COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Bar Owners Association is backing legislation that would prohibit Ohio State University football games from being broadcast exclusively on streaming services.
Sen. Bill DeMora, D-Columbus, introduced Senate Bill 94 in February 2025. The bill would bar public universities in Ohio from granting exclusive streaming rights to athletic events. It would also require state universities to negotiate with streaming companies to allow all enrolled students to watch university athletic events free of charge, DeMora said.
A hearing on the bill took place last month at the Ohio Statehouse. Quinn Allen, president of the Ohio Bar Owners Association and owner of Library Bar and The Thirsty Scholar near Ohio State’s campus, testified in support of the measure. He was the only individual to testify at the hearing.
“In our business, atmosphere is paramount, and these game days for ourselves and many others throughout the state are our biggest days of the year,” Allen said at the Feb. 18 hearing. “When we can’t provide the viewing experience we are known for, it makes us take a substantial financial hit as many people are driven into their homes for games when they know they are streaming, instead of out to the bars.”
Allen said broadcasting games at his bars becomes “nearly impossible” when they are available only via streaming. He said establishments may need to purchase streaming devices or pay for short-term subscriptions to stream a single game.
He added that bars are typically equipped to show games on multiple televisions with audio throughout the building. When games are available only on streaming services, Allen said, the feed can often be played on just one television, and attempts to display the feed on multiple TVs can result in mismatched video and audio. Traditional cable feeds are nearly identical in timing, but streaming apps deliver data over the internet, causing each television to process data at slightly different times.
“As a business close to the university, customers expect us to show Ohio State games,” Allen said. “Limiting the broadcast to streaming platforms does not allow us to provide access to the games throughout our entire establishment.”
Allen also said it is difficult to prepare for streaming-only games because they are usually not announced until the week of the matchup.
“I and others in the Ohio Bar Owners Association agree with the sponsor of Senate Bill 94 that a public university that is funded with state funds should broadcast games in a way that is accessible to more people than simply subscribers to the streaming platforms,” he said.
DeMora said he was prompted to draft the bill after the October 2023 Ohio State-Purdue football game aired exclusively on Peacock, a streaming service owned by NBCUniversal. According to Ohio State’s College of Arts and Sciences, it was the first time in 315 games that a Buckeyes football game was not nationally televised.
“It was the first time in over 20 years that I couldn’t watch an Ohio State football game on a regular channel,” DeMora previously told NBC4. “I refuse to pay all these streaming networks to watch Ohio State and other sports. . . . Streaming television is not good for sports.”
Since then, two additional Ohio State games have aired exclusively on Peacock, including matchups against Michigan State in September 2024 and Ohio University in September 2025.
Under a seven-year Big Ten deal signed in 2022, eight college football games per year are slated to air exclusively on Peacock through 2029. DeMora’s proposal would apply only to new or renewed contracts.
Media rights to Ohio State athletics generated nearly $65 million in 2025, up from about $52 million in 2024, according to the university. For most universities, including Ohio State, media rights are negotiated by athletic conferences rather than individual schools.
DeMora introduced a similar bill in February 2024, but it did not advance before the end of the legislative session. That bill received one introductory hearing but did not move forward to opponent testimony.
Senate Bill 94 awaits further committee hearings in the Senate, where opponents will have an opportunity to testify. If approved by the Senate, the bill would move to the House for consideration. If passed by both chambers, it would go to Gov. Mike DeWine for final approval.