COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio Bar Owners Association is supporting a bill that would ban Ohio State football games from being broadcast exclusively on streaming services.
In February 2025, Senator Bill DeMora introduced Senate Bill 94, which would prohibit Ohio’s public universities from granting broadcast rights to sporting events exclusively to streaming services.
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DeMoura said the legislation would also require state universities to “reach agreements” with streaming companies to allow all enrolled students to watch college sports for free.
The bill had a hearing in the state House last month, when Quinn Allen, president of the Ohio Bar Association and owner of Library Bar and The Thirsty Scholar near the Ohio State University campus, testified in support of the proposal. He was the only person to speak at the hearing.
“In our industry, atmosphere is critical, and for ourselves and many others across the state, these game days are our most important days of the year,” Allen said during the Feb. 18 hearing. “So when we are unable to provide the viewing experience we are known for, we take a significant financial hit because many people are forced to go home and watch the game instead of going to a bar when they know they are watching the game on a stream.”
Allen said it became “nearly impossible” to broadcast games at his pub when they were only available on streaming services. Those situations may require businesses to buy single-use streaming boxes or pay for streaming services, even if it only requires one game, he said.
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On top of that, Allen explained, bars often have games playing simultaneously on many TVs, with audio blasting throughout the building. But he said that while games can only be played on streaming services, video streaming can often only be played on one TV. He said that if he tried to put the game on multiple TVs, the image and sound would not match between the screens, and the audio would not work properly throughout the building.
While traditional cable TV feeds are nearly identical in timing, streaming apps transmit data over the Internet, which results in slightly different times for each TV to receive and process the data.
“As a business close to the university, customers want us to showcase Ohio State games,” Allen said. “Limiting broadcasts to streaming platforms does not allow us to provide access to games across our entire institution.”
Allen also believes it’s difficult to prepare for such games because live-only options aren’t usually announced until the week of the game.
“I and others at the Ohio State Bar agree with the sponsors of Senate Bill 94 that public universities funded by state funds should do so in a way that allows more people to watch games, not just subscribers to streaming platforms,” he said.
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DeMoura drafted the bill after the Ohio State-Purdue football game in October 2023 aired exclusively on Peacock. Peacock is a platform operated by NBC’s parent company, but is not operated by NBC4 or its parent company Nexstar. The sporting event marked the first time in 315 games that a Buckeyes game was not televised nationally, according to the Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences.
“This is the first time in over 20 years that I can’t watch an Ohio State football game on a regular channel,” DeMoura previously told NBC4. “I refuse to pay all these streaming networks to watch Ohio State and other sports. … Streaming television is bad for sports.”
Since then, two more Ohio State games have aired exclusively on Peacock, including against Michigan State in September 2024 and against Ohio University in September 2025.
As a result of the Big Ten’s seven-year deal signed in 2022, eight college football games per year are expected to be broadcast exclusively on Peacock through 2029. DeMoura’s proposal only applies to new or renewed contracts.
Media rights for Ohio State athletics, or agreements regarding game coverage, will bring in nearly $65 million in revenue by 2025, up from about $52 million in 2024, according to the university. For most universities, including Ohio State, media rights are negotiated through the athletic conference, not the school.
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DeMoura introduced a similar bill in February 2024, but it did not pass before the end of the legislative session. An introductory hearing was held, but did not go so far as to accept the opponent’s testimony.
SB 94 is awaiting an additional committee hearing in the Senate, where opponents will have a chance to speak, before potentially moving to the House for further consideration. If both chambers pass the bill, it will be sent to Gov. Mike DeWine for final approval.
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