New bill makes effort to change how college sports are streamed
'There are a dozen different streaming services and if you want to watch Big Ten football or Big Ten basketball, if you don't pay for all the services, you're going to miss your team's game because it switches from one week to the next, one game to the next, what streaming service they're actually going to be on,' said State Senator and OSU graduate Bill DeMora.
Holistic pet care: How it's helping some animals live longer lives
The Democrat from Columbus is proposing a bill that would ban exclusive streaming contracts for college sports in the Buckeye State. Senate Bill 94 would also require that enrolled students be given access to broadcasts of athletic events.
During a hearing held by the Senate's Higher Education Committee on Tuesday, Demora told fellow lawmakers, 'I was disheartened the last two years to have Ohio State football games on streaming only services, which I don't pay for.'
DeMora said fans are being unfairly gouged by the streaming-only model.
'True fans have to pay for this service and that service and that service, an extra $50, $60 every time they want to watch their team play every month,' he said.
Lorain woman Sharon Matusiak, 64, killed by train at Leavitt Road crossing
When asked why the state should have any say on which platforms air the games, DeMora responded, 'Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati, Bowling Green, Toledo, Akron, Kent State and Cleveland State are all funded by public tax dollars, so they should not be allowed into a contract that says that only the games will be watched on a streaming service.'
A spokesman for Ohio State told FOX 8, 'Media rights agreements are negotiated by the Big Ten on behalf of all conference members'.
DeMora responded, 'They can say that but we all know that if Ohio State told the Big Ten, 'we're going to get our own network and not participate in the Big Ten Network,' that the Big Ten would do whatever it took to keep Ohio State because that's their money maker.'
DeMora said he has received positive feedback from sports fans, but says the political reality is that there is no chance that his proposal will become law.
Families share story that brought them together for Donate Life Month
'None of the bills that I sponsor ever get passed because I'm in the minority party,' he said.
DeMora said his only hope is that the Republican majority will pick up the torch on behalf of college sports fans across the state and ban exclusive streaming contracts.
'It doesn't cost the taxpayers any money, and it's something that saves taxpayers money because right now, if you want to see sports, you're shelling out money hand over fist,' he said.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 minutes ago
- USA Today
Nation's No. 1 running back announces commitment date
An elite running back recruit and Georgia Bulldogs recruiting target has announced his commitment date. Five-star RB prospect Savion Hiter will be committing on Aug. 19, according to Hayes Fawcett of Rivals. Hiter will choose among Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State and Tennessee. Hiter is a five-star prospect from the class of 2026. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound freshman plays high school football and track and field for Louisa County High School in Mineral, Virginia. Hiter made the Under-Armour All-American roster, alongside elite recruits such as Georgia freshmen defensive tackle Elijah Griffin and offensive tackle Juan Gaston, as well as Georgia commits Kaiden Prothro (five-star tight end) and Zech Fort (four-star safety). On 247Sports' analysis on Hiter, Andrew Ivins compared Hiter to former North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton. Hiter has no visits scheduled anymore. He took official visits with Ohio State (May 30), Georgia (June 6), Michigan (June 13), and Tennessee (June 20). 247Sports has not released a Crystal Ball prediction for him yet. Georgia currently has the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, with 30 total commits, including two five-stars and 21 four-stars. The Bulldogs earned a commitment from four-star running back Jae Lamar on June 21 already, but Georgia would like to earn multiple running back commits. In the 2025 cycle, the Bulldogs lost Ousmane Kromah on the first day of the early signing period when he flipped to Florida State. Hiter is the nation's No. 1 running back and No. 9 overall prospect from the class of 2026. He'd be the highest ranked commit in Georgia's class, should he choose to play for the Bulldogs. Hiter is the top ranked recruit in Virginia. If Georgia misses out on the five-star RB, then the Bulldogs may look to flip a four-star Wisconsin RB commit.
Fox News
3 minutes ago
- Fox News
Texas redistricting hearing descends into chaos
Isaiah Martin, a Democrat who is running for the 18th congressional district in Houston, had to be restrained and removed from Thursday's House committee hearing on redistricting after exceeding his time to testify. (Isaiah Martin via Storyful)
UPI
33 minutes ago
- UPI
Calif., Illinois may fight new Texas congressional maps with their own
1 of 2 | California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he may seek to change his state's congressional maps if Texas redraws its borders. File photo by Jonathan Alcorn/UPI | License Photo July 26 (UPI) -- As the Texas Legislature plans to redraw congressional maps in an effort to increase Republican members in the U.S. House, the governors of California and Illinois may devise their own new borders. Traditionally, the boundaries are changed every 10 years with the latest U.S. Census data but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has called a special legislative session after pressure from the White House to preserve the GOP majority in the U.S. House. President Donald Trump believes an additional five seats could be created by changing the borders. Of the state's 38 districts, 25 are held by Republicans. Democrats hold seats in big cities of Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Houston, Laredo, McAllen, San Antonio. Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Republicans hold a 219-212 advantage in the House with four vacancies -- three Democrats who died and one Republican who resigned this week. More than a dozen Texas House members flew to Illinois and California -- two blue states -- on Friday for a meeting with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzkeper, during which they revealed their intentions. "Donald Trump called up Governor Abbott for one simple reason: to rig the 2026 elections. California's moral high ground means nothing if we're powerless because of it," Newsom said after meeting with Democrats from the Texas House. "This moment requires us to be prepared to fight fire with fire. Whether that's a special election, a ballot initiative, a bill, a fight in court. If they proceed in Texas, we will be ready." "This is not a bluff. This is real, and trust me, it's more real after listening to these leaders today, how existential this is," Newsom said. As the most populous state in the nation, California has 43 Democratic members of the house and nine Republican members, while Illinois is represented by 14 Democrats and three Republicans. "Everything is on the table," Pritzer said. The Illinois governor said he doesn't want to redraw the maps but "if they're going to take this drastic action, then we might also take drastic action to respond." "We want the country to understand [that] what's going on in Texas is a national battle," State Rep. Richard Pena Raymond, a Democrat from Laredo, said. Raymond told Pritzner that redistricting is "clearly aimed at affecting the entire country." Responsibility for determining Congressional district maps differs from state to state. In California, an independent commission approved by voters in 2010 works on the maps. Illinois maps, on the other hand, are put together by the state lawmakers have been drawn strongly to favor the Democrat Party in the state. Newsom said he is considering having a referendum to change the rules before the 2026 election, unless the Legislature comes up with another solution, which would take two-thirds of legislators voting in favor of. "We have to fight fire with fire," Newsom said. Other states Two other Democratic governors are considering new maps -- Phil Murphy in New Jersey and Kathy Hochul in New York. "There's other states that are violating the rules," Hochul said during a news conference on Thursday. "I'm going to look at it closely with Hakeem Jeffries," a New York member of the House, as well has House minority leader. In New York, Democrats have a 19-7 advantage as a result of their districting maps. "It's deplorable," Murphy said during an interview at the summer meeting of the bipartisan National Governors Association in Colorado Springs. "If they're going to play these games, we're going to have to be just as aggressive. We can't bring a knife to a gunfight." Democrats hold nine of the 12 seats in New Jersey. In Florida, the state Supreme Court on July 17 upheld its newest congressional map. He said he believes the state had been "malappropriated" and redistricting "would be appropriate" in a few years. Florida's congressional delegation is controlled by Republicans, 20-8. In Ohio, legislators are required to redraw maps before 2026. The GOP has 10 of the 15 seats. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is against redistricting more frequently. The state's maps are overseen by an independent commission and it's eight U.S. House seats are evenly split 4-4. Texas situation Texas last redrew its borders in mid-cycle in 2003 after the GOP gained control of both chambers for the first time since Reconstruction. In Texas, Abbott noted a July 7 letter from the Justice Department that said majority Black and Hispanic districts in Dallas need to be redrawn based on a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit last year. The DOJ said those districts are "unconstitutional racial gerrymanders," but Abbott argued the opposite in 2021. In federal court in El Paso, he argued race had not been taken into account there. "We are no longer compelled to have coalition districts," Abbott said in an interview with KDFW in Dallas. U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a San Antonio Democrat, appeared at a state House hearing. "That's what's at stake here, whether you all are going to work for the people of Texas, as we used to do, to try to do, or whether you take your commandments from Donald Trump and the White House," Castro said. "I hope that you all will choose to do the business of the people of Texas, as this body has a history of being independent from the federal government."
