Brutus the Buckeye and a member of the cheer team lead the Ohio State football team onto the field before their game against Grambling State Saturday. Credit: Sandra Fu | Managing Photo Editor
There was a time when following the Buckeyes meant flipping on the TV, scrolling through channels and letting the Saturday drama unfold.
Now that era’s gone–replaced by login screens, stacked subscriptions and the sinking realization that fans need to get yet another streaming service just to watch this week’s game.
This Saturday, the Buckeyes take on Ohio University in their third game of the 2025 season. After opening with Texas on FOX Sports and playing Grambling on the Big Ten Network, this week’s in-state clash airs exclusively on Peacock—NBC’s streaming platform—marking Ohio State’s third broadcast partner in as many weeks.
That means fans will be paying close to $100 a month to watch every Ohio State game this season. Between live TV bundles, add-on subscriptions like Peacock, and potential extra costs for out-of-state viewers who need platforms like Paramount+ for some CBS games, following the Buckeyes has become a premium-priced commitment.
The reason lies in the Big Ten’s massive media rights deal, signed in 2022, which split broadcast rights between FOX Sports, NBC and its streaming service Peacock and CBS, ending the conference’s long-standing partnership with ESPN.
“Before, you knew the vast majority of games would be on ESPN, ESPN 2 or ABC,” said Matt Tamanini, editor for The Streamable and Land-Grant Holy Land. “Now that it’s broken down to FOX [Sports], NBC, Comcast and CBS, it is more difficult because most services don’t offer every channel in that market.”
The seven-year, $7 billion deal—running through 2029—gives FOX, CBS and NBC exclusive windows. Peacock also streams select games exclusively, while Big Ten Network remains part of the rotation. The result is a fragmented system where no single platform carries every game.
The most economical option can be streaming services like YouTube TV and Hulu+ Live TV, which each cost $82.99/month. They include most networks, but local fans would still need to tack on Peacock ($10.99) to get all the games.
Cheaper options like Sling TV, which start at $45.99/month, don’t carry CBS or local NBC stations in every market.
Tamanini said one option that stands out for him is DIRECTV’s My Sports Pack, which costs $15 per month, on top of the $79.99 regular fee, but also provides access to MLB Network and NFL Red Zone.
“It’s cheaper than most live TV bundles and includes the full ESPN package, FOX, NBC, CBS, ABC, BTN—everything you’d need, minus Peacock,” he said.
Networks are banking on fan loyalty, knowing dedicated audiences—especially at schools like Ohio State—will go to great lengths to keep watching, regardless of cost or platform.
“Ohio State is such a ratings draw,” Tamanini said. “If you look at the top 25 most-watched games in a season, Ohio State is always in there eight, nine, 10 times. The networks know people will follow.”
