….The Big Ten Network wants to be on Charter’s expanded basic service while the cable company wants the Big Ten Network on a sports tier. Who’s right? Who knows?
What I do know is that there is no good guy in this particular dispute. The Big Ten Network is a naked money grab by the conference schools, which have already shown themselves to be utterly shameless in finding ingenious new ways to bilk lifelong season ticket holders. Charter is not the good guy, either, because it is a cable company and as sure as a bird flies or a fish swims, the cable company is not the good guy. But cheers to the Big Ten Network for — almost — making Charter appear sympathetic.