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I have a stupid question on the Big 10 Network.

Currently ESPN+ does some of the football & basketball games and they are on a local station here (sometimes FSN North, sometimes a local Minneapolis station). They buy the rights to show it locally.

Will the Big 10 Network allow that to happen or is it going to be a "you need the Big 10 Network to see most of your local teams games"

I'm not talking a fan in New Mexico wanting to watch Michigan. I'm talking as an example a Minnesota resident watching Minnesota games (god that pains me to say that)

They apparently took turns doing it to a few Big 10 schools last season....

It sounds like most of the games that have been farmed out this year and in the past by ESPN+ won't happen in Big Ten country after this year, according to this article I came upon.

This article appeared today (4/24/2007) in my local newspaper, the Burlington Hawk Eye in Iowa about the star-up of the Big Ten Network:

http://www.thehawkeye.com/daily/stories/sp4_0424.html

Big Ten Network Q&A
Answering questions about the conference television channel.

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP
jbohnenkamp@thehawkeye.com

The television landscape for University of Iowa sports will change next season with the launch of the Big Ten Network.

How and where games will be shown, and who will get to see them, is still unclear.

A look at some of the key questions:

How many games will be on the Big Ten Network?

The network will have rights to Big Ten home nonconference and all conference games for football, men's basketball and women's basketball.

Under the terms of the new TV deals 17 football games will be on ABC, 24 on the ESPN networks and 35 will be on the Big Ten Network.

For men's basketball, 15 games will be on CBS, 43 on ESPN or ESPN2, 13 on ESPNU or ESPN360 (a broadband network), and 105 will be on the Big Ten Network.

For women's basketball, two games will be on CBS, five on ESPN or ESPN2, and 55 will be on the Big Ten Network.

In all, 507 Big Ten events in all sports will be on television next year, up from 279 this year.

Who gets first choice of the games?

ABC will get first choice each week for football. After that, the second choice will rotate among ESPN, ESPN2 and the Big Ten Network.

CBS will have first pick of the weekend basketball games. ESPN will have first choice of weekday basketball games.

So, there will be some high–quality games will be on the Big Ten Network.

Will this affect starting times?

No more than in the past for football.

Basketball is where there could be some changes. Look for additional Tuesday and Thursday conference games, and maybe a couple of Sunday games.

Any sports that won't be shown?

The network promises coverage of all Big Ten sports.

College hockey, though, is one that will be missing, at least early on. Wisconsin and Minnesota play in the WCHA, while Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State play in the CCHA. Those conferences have their own TV deals.

Who will get the Big Ten Network?

Right now, the only agreements are with DirecTV and AT&T Cable Services.

Big Ten Network president Mark Silverman said Monday the network has 20 "handshake" deals with cable systems in Iowa, but didn't say which ones. Mediacom senior manager of communications Phyllis Peters said the cable system, which serves Burlington, Mount Pleasant and Fort Madison, is in negotiations with the network.

What tier will it be on?

Silverman said he hopes the Big Ten Network will be on the basic or expanded basic tiers, which most cable subscribers have.

Mediacom could put the Big Ten Network on its digital cable tier, where ESPNU currently resides. That would mean a higher cost to subscribers.

How many games will be available on over–the–air stations?

Not as many as last year.

Eighteen football games and 100 men's basketball games were on ESPN Regional Television affiliates, like KYOU in Ottumwa and KWQC in Davenport, last season. Those games will now appear on cable, either on the ESPN networks or on the Big Ten Network.

So, unless a game is on ABC or CBS, if you don't have cable or a satellite subscription, you're likely going to be out of luck seeing the games.

Who has the rights to road nonconference games?

The host school or conference.

So, this season's Iowa–Iowa State football game, and Iowa's men's basketball games against Iowa State and Northern Iowa, will appear on whoever has the rights for the host schools or the conference.

Will Mediacom get the Big Ten Network?

As Peters said, the two sides are still negotiating. They have a few months to make a deal.

I believe the B10 teams will be playing a total of 88 games in 2007 (11 teams times 12 games each minus the double counting of games played against each other).

So about 40% of all B10 football games will be carried exclusively by the B10 Network. This means there is a good chance that 4 or 5 Minnesota Rodent games will be locked up on the B10 Network channel. It is unlikely they will release these games to your local cable - but that isn't a sure thing.

In some cases these will be some of the most significant B10 games of the week, as on some weeks the B10N will get the #2 pick, other weeks the #3 game, and others the #4 game. They could take Wisconsin vs Minnesota, for example. Or Ohio State vs Michigan State.

Roughly the same ratio will hold true for basketball, where the B10N will have exclusive carry rights to 105 out of roughly 240 games. This could be around 11 or so Rodent games.

Iceberg said:

I have a stupid question on the Big 10 Network.

Currently ESPN+ does some of the football & basketball games and they are on a local station here (sometimes FSN North, sometimes a local Minneapolis station). They buy the rights to show it locally.

Will the Big 10 Network allow that to happen or is it going to be a "you need the Big 10 Network to see most of your local teams games"

I'm not talking a fan in New Mexico wanting to watch Michigan. I'm talking as an example a Minnesota resident watching Minnesota games (god that pains me to say that)

Click to expand...

ok iceburg,

example here in IL, the Illini games on ESPN+ that was on WCIA, and other stations around the state will now ONLY be seen on big 10 network. so if the sports on your local stations from ESPN plus, those games will now only be seen on the big 10 network.

jhamps10 said:

ok iceburg,

example here in IL, the Illini games on ESPN+ that was on WCIA, and other stations around the state will now ONLY be seen on big 10 network. so if the sports on your local stations from ESPN plus, those games will now only be seen on the big 10 network.

Click to expand...

thats what I was getting at. Here the ESPN+ games were on KSTC (Independent station) or the "bigger" games were on WCCO (CBS)

Thanks for the info