Ohio State sports fans take to The Lantern’s Instagram comments to express their frustration with the exclusive streaming of Saturday’s football game on Peacock. Credit: Emma Wozniak | Asst. Arts & Life Editor
Watching the Buckeyes just got more expensive, and many fans are feeling sidelined.
Ohio State’s upcoming football game against Purdue will be streamed exclusively on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service.
The change to Ohio State sports viewing arrives in light of the landmark seven-year agreement between NBCUniversal and the Big Ten Conference that NBC and Peacock will be the exclusive platforms for Big Ten Saturday Night Football beginning this year, according to an August, 2022 press release.
This marks the first time in history that Big Ten Football has an allotted weekly prime-time game on a national broadcast network, and that eight additional games will be streamed exclusively on Peacock, according to a Thursday press release.
Jerry Emig, associate sports information director at Ohio State, said Saturday’s game will not be the only time the Buckeyes will appear exclusively on Peacock.
“Streaming has arrived into our sports-watching world,” Emig said in an email. “This Purdue game is our first on an exclusive streaming platform, but we’ll also have as many as a handful of men’s and women’s basketball games carried exclusively on Peacock this year and going forward.”
Peacock’s premium plan costs $5.99 per month, though the streaming service offers a student discount at $1.99 per month for 12 months, according to Peacock’s website.
The Lantern informed its followers of the viewing limitations on Saturday’s football game via an Instagram post, and many Ohio State fans expressed their grievances.
“This is NOT ok. Why should we have to subscribe for one game. This is not how you treat Buckeye Nation,” one user commented.
“I have cable! I still won’t be able to watch?? This is crazy,” another user said.
“It’s extortion. Alums should have the privilege of watching our schools play,” another account commented.
Joshua Combs, creative services director at NBC4 Columbus, said the station was honored to exclusively broadcast Ohio State’s football matchup against Notre Dame Sept. 23 per the NBCUniversal and Big Ten agreement. He said he acknowledges the impact exclusive streaming on Peacock will have on the local community.
“Everybody loves the Buckeyes,” Combs said. “Everybody wants to watch them, and this is the first time it’s ever going to be streamed exclusively in this way versus a broadcast and only on Peacock, which is an NBC decision.”
Vice president of Block ‘O’ — the official student section of Ohio State athletics — Brady Doss, a fourth-year in communications, said he’s unsure of how exactly Block ‘O’ will handle this change, as Ohio State fans have never needed Peacock, or any alternative streaming platform, to watch a game before.
“We’re just going to continue to try to support Buckeye athletics the best we can,” Doss said. “I hope the future holds a lot of freedom and easy viewership for students.”
Doss said he appreciates the student discount, but isn’t sure it will last.
“Right now, I’m just taking solace in the fact that the student price is cheap but, I mean, we’ve seen prices increase on things like Spotify, and other platforms that many students use,” Doss said. “All the feedback I’ve seen from many students on social media, I don’t think it’d be wise for them to make that change.”
Abrianna Ohliger, a third-year in history and sport industry who reached out to The Lantern in light of its post, said she feels frustration with the university over this decision.
“I know this isn’t just in Ohio State’s hands, but Ohio State does have a lot of influence in this decision because we have a representative in the Big Ten,” Ohliger said. “Ohio State talks about accessibility and equitable experience for its students, yet it’s putting this on a streaming platform that, quite frankly, a lot of people don’t have.”
Ohliger said the change could bring about consequences the public may not have considered, such as the underage drinking that may result from near-campus bars purchasing the Peacock subscription.
“You come to OSU expecting to see football all the time, and the fact that we’re away and we can’t even have the choice to turn on the TV?” Ohliger said. “I’m thinking, ‘Okay, what if people are now more likely to go out underage to try to get into bars to watch the game with other people because they can’t spend that money?’”
Ohliger said if exclusive streaming expands to other sports, Ohio State’s athletics programs themselves could be detrimentally impacted by this change.
“I feel like this is going to be, really, a disservice to sports that are not as big as our football or basketball,” Ohliger said. “Because right now, especially with women’s basketball, it’s more of just getting their coverage out there. We want more viewers so that they can come and buy and everything like that. I feel like this creates a smaller consumer market.”
More information about Peacock’s exclusive 2023 college football schedule can be found here, along with more information about its exclusive men’s and women’s basketball games.
