Campus cable to provide The Big Ten Network for residents

Students living in dorms have an extra reason to bleed cream and crimson this year. \nHowever, unlike their on-campus counterparts, many of those residing off campus may miss out on a number of IU games available to them on TV. \nThe Big Ten Network, which is set to launch today, will carry a minimum of three IU football games, at least six conference IU men’s basketball games and likely more Hoosier athletic events which will be announced later, according to the Big Ten Network’s Web site. This weekend, BTN will broadcast Saturday’s home football game against Indiana State as well as Sunday’s men’s soccer match between IU and UCLA. \nStudents living off campus who are not served by DirecTV or AT&T U-verse will miss these games until the Big Ten strikes a deal to have its network carried elsewhere. Many cable companies, including Insight Cable, which serves the majority of customers in the Bloomington market, have said the network is too expensive and will place it only on an exclusive sports package which costs an extra $17 a month. The Big Ten is demanding placement on what Insight calls its Classic Cable Package, which is its most widely distributed package and costs $40 a month. The Big Ten is asking for $1 per month for the channel, but officials have said this figure is negotiable as long as the BTN is part of the cable companies’ most widely distributed package.\nStudents living on campus, however, are not subject to this corporate tiff as they are served by IU’s Campus Cable TV and will probably see BTN in about two weeks.\n“We are waiting on some equipment, and the network will probably not be ready for this Saturday’s game, but very soon,” said Mark Kuchefski, the IU spokesperson for Campus Cable TV. \nCampus Cable TV is IU’s in-house cable system which currently includes 43 channels and serves all students living in dorms as well as most academic buildings and the Indiana Memorial Union. \nSenior Steve Bowser, who lives off campus and has Insight for his cable provider, was excited to hear that he could come on campus to view these games.\n“I will definitely find a place on campus to watch games on the Big Ten Network,” Bowser said.\nKuchefski specifically said while he cannot guarantee it, he is hopeful the channel will be up and running on Campus Cable TV by the time IU takes on Akron, Sept. 15. The network will be seen either on channel 97 or 98. \nFreshman Brendan Sheehy lives on campus and is a sports fan, but was not all that interested to hear that he would have BTN available to him.\n“It doesn’t excite me all that much, and it is not a big deal,” Sheehy said.\nSophomore Jeremy Rosenthal lives in Varsity Villas, but since he is served by DirecTV, he will have access to games from his apartment despite not living on campus.\nWith Campus Cable’s decision to carry BTN, students will only miss IU games that air on ESPNU. This channel is available in Bloomington with the sports packages provided by Insight Cable and DirecTV and on AT&T U-verse’s basic package. Airing on ESPNU will be IU’s football game at Western Michigan on Sept. 8 and the men’s basketball game at Southern Illinois on Dec. 1. \nIU’s remaining games not on BTN or ESPNU will air on the widely distributed ESPN, ESPN2 or CBS, which is available on basic service to all providers that serve the Bloomington market.