Big Ten Network

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The BB prices as listed on the shelf are lease prices.
Yeap ... bestbuy.com spells it out too
Prices shown are "lease upgrade fees." Additional $4.99/mo. lease fee applies for each DIRECTV Receiver you add. Programming commitment required. See terms.
I'm not sure if you can *buy* their equipment outright anymore.
 
I guess, I didn't know any of that, thanks for the heads up, None the less, I should have more answers one way or the other in two weeks, eather E* will have BTN by then, or I'll know how much the move is gonna cost me.
 
So the article states that 1/3 of PSU games are on B10 and "thats not a big deal", and that 41 Big 10 games are on ABC/ESPN/ etc, well that number seems a bit high to me, but it could be correct, that still leaves 47 Big 10 games to be covered by B10 Network. (44 conference games (11 teams 8 game schedule) + 44 Non conference games). Thats a sizeable # of games.

If PSU has 1/3 games on the network, and OSU and Michigan have 2, that means that the fans of the lesser schools (Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue, MN, Iowa) will have the Majority of there games on the network.

Football is only part of the puzzle, Basketball is even going to have more of an impact on fans seeing the games.
 
Another column in the local Dayton paper that doesn't bode well for the Big 10 Network:

Buckeyes football is not a 'Big' enough lure to sell the network
(registration req'd)

I mean, if sports writers are against this, and they are DIE-HARD fans, what does that say ??

It's a rather short piece, but here's the best part:
But, wait a minute. While this Big Ten Network is advertising during the Reds games I'm watching on my Time Warner Cable station, I won't be able to get the Big Ten Network on cable.

Do the people who run the Big Ten schools believe I am going to quit taking cable and switch to DirecTV just to watch the Big Ten?

Hey, I love the Buckeyes, but I can listen to them on radio . . . at least until they take the games off and try to sell me the Big Ten Radio Network.
 
Drew Sharp, sportswriter from the Detroit Free Press, is also strongly against this.

I am a DIEHARD sportsfan, and I'm against this. I may be a diehard sportsfan, but I also don't like being played for a sucker. Most of you here seem to have no problem with that.
 
Like I've said before. If BTN does not get at least one big cable company or satellite provider besides D* the network will not last. TWC, Comcast, Charter or E* have to sign on to make it a viable network.

As much as I love sports I also hope it fails. If it doesn't every conference will have its own network and want similar terms. The MN Twins tried something like this a few years ago with Victory Sports and it died after only being on the many small mom & pop cable companies because none of the big boys would carry it. With BTN the only big boy is D*. I don't think it will servive without at least one more big player.

Here's hoping for a quick death. My guess one year or the middle of basketball season.
 
Like I've said before. If BTN does not get at least one big cable company or satellite provider besides D* the network will not last. TWC, Comcast, Charter or E* have to sign on to make it a viable network.

As much as I love sports I also hope it fails. If it doesn't every conference will have its own network and want similar terms. The MN Twins tried something like this a few years ago with Victory Sports and it died after only being on the many small mom & pop cable companies because none of the big boys would carry it. With BTN the only big boy is D*. I don't think it will servive without at least one more big player.

Here's hoping for a quick death. My guess one year or the middle of basketball season.

As much as I like Big Ten sports I agree that i doubt it will survive very long with just D* as the only big player.....someone should tell BTN that they are not ESPN.
 
I agree that the channel will not last without another major carrier...in the long run. The channel is partially owned by Fox, they have plenty of money to sit tight for at least one year. Believe me, I wish it weren't true. I think at this point, unfortunately, it is to BTN's advantage to sit tight and wait for customers to scream louder at the service providers with each game that they miss. I think it's something that is consciously part of their plan.

I think our only hope at this point is to believe that this high price, hard sell ploy was only a tactic and the BTN will eventually cave if nobody signs. Either way, the customer loses in the short term.
 
Why is everyone blaming the B10 for trying this? Its the same thing that has been done by the RSNs when they first started. They bought the exclusive rights to games and then let the customers come to them.

Sometimes it works (YES) and sometimes it doesn't (Victory Sports in MN),
 
Why is everyone blaming the B10 for trying this? Its the same thing that has been done by the RSNs when they first started. They bought the exclusive rights to games and then let the customers come to them.

Sometimes it works (YES) and sometimes it doesn't (Victory Sports in MN),

I'm not sure who your question was directed at Tim but I agree with you. Personally I'm just tired of the constant p*ssing match between the channels and the providers that ultimately leaves the customer out in the cold.

edit: I'm also tired of people suggesting they make it a la carte. In a perfect world every channel would be availble a la carte. The reality is that won't happen so let's stop suggesting it.
 
It was the in general feelings of the articles posted, and quotes being made that the Big 10 is greedy and how they must think they are better than they are, etc etc.

If it wasnt the Big 10 doing it this year - the SEC, Big 12, Big East would of considered doing the same thing in the near future.
 
What are you smoking? Comcast has NO contract with the BTN, not in Chicago, not anywhere


Big Ten Network, Comcast standoff continues

The only major company with a contract with BTN is DTV and that's not going to give News Corp(which owns 49% of BTN) any additional money, just robbing Peter to pay Paul. BTN will go down without a contract with Comcast which they don't have. That is the fact.

Fox Sports and the BTN have a 20 year contract....Sorry I was not more specific.
 
The Big Ten network can wait this out forever if they want to. Do the Math.

Let's assume that 30% of D* subscribers are in the BTN footprint. That is is about what, $4 million or so per month to BTN, or about $2 million a month to the conference itself? You can keep the network on the air a long time for that.

The problem is that they would not make much on advertising in that scenario (too small and dispersed a universe).

SO what is their alternative? Lower the cost in order to get in more homes and sell more advertising. Does it make sense to lower the price to $0.75 OR $0.50? It might, because that is more than they are getting out of subscribers now. TO make their budget, they would just have to sell more ads at higher prices.

What seems to be clear is that it does not make sense for Dish and Comcast and TWC to pay the price BTN is asking.

Will some people switch to D*? Sure, but it will be MINISCULE. most of those people already have D* for Sunday Ticket or Extra Innings.

BTN will fold soon in the sense that they will begin cutting deals. This is because the schools want EXPOSURE more than they want the Money. They want their recruits to know that every Women's Soccer Game is on TV. And every Basketball game. It would be a big advantage in a lot of areas.
 
BTN will fold soon in the sense that they will begin cutting deals. This is because the schools want EXPOSURE more than they want the Money. They want their recruits to know that every Women's Soccer Game is on TV. And every Basketball game. It would be a big advantage in a lot of areas.

God I hope so. I always like reading your posts flyingsquirrel, they are always glass half full. :)
 
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