I have often felt that a third sports pack, like a college sports pass or something, would be a good place for the college sports channels - BTN, SEC, PAC12, Fox College Sports, Longhorn, ESPNU (so that you can still have the college sports it on lower packages), and any other networks that get created. The customers who purchase the package will make it clearer to the networks just how many people want (and DON'T want) the specialty sports channels. However, I will always feel that the basic sports channels (ESPN) and secondary sports channels (NFL, MLB CBSN, FS2, etc) should be on appropriate levels of basic sports packages. The fact that I have both sports packs and still don't have the NHL Network is annoying to me because I don't want to pay for only a few more channels, most of which I will never watch, many of which are only SD, but will (and do) pay for more sports channels and yet still don't have them.
SEC Network Launches August 14 Channel 611
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So, you want to take what is free to those in thier perspective area and move it to a pay package ?
Don't give them any ideas.
I can see if it was set up that you got YOUR Conference network that you are in for free and charge for the others ... thats how it is in some cases I think.
IF it came down to having to pay for the Big Ten network to see the Buckeyes 2 football games they play on the network, if it was cheap enough and you could buy it by the week, I'd think about it.
If it was like the espn gamepass (or whatever it was called) where you paid for the whole season, I'd pass.
I think the basic sports channels (basically ESPN) and your RSN should be included... Anything else in the sports pack.
I still like the way Canada packages channels the best... The basic subscription for locals and then various themes you can pick.
I thought there was a glimmer of hope from Comcast of all companies a couple years ago... They did something called 'My TV Choice' with a base package of locals for $10 and 'plus' for 20 which included ESPN and some other basic stations then additional themes for 10... Similar to how Canada does it.
The issue is that you were still on the hook for 20 to get some of the other non-sports channels that weren't in the themes (Nat Geo for example was part of the base 20 pack but not the outdoors theme but the discovery suite was in outdoors) ... And the theme packs were particularly broad... Eg if you wanted the main feed of Discovery, you had to buy the 'kids' pack (yet the discovery multiplex was in outdoors), Sports to get TBS etc... There was always one or two channels you'd still really want along with a bunch you could care less about... There was also no discount on themes if you took more than 2, 3 etc...
Needless to say, my package would have been a whole $2 cheaper than if I would have went with their Digital Preferred and had about 30 less channels... Playing around with Bell's packages, it seems much easier to avoid channels you don't want... The kids package is basically all channels for those under 10, the Sports package has all the sports in it etc... The only weird one is Superstitions are mixed with movies...
Needless to say the Comcast package flopped... Which is exactly what they wanted...
Someone needs to just pass a bill requiring a compromise... Not 'Ala carte' but at least themes that are directly related to the programming carried, with no additional fees for choosing to package that way.
I still like the way Canada packages channels the best... The basic subscription for locals and then various themes you can pick.
I thought there was a glimmer of hope from Comcast of all companies a couple years ago... They did something called 'My TV Choice' with a base package of locals for $10 and 'plus' for 20 which included ESPN and some other basic stations then additional themes for 10... Similar to how Canada does it.
The issue is that you were still on the hook for 20 to get some of the other non-sports channels that weren't in the themes (Nat Geo for example was part of the base 20 pack but not the outdoors theme but the discovery suite was in outdoors) ... And the theme packs were particularly broad... Eg if you wanted the main feed of Discovery, you had to buy the 'kids' pack (yet the discovery multiplex was in outdoors), Sports to get TBS etc... There was always one or two channels you'd still really want along with a bunch you could care less about... There was also no discount on themes if you took more than 2, 3 etc...
Needless to say, my package would have been a whole $2 cheaper than if I would have went with their Digital Preferred and had about 30 less channels... Playing around with Bell's packages, it seems much easier to avoid channels you don't want... The kids package is basically all channels for those under 10, the Sports package has all the sports in it etc... The only weird one is Superstitions are mixed with movies...
Needless to say the Comcast package flopped... Which is exactly what they wanted...
Someone needs to just pass a bill requiring a compromise... Not 'Ala carte' but at least themes that are directly related to the programming carried, with no additional fees for choosing to package that way.
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with Dish if you are in a Big10 state (the exception is the eastern part of PA) you get BTN as a RSN...with the addition of Maryland and Rutgers I dont know how that will work. When Nebraska was added to the Big Ten Dish then moved it from sports pack to the package with the RSN (At120+ and higher)
everywhere else its part of the sports pack
Thats how alot of cable companies do it too. I know Charter in MN (and Comcast) you get BTN is the "extended basic" cable
IIRC didn't D* start out with Big 10 in Entertainment then moved it to Ultimate or Sports Pack with a lesser package?
I'd support something like that as a compromise... Highest end basic package, Sports tier otherwise...
I already pay for the pak, so Id not mind if these channels went there. Problem is, they force them on everyone with negotiations. I always default back to the fact that a lot of sports fans pay for a lot of channels they don't watch either. Granted the cost of the sports channels is an annoyance for many, but there are a lot of channels I don't even watch and I like my sports.
Question,
Does the typical Sports fan watch most of the games that are NOT thier teams ?
I don't, I typically watch MY teams only .... the exception is the NHL, I will more than likely continue to watch the rest of the playoffs as theres NOTHING else like the NHL PLAYOFFS.
I mostly watch my team and all SEC games. But I also watch other games where there is a good matchup or a close finish. And, if Directv doesn't get the SEC Network by, say, the end of July or first of August, I will (with regret) switch back to Dish. I've had two games cut off before the end recently as the network went to another show before mine was over. This wouldn't happen with a conference network. I would hope.
I do. For college football I of course watch the Noles, wife likes Bama, and we watch those first of course. But, every Saturday we run 2 tv's, so for the 11 o'clock games we watch two, for the 230 games we watch two, and during the night we keep up with 3-4 games. All ACC and SEC in this house, unless their is something else on. IMO, you aren't a big fan of the "sport" if you only watch your team, and it leaves you lacking perspective IMO about other teams and how they stack up. I work with a lot of Bama fans and Auburn fans, and they only watch that one game every Saturday and it leaves them clueless in discussion about match ups with other teams. I'm a fan of college football as a whole, but primarily because of my location, its mostly ACC and SEC. I do like to watch Ok, OK St, Texas, Stanford, Mich and Oregon games when I can fit them in. I already have the B1G network, so I want the SEC and ACC. Even if I only watch one game a month on there, I want the access. One of my complaints right now is SEC has the lock on college baseball on ESPN, only way for me to see the Noles play baseball is ESPN3...
Part of the reason I watch so much football also could be that I pull for an out of state team, so not only do I have to get into debates about my team, I get pulled into discussions about the Alabama team's. I guess if I only pulled for one local college team I may be more inclined to watch less, but we really enjoy watching 6-8 games every weekend. that's numerous teams every week, plus the thursday night game, and it gives you a good perspective of how good other teams are.
As far as NFL, we do not have a team, so I just watch whats on and enjoy it. I do have teams I root for, but no dog in the hunt. I could see if you live in an NFL town, always watching that game and pulling for that team, but I like fball too much to just watch "my" team, I want to watch as much as possible. You miss out on some real great players and catchup if you do not.
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there was no such package as Entertainment when BTN started on Directv (which was day 1 back in 2007). It was in Choice (or whatever it was called back then) and has been the whole time. Any lower package only had ESPN & ESPN2 in it
I do
college hockey I'd record any game I could
I do watch other Big Ten games...not the tier 3 games (unless its my team) but the bigger games on ABC I'll watch
I watch MY Teams first, but I will watch other Big games, but I'm not gonna sit home to watch a secondary Idaho and Utah , just because it's there ... No offense to Utah and Idaho btw.
They will have to have an overflow/alternate channel when simultaneous games are shown, such as Sept. 6th.
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