An impasse in negotiations between the university’s cable provider and the channel that carries Horned Frog football games will not prevent students from getting their game-watching fix, a university official said.
“We were able to obtain an alternate feed, and it will be broadcast to the entire campus,” said Travis Cook, director of business services at the university.
Kim Turner, assistant director of student activities, said that even with the deadlock between TV providers, students would still have several viewing options available. The Brown-Lupton University Union’s 1873 Grill will stream Saturday’s game to TVs throughout the building and the campus, she said.
Turner said the game-day event, put on by HyperFrogs, Residence Hall Association and the BLUU, would include food specials and door prizes for students as well.
Robert Mercer, director of public relations at DirecTV, said the company, which is the university’s current cable provider, was still in negotiations with the Versus channel to try to get the network back on the DirecTV lineup. A fair deal for the company and for customers was the main focus of the company’s negotiations, he said.
“Thus far, Versus hasn’t presented a deal to us that is acceptable with respect to all the material terms and conditions,” Mercer said. “We certainly don’t want to disappoint our customers or fans of TCU football.”
In response, Versus President Jamie Davis, in an interview with KTCU, said his company was, in fact, the victim in the situation.
“The fact is that we have offered (DirecTV) the exact same deal that they had coming in – the same price, the same amount of carriage and everything,” Davis said. “They’re out there simply trying to cloud the facts and (to) say that we’re trying to charge them more.”
Mercer said DirecTV would not reveal specifics about the Versus deal because it would not add anything to the continuing negotiations.
“We feel the best way to get a deal done is through face-to-face negotiations, not negotiating through the media or the public,” Mercer said. “We’re working hard to reach an appropriate agreement.”
Versus’ Davis said both sides were speaking so an amicable solution could be reached soon.
Jason Byrne, director of athletic marketing, said that unlike with the away game at Clemson University last month, the university’s athletics department would not be able to show the game at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum because of licensing issues.
“You need approvals from some of the different folks to be able to show the game inside Daniel-Meyers, and we don’t have those approvals,” Byrne said. “We’d love to do that for the BYU game, (but) we have to respect our conference affiliation with Versus (too).”
Although the Clemson game-watching night successfully brought out more than 1,000 fans, Byrne said respectfully choosing not to air Versus footage would be the best option.
In addition to the event at the 1873 Grill, Horned Frog football fans can catch the game at a variety of local eateries including Buffalo Bros., Fuzzy’s Taco Shop and Chili’s Grill & Bar.
Where to watch the game this weekend
Fuzzy’s Taco Shop – showing game; no specials
Chili’s Grill & Bar on South University Drive – showing game; no specials; accepts FrogBucks
Fox & Hound on Main Street – showing game; usual Saturday happy hour specials
Boomer Jack’s Grill on W. Seventh Street – showing game; free appetizer with TCU ID card
Buffalo Bros. on South University Drive – showing game; shot specials during game
