 a month.
Bill Kaczaraba is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here. Follow Bill on X and email him here.
