New bill makes effort to change how college sports are streamed

Yahoo

01-05-2025

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) — A state lawmaker said watching teams like the Ohio State Buckeyes has become a frustrating experience for many fans, complicated by the emergence of streaming services that now carry certain games each season.
'There are a dozen different streaming services and if you want to watch Big Ten football or Big Ten basketball, if you don't pay for all the services, you're going to miss your team's game because it switches from one week to the next, one game to the next, what streaming service they're actually going to be on,' said State Senator and OSU graduate Bill DeMora.
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The Democrat from Columbus is proposing a bill that would ban exclusive streaming contracts for college sports in the Buckeye State. Senate Bill 94 would also require that enrolled students be given access to broadcasts of athletic events.
During a hearing held by the Senate's Higher Education Committee on Tuesday, Demora told fellow lawmakers, 'I was disheartened the last two years to have Ohio State football games on streaming only services, which I don't pay for.'
DeMora said fans are being unfairly gouged by the streaming-only model.
'True fans have to pay for this service and that service and that service, an extra $50, $60 every time they want to watch their team play every month,' he said.
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When asked why the state should have any say on which platforms air the games, DeMora responded, 'Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati, Bowling Green, Toledo, Akron, Kent State and Cleveland State are all funded by public tax dollars, so they should not be allowed into a contract that says that only the games will be watched on a streaming service.'
A spokesman for Ohio State told FOX 8, 'Media rights agreements are negotiated by the Big Ten on behalf of all conference members'.
DeMora responded, 'They can say that but we all know that if Ohio State told the Big Ten, 'we're going to get our own network and not participate in the Big Ten Network,' that the Big Ten would do whatever it took to keep Ohio State because that's their money maker.'
DeMora said he has received positive feedback from sports fans, but says the political reality is that there is no chance that his proposal will become law.
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'None of the bills that I sponsor ever get passed because I'm in the minority party,' he said.
DeMora said his only hope is that the Republican majority will pick up the torch on behalf of college sports fans across the state and ban exclusive streaming contracts.
'It doesn't cost the taxpayers any money, and it's something that saves taxpayers money because right now, if you want to see sports, you're shelling out money hand over fist,' he said.
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