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REPORT: Another marquee Michigan State Football game streaming on Peacock only

The Spartans continue to get the short end of the stick with the Big Ten's new television partner...
Matthew Lounsberry|
REPORT: Another marquee Michigan State Football game streaming on Peacock only
REPORT: Another marquee Michigan State Football game streaming on Peacock only

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Michigan State Spartans

We are still in the earliest stages of the Big Ten Conference's new television deal with Fox, CBS and NBC but one thing is becoming abundantly clear — Michigan State fans are getting the short end of the stick with the new arrangements.

On Monday, Action Sports' college football reporter Brett McMurphy reported a new set of start times and broadcast selections for a host of Big Ten football games. Included among those is Michigan State's road trip to Iowa on Sept. 30, which will kick off at 3:30 p.m. (EST) and will be broadcast exclusively on Peacock.

This is the second marquee Michigan State game that will be available to watch only on NBC's streaming service. The Spartans' home game against No. 10-ranked Washington will also stream exclusively on Peacock, and I've already expressed my displeasure about that arrangement here.

Prior to the Big Ten's new TV deal, which will pay member schools a projected $80-$100 million per year over the next seven years, most of the games in McMurphy's report would have been broadcast regionally on Big Ten Network. It was a good system — If a local fanbase's games weren't being broadcast by one of the major networks, their games were usually still available on BTN.

Now, however, most of those BTN games are being gobbled up by NBC, who won't broadcast them anywhere but their streaming service, which requires viewers to pay another subscription cost on top of whatever else they are paying for television.

While Michigan State Football certainly isn't the only Big Ten program getting pushed to the side in the Big Ten's new TV deal, the Spartans' schedule has been impacted more than most by the new arrangements. Not only will two of MSU's highest-profile games be broadcast exclusively on Peacock, but the Spartans' final home game against Penn State was moved up one day to Friday AND moved to Detroit. That move was also an appeasement to NBC.

I understand the value of the Big Ten's new TV deal to the member schools. I understand the security and stable footing it provides to Michigan State and its conference partners, as the landscape of college athletics continues to shift and fracture due to realignment and other factors.

What's frustrating is that a bunch of television executives — who don't give a rat's backside about what's good for college athletics — continue to make decisions that hurt the overall experience of the athletes themselves, their families and the fans who devoutly watch college sports. 

2023 Michigan State Football Schedule

  • Sept. 2 — vs. Central Michigan Chippewas (7 p.m. on FS1)
  • Sept. 9 — vs. Richmond Spiders (3:30 p.m. on BTN)
  • Sept. 16 — vs. Washington Huskies (5 p.m. on Peacock)
  • Sept. 23 — vs. Maryland Terrapins (3:30 p.m. on TBA)
  • Sept. 30 — at Iowa Hawkeyes (3:30 p.m. on Peacock)
  • Oct. 7 — Bye Week
  • Oct. 14 — at Rutgers Scarlet Knights (12 p.m. on TBA)
  • Oct. 21 — vs. Michigan Wolverines (7:30 p.m. on NBC)
  • Oct. 28 — at Minnesota Golden Gophers (TBA)
  • Nov. 4 — vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers (TBA)
  • Nov. 11 — at Ohio State Buckeyes (7:30 p.m. on NBC)
  • Nov. 18 — at Indiana Hoosiers (TBA)
  • Nov. 25 — vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (7:30 p.m. on NBC)

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Matthew Lounsberry
MATTHEW LOUNSBERRY

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