DeMora Announces Bill to Stop Expensive Streaming Mandates

Today, state Senator Bill DeMora (D-Columbus), a proud Ohio State alumnus, announced his intention to introduce legislation to stop Ohio’s public colleges and universities from airing sporting events exclusively on streaming platforms.

“The greed of the Big Ten and multinational streaming corporations is placing an unreasonable burden on Ohio’s small businesses, which rely on their ability to air games,” said DeMora. “Paying thousands of dollars to air one game is a ridiculous requirement for small businesses. This problem is created wholly by public institutions seeking to make a profit.”

This move precedes The Ohio State University’s football game against Purdue University set to take place tomorrow, which is airing exclusively on Peacock. Businesses hoping to air the game have been forced to buy costly streaming licenses in addition to their expensive cable bills.

This weekend marks the first time since 1997 that the Buckeyes will not be watchable on traditional television. One Ohio State bar reported spending $3,600 to show the game on just six televisions. This follows the approval of an up to $10 billion media rights deal between the Big Ten Conference and CBS, FOX, NBC and Peacock which is set to last through the 2029-2030 season.