When Will Penn State's Television Streak End?
Penn State's streak of consecutive televised football games might end in a few years. But when? And which game? Those are some of the ancillary questions raised by the recently announced Big Ten media rights deal.
The Big Ten's seven-year deal, worth more than $7 billion, represents an enormous financial victory for every conference team. Penn State and its conference partners will collect $80-$100 million in average annual revenue from the medial rights contract, which covers football and men and women's basketball. Penn State Athletic Director Patrick Kraft said the deal will have "a far-reaching impact for years to come."
"These unprecedented agreements will provide incredible resources to enrich our student-athletes' experience," Kraft said in a statement. "I am excited for the future of the Big Ten and Penn State Athletics and these agreements solidify the Big Ten's status as the nation's premier athletic conference."
The Big Ten made a big deal about creating a three-network Saturday broadcast blanket in which Fox leads into CBS which hands off to NBC in prime time. The cross-promotion elements will place the Big Ten in a supremely enviable position.
But one grace note of the media rights deal is the little-reported streaming component, which at some point will end Penn State's television streak.
When will the Big Ten start streaming games on Peacock?
According to the Big Ten, Peacock, NBC's streaming platform, will carry eight football games per year beginning in 2023. It also will carry up to 47 regular-season men's basketball games and up to 30 women's games.
At some point, Penn State football will be one of them. And the program's television streak will end.
Penn State enters this season having played 234 consecutive televised games shown either nationally or regionally (when networks split their coverage zones). Penn State's last untelevised game was its 32-10 win over Kent State on Sept. 20, 2003.
But, just like the first Friday-night game and the first Thursday-night game, the day is coming when a Penn State football game won't be televised on a broadcast or cable network.
Fans who watched Penn State football before the year 2000 will remember those days. Even the unbeaten 1994 team played three games that weren't nationally televised. The season-opener at Minnesota was among them.
Streaming will add a new component for longtime fans used to finding Penn State football on a free (or cable) broadcast. And streaming certainly provides more opportunity to watch Penn State football than when Pennsylvania television stations provided the sole options for some games.
Exclusive streaming already is part of college football. The Notre Dame-UNLV game this season will be streamed exclusively on Peacock. So it will be interesting to follow how the Big Ten and its partners decide which games to make those first streaming options.
Will NBC/Peacock look to make an early splash by moving a higher-profile game to a streaming-only platform? Or will they begin with lower-profile games to build steam for the stream?
Will streaming benefit Penn State football?
Penn State sells television as part of its recruiting pitch. When the NCAA was considering sanctions in 2012, then-coach Bill O'Brien simply asked not to be banned from television. And the program's media guide emphasizes the television streak, noting that Penn State is a "media darling" whose games have aired on broadcast or cable television for 18 consecutive seasons.
When the television streak ends, Penn State simply can change terms from "televised" to "aired" and keep a measure of the streak going. But that will mark a significant change for some fans used to watching Penn State games without needing a streaming subscription, a password and a reliable home network.
Reaching tomorrow's viewers, however, requires getting out of the conventional thinking that networks alone rule live sports. In that vein, the Big Ten was wise to dip its toe into the streaming market with this deal, which it can expand upon in 2030 if the market proves valuable.
SBRNet, a market research firm, found that Penn State is the third most popular college football program (behind Ohio State and Alabama) with nearly 4 million fans. Most certainly be able to find a streaming-service game.
Some might complain about it. But they'll find it.
Penn State opens the 2021 season Sept. 1 at Purdue. The television streak will reach 235, as Fox has the broadcast.
Read More
Scouting Penn State's top 2023 NFL Draft prospects
'Super humble' Lions building a hushed confidence in training camp
Running back Keyvone Lee has 'a lot left in the tank'
AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
