Oregon, Washington Football Games Blocked During Xfinity–Big Ten Network Dispute
Big Ten Network blacked out on West Coast
USC, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon left the Pac-12 last year over concerns that their football games couldn’t get nationally broadcast on TV. But in an unfortunate turn of events, they’re running into similar broadcast problems in the Big Ten.
The Big Ten Network (BTN) won’t be available to West Coast Xfinity subscribers this weekend due to a carriage dispute between the Big Ten and Xfinity. As a result, Xfinity has blacked out BTN for Xfinity subscribers in each school’s local market and won’t allow them to watch the channel. However, national Xfinity subscribers outside of the West Coast will still be able to watch Big Ten games.
Oregon and Washington will bear the brunt of the impact from Xfinity and BTN’s rights dispute, as their Week 1 games were already scheduled on BTN nationally. USC and UCLA’s Week 1 games won’t be affected by the blackout since they’ll be broadcast on CBS and ABC. But fans of other Big Ten teams who live on the West Coast and subscribe to Xfinity will be caught in the crossfire.
Big Ten Week 1 football games affected by BTN-Xfinity dispute for West Coast subscribers
| Game | Date | Time (PT) |
|---|---|---|
| Howard vs. Rutgers | Thursday, Aug. 29 | 3:00 p.m. |
| Eastern Illinois vs. Illinois | Thursday, Aug. 29 | 6:00 p.m. |
| Florida Atlantic vs. Michigan State | Friday, Aug. 30 | 4:00 p.m. |
| Illinois vs. Iowa | Saturday, Aug. 31 | 9:00 a.m. |
| Indiana State vs. Purdue | Saturday, Aug. 31 | 9:00 a.m. |
| FIU vs. Indiana | Saturday, Aug. 31 | 12:30 p.m. |
| Miami (OH) vs. Northwestern | Saturday, Aug. 31 | 12:30 p.m. |
| Idaho vs. Oregon | Saturday, Aug. 31 | 4:30 p.m. |
| Weber State vs. Washington | Saturday, Aug. 31 | 8:00 p.m. |
Data effective as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
How Xfinity customers can watch Oregon, Washington college football
Ducks and Huskies fans won’t be out of luck if Xfinity and BTN can’t make up by Saturday, but you’ll have to head towards alternate providers to watch each school’s Week 1 game. Fubo is our top pick if you’re looking for an emergency way to stream a college football game, because the streaming TV provider carries BTN and offers a seven-day free trial. If you’re ready to cut the cord entirely, we’d recommend checking out Hulu + Live TV, which is our top streamer for college football fans and offers ESPN+ for even more games.
Check out our guides for college football streaming and free trials to learn more if you need to figure out backup streaming arrangements before kickoff.
Looking for more TV and sports news?
Subscribe to our email newsletter to get the latest reviews and money-saving promotions.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms and Conditions.
Why Big Ten Network is blocked on Xfinity
Carriage disputes are nothing new for cable TV providers these days, as networks and providers regularly hold out until the 11th hour for deals and leave sports fans hanging in the the breeze.
Apparently Comcast is blacking out the west coast games on B1G. This was shown during an earlier UW Soccer match. Absolutely livid if this is what we are met with on Saturday. @Xfinity @comcast what are you doing? pic.twitter.com/rz85efb0g9
— Chris (@wasmadeinthe80s) August 27, 2024
But with sports rights going up in price, providers are increasingly willing to draw a line in the sand and wait out networks. In BTN’s case, The Oregonian reported that it couldn’t reach an agreement with Xfinity to get local broadcast rights for USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington.
Xfinity’s dispute with BTN is also the latest instance of the provider playing hardball with networks. Earlier this summer, Xfinity finalized a new carriage deal for Bally Sports and its regional sports networks after a three-month blackout.
