CHICAGO -- The Big Ten Network's contract with the nation's largest cable provider is ending soon and network executives aren't going away quietly.

Mark Silverman, BTN president, took to the podium Tuesday morning on the second day of the conference's football media day session to blast Comcast and confirm that the contract between the two companies ends at the end of August.

"Despite the growth and success, BTN is now facing our biggest challenge since the launch of the network. Our 10-year agreement with Comcast expires at the end of August," Silverman said. "A few months ago, BTN was removed from out-of-market cable systems on Comcast, which is the leading cable provider in the country. Upon learning of the impending removal, we immediately reached out to Comcast in an effort to keep the network on the air. Comcast was intent on dropping BTN and refused to listen to our plea."

Comcast Xfinity is the local cable and the largest wireless internet provider for the local West Lafayette area. Purdue has two early season football games already scheduled on BTN (Sept. 8 vs. Eastern Michigan and Sept. 15 vs. Missouri) with the times and network of the final eight games of the Boilermakers' 2018 season still to be determined. Purdue football is also expected to be featured in a BTN 'Gold and Black Days' series that will highlight Year 2 of the Purdue program under Jeff Brohm.

GoldandBlack.com has reached out Tuesday morning to Comcast's corporate media contacts for a comment on the situation with BTN.

Comcast announced earlier in April that they'd be removing BTN from all markets not in the Big Ten Conference footprint. Specifically, Comcast removed the channel from all cable providers in states outside Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Silverman said BTN and FS1 are expected to televise approximately 60 games this year, close to two-thirds of all football games in the Big Ten. In addition, BTN and FS1 will air 22 of the first 24 games for those 10 schools that are in the Comcast markets.

Tuesday's latest statement from Silverman suggests 10 of the 14 markets in the Big Ten could be without a cable platform to watch several Big Ten Conference games.

"Basically everyone except for Ohio State, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Iowa," Silvermann said Tuesday are the only school markets where Comcast isn't the local cable provider. "Unfortunately, my fear is the removal of BTN in the outer market may just be the first step in Comcast's plan to remove BTN from their systems everywhere, including the Big Ten home markets. Now, in addition to the BTN agreement expiring, so is the agreement for all Big Ten games that air on FS1. BTN and FS1 have made proposal to Comcast dating back to February, and we've had no substantive response at all."

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