Brian,
I know that many persons are hoping Comcast and/or Time Warner can reach an agreement with BTN, but in the NJ/NY Cablevision has over 4.5 million customers, and I have not yet heard anything about whether they are even in talks with BTN to carry the channel. Any news on that front? They're are tons of Big Ten alumni that have Cablevision so let's hope something is in the works.
this is a really good point re: NFLN. sure, they only charge 75c, but they don't have the number of games the BTN will have. perhaps you're right that the true comparison is with the RSNs owned by comcast, but what about FSN? what does fox charge for each of these:
FSN-Det, -North, -NY, -NE, -West, - SE, - Ohio, etc, etc????
the question is, what channels will be in direct competition w/ the BTN? not NFLN, not VS, but probably the Comcast and FSN regional channels.
What? Embiggens is a perfectly cromulent word.
Is the "Big 10 footprint" the entirety of every Big 10 state? I'm going to be in Philly next season, and that's obviously closer to independent faux 1A programs and the Big East than the Big 10, even if there is a Big 10 team in the state, so you think the BTN is even aiming for basic cable status that far east?
Aaaannnddd.... we're fucked. Proper fucked. I hope this stuff with Comcast is just posturing. I get Versus, the Golf Channel and the Comcast Sports Channel and I watch them about as often as I do 1950's vintage German erotica.
Can't wait to be driven to some God awful monolith sports bar and pay $5 a beer to watch Michigan play Appalachian St. God Bless Capitalism!
to be fair, CSS (or comcast sports southeast) has carried quite a few big ten games in the past. i've watched many a Michigan-Northwestern (or similar) basketball game on the network, albeit it had dropped off a bit last year. they also did lesser espn+ big ten football games, like illinois-purdue (or similar).
but i digress. i NEVER watch versus. never watch golf channel (although i once tried to convince myself that women's big break was worth watching - wrong). can't i choose to ditch versus and pick up BTN? oh, if only they did a la carte. like, buy expanded basic with standard channels, but have an option to switch like channels for another (like versus or golf for BTN).
Does anyone have any idea how this might affect larger cable companies that aren't Comcastic leviathans? I have RCN in Chicago and while I get stuff like Comcast Sports Net and Sprout, I don't get the Golf Channel or Versus. Any other Chicago RCN customers out there who have looked into this?
Why weren't all these points conveyed in MSM interviews? The more people know about this, the more pressure Comcast (and other providers) will feel.
Although I live outside the B10 blueprint and I have Dish (so I'm screwed either way), I think this is an important battle that will be looked at (some day) as one of the reasons for B10's rise in prominence or downfall.
Does the fact that the Big Ten Network has Brian on a list of important media to contact mean that he's big time now, part of the MSM?
I'm with Nick. If you use 'cromulent', you should work harder at using 'embiggens'in the same post. Not that this was Nick's point, but I know it was rattling around in his head when he typed out that quote.
Hell, it would have been easy..."BTN embiggens press battle" would have been a perfectly cromulent use of the word. For shame, Brian, for shame.
I'm glad someone finally pointed out the hypocracy in Comcast's arguments.
The big ten network will be the best channel since ESPN, if Comcast ever picks them up.
Rattling it was, David. What would Jebediah say?
"At some point he asked me what I thought -- hey, who's doing the interview here?"
Is that a serious question? Surely you realize he was checking you out. He's going to have some air time to fill, and it would be all "cool" and "cutting edge" and "cyber" to, you know, put bloggers on t.v. as the voice of the fans. Don't you think you and the blogpoll are on his radar?
Not sure if there is any info out there in the ether on this already, but does anyone know whether detroit-area denizens who are WOW! (Wide Open West) subscribers, rather than comcast, are slated to receive BTN coverage?
I have RCN in Chicago, and I spoke with a sales rep yesterday. He said two things.
1. They get this question in Chicago every day, and the higher-ups know they better deliver.
2. RCN's working on it.
To Credit812 -
No. I was also contacted by the BTN, and I am simply NOT big-time. I declined an interview because, frankly, I couldn't think of any intelligent questions to ask.
Brian is big-time because he has a book out. Not because a cable channel that you probably won't get is desperate to get its name out there.
more than anything, looks like they're trying to cultivate a little goodwill with the respective fanbases. maybe our outrage IS their leverage. time to start drafting some form letters to send out to our respective cable operators. i suck at the writing. any volunteers? =)
So I live in Florida and have Brighthouse networks. I can get ESPN College Gameplan but will that get me Mich games? Or is it impossible for me to watch them? :(
It'll get me in trouble with the pumpkin-headed nag, but I'm soo glad I have DirecTV
ESPN gameplan will not carry BTN games
What about Dish Netowrk? I want to watch all of the games this year, I didn't even have TV last year so I only watched the ABC games. Now I have Dish Netowrk and I am pumped to hopefully see every game.
Dish: you might want to root for Dish Network to get the BTN declared a regional sports network, because then there will arbitration and it will definitely get on.
re: Gameplan. There will be no BT games on gameplan, as MK notes. But any regionalized ABC coverage will be carried on ESPN or ESPN2 in outer markets going forward, so you won't need it. Every Michigan game will either be nationally televised on ABC/ESPN or on the BTN.
Brian,
Good work on this but I feel you slipping to the dark side. I wish someone would ask Mr. Silverman...
"What happens when every other conference starts its own channel?"
Also can someone ask him why not a BTN PPV package offering? I gladly paid my $100 for Gameplan year after year. No I don't even have the option. Sucks.
And finally will there be an Internet offering? They have had 2 years to get this thing up and running. I'd hope they thought of this.
And let's be clear about why BTN wants basic cable carriage: Advertising rates. Cable programmers make about 80% of there money from carriage fees and 20% from advertising. When a channel is carried on basic, they can charge advertisers more $ because they will be in 4 to 5 time as many homes.
One more point. If BTN is charging the cable company $1.10 you can be sure that they will eventually charge us $2.20 as the cable companies generally make 50% margins on programming.
It is no surprise that this is all about money but we are pawns. I was peeved about the ESPNU fiasco last year and I contacted the Big 10. They assured me if would get better this year with BTN, but it has obviously turned into a giant cluster f with us fans the losers. I blame the universities and BTN.
BURNSY
Just saw one more thing on this. Looks like the BTN wants it both ways. You might want to call Mr. Silverman and ask him again if he thinks they are a regional network or a national network. Just more BS from the BTN...
From Broadcasting and Cable magazine...
"The Big Ten Network reiterated Wednesday that it is a national, not regional, sports network and called EchoStar's suggestion it was not a "brazen attempt to increase its negotiating leverage."
http://www.broadcastingcable.com.../
CA6463166.html
@BURNSY
Eh, what? Isn't that quote already in Brian's post? BTN wants to be declared national network so that it won't be included in outside arbitration, CMIIW.
Brian, you left a comment in the "Monday Recruitin'" post that I had a question about, but that M-F'er's so far down now that I'd probably never get an answer to it. It was about some kid being recruited as an "athlete", and you wondered about what you do with a shortish kid once he gets to be around 230...is Stan White, Jr. at all a relevant example for you guys? He wasn't ever big enough, really, to be a true tight end or fullback, but, by Krom, Tressel found a way to make use of him. As much as you guys like to go with two TE's, what's to stop you from going extra heavy whenever you want to, and having a guy like that set up in the slot as an extra blocker or (gulp) a surprise receiver? I don't have the time or the inclination to get as far down in the weeds, so to speak, as you do...so enlighten me. Can't you take an "athlete", spend a year or so remaking him into a blocking machine (if he's being recruited as an "athlete", I'd guess the receiving ability is a given), and make him into an unstoppable H-back? Or is DeBord just not that flexible? Or am I way off base?
The biggest line of BS comming out of the BTN is that it will grant fans the greatest access to their schools. The Big Ten schools are not hurting for coverage and exposure in the BTN footprint area. This, like the forced seat donations,is a case of taking away the access we already have and telling us that it is for our own good.
Interestingly enough, I received a phone survey call last night (from a Columbus, Ohio prefix) concerning Time Warner Cable & the Big 10 Network. From what I could gather from the questions asked, TWC is considering one of three options concerning the B10 Network:
1. Not adding it at all;
2. Adding it to the basic cable package (and increasing everyone's cable bill $1.10 a month);
or
3. Adding the B10 Network but as part of a "sports tier" package, which would be optional, at a cost of $4.95/month only to those who wished to pay for it.
I voted for option 2. Apparently, TWC has concerns that because the B10 Network is a sports channel, it would be unfair to add it to the basic cable tier because "everyone might not be interested in sports."
Newsflash: we can't pick and choose our basic cable channels now. For instance, I'm not interested in the Lifetime Movie Network, but it's part of our basic package. I could probably rattle off about 50% of the channels I currently receive as part of our basic package that I would drop in a heartbeat if I could, if our bill would also drop.
Hopefully, a la carte basic cable selection is in the foreseeable future.
One of the questions in the survey last night is "what is your favorite college team?" When I said "Michigan," there was a pause, and a "umm...ok..." as though she had to search in a hidden location for the code for Michigan. I think she screwed it up, because later on in the survey she asked, "Would it affect your choice to pay extra for the B10 Network if you knew that only 2 or 3 Michigan State games would be televised?" They probably didn't have Michigan as a choice in their system. :-)
Anyway...the $1.10 hike would be OK with me. Boo-f*cking-hoo if it's not fair to everyone. I want me my Michigan-Appy State game.
Brian, you have to comment on this tidbit from the Freep today.
A man with a history of impersonating Pittsburgh Steelers players was given jail time for persuading a woman to loan him $3,200 while he pretended to be former Wolverine tight end Jerame Tuman. Brian Jackson, 33, of Brentwood, Pa., pleaded guilty to one count of theft by deception and one count of identity theft. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and placed on probation for five years.
I'm in New York on Time Warner cable. A lot of non national ESPN+ games get picked up by NY regional sports networks (i.e SNY-Mets, or YES-Yankees). This was the case for last year's Michigan Vandy game on the Yankee channel. If BTN doesn't get picked up by NY Time Warner will that precluded SNY or YES or whatever from picking up the BTN games and showing them in the NY market?
goblue1 -- it is my understanding that there will be no local "pickups." I think the B10 Network would have exclusive television rights. Correct me, anyone, if I am wrong.
I'm on Time Warner in Cincinnati and they charge me an extra $7 a month for an HD Tier that includes ESPN HD. I was hoping they would add BTN, ESPN2HD, and NFL Network to that Tier. I'm probably dreaming again!
My options for #1 App State vs #2 Michigan are: neighbor with Direct TV if they cover the game on another channel since OSU is at the same time, find a bar, or drive 3 1/2 hours to the Big house. I never thought I would miss those ESPN+ games.
I agree with Ryan. I don't think SNY or YES will be able to broadcast any BTN games. Perhaps on tape delay...I'm not sure. IF you live in NY/NJ you need to call CABLEVISION and TIME WARNER immediately. We're going to get screwed for the marquee matchup w/ App State.
Cincy Blue -- yeah, don't hold your breath on that...TWC in Cincy can't even get Fox Sports Ohio HD in their package yet, and recall how long it took for them just to add Fox HD to their lineup?
Slow as friggin' molasses.
re: the Stan White thing. Is that a comparable? He was a fullback and not a straight line burner like Gray. Plus Michigan already has two TEs in the class and is looking good for an h-back already. I just don't think Gray fits in the class.
ryan, i believe you're right and goblue1 i live in NYC too and share your concern. i think NYers are going to a bar. might want to reserve those tables now. also, ryan - people who are doing surveys for cable networks aren't the brightest of the bunch. you've gotta help them out. michigan might be under U for university of.
ish, I hear ya...but considering that call was from Columbus, Michigan might have been located under U for "unavailable." ;-)
running backs are tough to change positions, perhaps the toughest to convert to just about any other position. heck, even QB's tend to move to TE. sure, they can switch to FB, but what 4.5*, top 30-70 RB is going to switch to FB? even TE? TE's see the ball more, but how many RBs have great hands out of the backfield? not many. and switching to D? that essentially never happens (again especially to top 50 type RBs).
fwiw, Beaver said M would still be in on Gray no matter what Matrix decided: he said M really wanted him, but had to hold the hard sell for Matrix b/c of McG'searly decision. however, he also said that no recruit generates more questions, web traffic, etc than Gray. Thus, imo, he's stringing M recruitnicks along for the ride wrt Gray. Gray will probably end up at MSU for PT @ RB, thus M fans will cite Carr's incompetent in-state recruiting and contemplate jumping out the nearest window. so it goes...
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