After hosting one of the highest-rated weekends of the college football season, Penn State will host its biggest marquee game on a streaming service. So why is Saturday’s Penn State-Washington game, which will serve as the annual White Out, streaming on Peacock? Here’s a look at your options for watching the Penn State-Washington game, including a unique opportunity at IMAX.

So what is peacock?

A quick review. Peacock is NBCUniversal’s exclusive streaming service subscription service that offers a variety of sports, including Big Ten football. To watch Saturday’s Penn State-Washington game, fans will need a Peacock subscription (or a friend with one), as the game will not air on NBC or cable. So yes, fans must register and pay at least one peacock month of service to watch the game. Plans start at $7.99, although students can get a discount. Subscriptions, including the monthly plan, can be canceled at any time.

Do any cable providers include Peacock? Xfinity Customers You must verify your subscription to see a promotional offer. Bottom line: Penn State fans not at Beaver Stadium should have Peacock to watch the game at home.

Why is Penn State left without Peacock?

It seems incongruous, right? that the show’s biggest brand game is not available on basic cable. Penn State is not alone. Most Big Ten teams have played a broadcast-only game, which was part of the massive media rights deal the conference signed in 2022.

That year, the Big Ten moved away from ABC/ESPN and signed deals with FOX, CBS and NBC to broadcast conference football and basketball games. As part of the seven-year, $7 billion deal, according to ESPNNBC captured Saturday night prime time with Big Ten Saturday Night. But NBC would also place games specifically to peacock. The streaming service exclusively hosted eight Big Ten games in 2023 and is scheduled to host nine in 2024.

The Penn State-Washington game was not one of Peacock’s preseason announcements because the game had been placed in the Big Ten’s six- or 12-day scheduling window. Before the season, the Big Ten’s broadcast partners hold a draft in which they select weeks to choose which games to broadcast (Michael Mulvihill of FOX Sports explained the process well on the Joel Klatt show).

Before the season, Penn State lobbied the Big Ten and its broadcast partners to schedule the Nov. 2 Penn State-Ohio State game as the annual primetime “White Out.” That didn’t work out, as FOX Sports had picked up that week and made sure to televise the game in their Big Noon window. Although Penn State fans who fought traffic associated with a record crowd I didn’t like it, FOX certainly liked it. Nearly 10 million people watched the Penn State-Ohio State game, making it the most-watched Big Ten game of the season (according to Nielsen Media Research).

As a result, Penn State opted for White Out’s Plan B, which it decided would be this game of the week against Washington. Since NBC had Notre Dame vs. Florida State for its Saturday night broadcast window, and FOX had the Ohio State-Purdue game, Penn State-Washington had three options: 3:30 pm on CBS or prime time on Peacock or Big Ten. Network. CBS will air Indiana-Michigan in the 3:30 window and NBC moved White Out to Peacock.

How else to watch the Penn State-Washington game?

If you can’t make it to Beaver Stadium and don’t want to subscribe to Peacock, here’s a unique option. More than 20 IMAX theaters in several states across the country, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Washington, will show the game on the big screen. NBC Sports and IMAX said in a statement that this is the first college football game to be presented live in this format.

“Experience one of the most electrifying college football games in a gigantic IMAX,” the companies said in a press release.

Ticket prices vary by location, but start at $16.99 in some locations

No. 6 Penn State (7-1) faces Washington (5-40 at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night from Beaver Stadium.

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Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinions and perspectives on the SI.com network. Editor Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, following three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.