As Oklahoma and Army were tied at 21 through three quarters, fans began scrambling to try and watch the upset unfold. Unfortunately, they quickly learned that watching the game would be a lot tougher than they realized.
The game was being televised on pay-per-view for $54.99 on SoonerSports.tv and on pay-per-view through different cable and satellite providers. Fans are used to paying money for major MMA and boxing events on pay-per-view, but most college football games are available through cable or satellite TV — either on broadcast or premium channels. Having to pay so much to watch one football game was not an investment non-die-hard Oklahoma fans were willing to make.
This Army-Oklahoma game is not only on PPV, but it is $54.99 in the year 2018.
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) September 23, 2018
Oklahoma losing to Army in a game where people had to pay $50 to watch would be so Big 12.
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) September 23, 2018
How did this end up happening? The Big 12’s contract allows for schools to choose how they want to distribute one game per season. Oklahoma has a contract with FOX to air the game, and the company usually does so on one of its regional channels. However, they likely realized that they could make more money by putting the game on pay-per-view because there are enough dedicated Oklahoma fans who will pay for it.
They probably just didn’t bank on the game being so close that fans around the country would want to tune in.
