Quick answer for us
Why can’t I watch Colorado vs. Arizona State? What is the the Pac-12 Network? Can I get it?
You scrolled through your sports cable package, you went through all of the options on YouTube TV, and yet you still can’t find Coach Prime’s face on any channel. Well, you and millions of other people are in the same boat, because the game is unfortunately on the Pac-12 Network.
Simply put, the Pac-12 Network is available on only a limited number of broadcast carriers. When the league launched the network in 2012, it decided to maintain ownership of the network itself and sell the broadcasting rights to individual carriers. This is different from its peers in the Big Ten and SEC, whose league networks are owned by major broadcasting entities like Fox and ESPN, respectively.
The league’s inability to strike deals with major cable carriers like DirecTV has prevented the Pac-12 Network from being readily available to a broader national audience. In many cases, fans within the Pac-12’s own footprint have been unable to access their own league’s games. This very problem is the issue that has led to the swift demise of the conference, with 10 of 12 schools all departing for other leagues next year.
Now, according to the Pac-12’s website, carriers like Spectrum, Cox, Dish, and Frontier do carry the Pac-12 Network, as well as streamers like Sling and Fubo. If you’re not subscribed to any of these however, well, you’re probably just going to have to wait until next Friday to see Colorado face Stanford on ESPN.
