B10 Sports to become another D* Exclusive?

[Tom Bombadil]

My apologies if this has been discussed in another thread.

I just read a summary of a meeting between the University of Wisconsin-Madison Faculty Senate and their Athletic Department. Amongst the notes were some questions from the faculty about the B10 Sports package being sold exclusively to DirecTV. There were concerns about how many Wisconsin fans would not be able to watch this channel (or channels).

According to the notes, the Athletic Department confirmed that it would be a D* exclusive.

Has anyone else heard anything about this?

 

[Tom Bombadil]

I see I wrote in a bit of shorthand.

B10 = Big Ten Sports Network

http://bigten.cstv.com/genrel/062106aad.html

I should have added that the Big Ten considered selling their programming to ESPN for inclusion on their channel package. But then D* bid much more to have exclusive rights.

 

[jrbdmb]

I see I wrote in a bit of shorthand.

B10 = Big Ten Sports Network

http://bigten.cstv.com/genrel/062106aad.html

I should have added that the Big Ten considered selling their programming to ESPN for inclusion on their channel package. But then D* bid much more to have exclusive rights.

From the article you linked -

"Showcasing a wide array of sports as well as original programming produced by the conference's 11 institutions, the Big Ten Network will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It will be available to all carriers and distributors nationwide. The Big Ten Network's first affiliate, DIRECTV, will deliver the Network to its Total Choice Package subscribers at launch.

Not an exclusive, but it remains to be seen if Dish or the major cable companies pick this up.

 

[KE4EST]

Only time will tell

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Yes, the article I linked to is older. That was their original intention.

But what the Wisconsin AD told the Chancellor and Faculty Senate, just this week, was that D* came in with a much higher bid and so they dropped the ESPN intention and will now be a D* exclusive.

But perhaps what was really said, and was jumbled by the reporter, was that the package has been picked up only by D* to date, and that others will have a shot at carrying it too. The concern expressed by UW administrators was that only D* subs will have access. Perhaps that is only a temporary situation, but the answer quoted to the Athletic Dept guy was, yes, only D* subs will have access.