Big Ten Network

[JAG72]

On the radio yesterday they had the head of the Big 10 network and he stated that they want it on the expanded basic at a cost of $1.10 per cable subscriber. Seems to be a little high for what they are providing.

The one problem that I now have with this channel is how the B10 is stating that cable is preventing you from seeing your teams games but up until this year we always received all of the games that were not scheduled nationally through our local station at $0 cost. Why could they not keep good enough alone.

 

[jrbdmb]

On the radio yesterday they had the head of the Big 10 network and he stated that they want it on the expanded basic at a cost of $1.10 per cable subscriber. Seems to be a little high for what they are providing.

The one problem that I now have with this channel is how the B10 is stating that cable is preventing you from seeing your teams games but up until this year we always received all of the games that were not scheduled nationally through our local station at $0 cost. Why could they not keep good enough alone.

Greed.

A little over one month away from launch, and he only major player who has signed on for the BTN on their terms is DirecTV. Dish, Comcast, Mediacom, etc. are all still holdouts.

I might be less annoyed by the BTN's greed if I thought the money from the network would actually help the school's athletic departments. From recent history, though, it seems like any extra money raised is simply being used to escalate the salaries of the football and men's basketball coaches. (IMHO)

 

[oswald]

On the radio yesterday they had the head of the Big 10 network and he stated that they want it on the expanded basic at a cost of $1.10 per cable subscriber. Seems to be a little high for what they are providing.

Actually, that is the cost for cable companies in the Big Ten States. Outside of that, the charge is 10 cents a customer. So for a national provider like Dish Network, the cost (someone calculated it in this thread) is about 35 cents a customer, which makes it much more competitive.

I think the biggest problem from Dish's perspective (If I may speculate) is placing it in the "digital" tier rather than in a specialty package. My guess is that Dish is thinking that if they do this deal for the Big Ten, will the SEC, ACC, and PAC Ten follow suit? Now they have 4 regional sports networks on their digital tier. I understand that concern, but I will still switch to a provider that offers me it (i.e., Directv) if I am forced to...

 

[garn9173]

The more I think about it, the more i'm beginning to wonder, unless the major MSO's blink, if the BTN isn't doomed to suffer the same fate of Victory Sports One, which was the attempt by the Minnesota Twins at launching their version of the YES Network. I think it was 4 years ago this fall that Victory Sports One launched by the following summer, the network was dead as cable companies all across Minnesota as well as both D* and E* refused to carry the network.

I realize that BTN has carriage on D* and small, mom and pop cable systems across the midwest, but is it enough for the BTN survive?

 

[HD MM]

Put me in the crowd who will think long and hard about jumping ship for D* and their Big-Ten Channel. I already don't get HD Lil's (here in Cleveland) through E*, nor am I able to get the recently added STO-HD, because of the faulty 129. I am a huge sports fan and the only thing holding me back is the superior Vip622 and the 30 second skip button!

 

[HD MM]

Just got word from a post on a local forum.......

FWIW, the Big 10 president was on 1460 THE FAN here in Columbus yesterday, and stated that Dish network is close to jumping on board. Also said Time Warner is another issue, so looks like TW customers are going to be without NFL Network and Big 10 Network now.

 

[TheGuv]

I'm in total agreement with Tom. I love E* HD, but I can't deal with a company that has no interest in keeping MLB baseball fans or fans of teams in the Big Ten.

It's sad that Dish Network is more interested in pacifying the Cricket or International Soccer audience than providing the sport's programming that people in the heart of America want.

Sadly, I'm beginning to suspect that I will be migrating to D* come next spring. I've been with E* for 9+ years, and have paid them an amount in excess of $10K.

If D* offers good quality HD off of their new birds, along with NFL:ST, MLB:EI, and BTN, then my reasons to stay with E* will be nil. The NFL package doesn't mean that much to me, but MLB and the BTN are biggies.

For now, the only thing holding me to E* is the better quality HD - even in its current state of mediocrity it is still better than what D* is serving up. Even if E* is able to match D* channel for channel and bit for bit on HD, D*'s superior sports packages will tilt the decision to their favor.

I've got to think that I will not be alone in seeing it in this way.

 

[TheGuv]

I got this in my mailbox yesterday...an official email from the University of Iowa!

I am on the Hawkeye sports e-mail list announcing ticket sales and other events regarding Iowa Hawkeye sports.

How funny! Now the University of Iowa is officially LOBBYING to FORCE Mediacom (and probably Dish Network) to add the BTN to their basic tier.

FYI, I went to the Cedar Rapids Gazette poll mentioned in the "official e-mail" and I voted to NOT force Mediacom to put the BTN on their basic tier.

At the time I voted, the poll had over 4000 respondents who were voting 70% to 30% with my, to not force Mediacom to add to the basic tier. Perhaps the Univ. of Iowa e-mai backfired on them? Here's the "official e-mail" I got...

Dear Hawkeye Fan,


As the start of another academic year draws near so, too, does the introduction of the Big Ten Network, the new television home for the Big Ten Conference. Staff of the Big Ten Network are currently in the process of securing "distribution" for the Network, e.g. coming to agreements with cable television systems across the country that will enable friends of the Big Ten's 11 institutions and fans of its intercollegiate athletics programs the opportunity to watch the programming.

In Iowa, the Network is currently in discussions with Mediacom, the state's largest cable television operator. It is the position of the Big Ten Network and the UI that the hours of programming involving the University of Iowa - probably more than 50 different live events involving all UI sports teams anchored by as many as four football games, 17 men's basketball games, six women's basketball games, three wrestling events, three volleyball matches and much more including more than 60 hours of programming that touches on what makes our University special and different - the Writer's Workshop, Hancher Auditorium, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics - and a place of outstanding academic work and research justifies the placement of the Big Ten Network on Mediacom's basic level of service.


20 different locally-owned and operated cable television systems across the state have already realized that this is the right decision for their communities and have agreed to terms with the Big Ten Network.


We do not believe that a friend of the UI or a fan of the Hawkeyes who is a Mediacom subscriber should have to pay an additional fee on top of their current subscription fee to watch the aforementioned and all of the other programming the Big Ten Network will offer. Mediacom's current position in the discussion is that Iowans should have to pay extra to watch the Big Ten Network.


The (Cedar Rapids) Gazette is currently polling its readers on this subject. I invite you to cast a vote in favor of Mediacom placing the Big Ten Network on the basic level of service it makes available to its customers in the state of Iowa. The poll is located near the bottom of the middle column under the heading, "Your View."


Click HERE to go to gazetteonline.com


As always, if you have any questions about the Big Ten Network and its importance to the UI and our intercollegiate athletics program, click HERE or call the UI Sports Marketing Office at (319) 335-9431.


Also, please don't hesitate to make your friends, neighbors and colleagues aware of this opportunity to weigh in on this important discussion.


Thanks.

 

[tsduke]

I got that email too. It ticked me off a little. They are bending the truth.

 

[nosok12]

I just canceled Cableone in Sioux City. They told me it doesn't look good for them either. Should I roll the dice with E* or go with the more expensive D*? I might take a gamble with E* and hope they add the BTN.
Go Hawks!

 

[BigTimMN]

both sides bend the truth in negotiations to get the best deal for themselves... of course we are stuck in the middle on this one.

 

[jhamps10]

Charter Communications, the primary cable provider in Wisconsin, released a statement today that they were in negotiations with BTN. They said they wished to place the channel in their sports tier while the BTN was being insistent upon being included in Expanded Basic.

The details didn't look promising, however they said that they hoped to resolve the issue by August 30th. So it left the impression that they might work something out before the football season begins.

lets put it this way, Charter doesn't even have NFL network yet, so I'd place Charter's chances of getting BTN is less than 5%.


oh and to the one asking to go to E, or D. I'd go to D*, that is IF you are real serious about Iowa football or whatever team you like, now if football isn't that big to ya I'd go to E* as I think that E will have this by basketball season.

if not however, then I will say this That Dish network will be hurting BIG TIME!

 

[jldhawk]

I just canceled Cableone in Sioux City. They told me it doesn't look good for them either. Should I roll the dice with E* or go with the more expensive D*? I might take a gamble with E* and hope they add the BTN.
Go Hawks!

I too live in Sioux City, and canceled Cableone back when they wouldn't add NHL Center Ice or OLN/Versus for NHL Hockey. They said there wasn't enough demand to justify pointing one of their many Dish's at that Bird (Their Words not mine)
Our local Hockey team averages 3000 fans per game, I'm sure there are a few Hockey fans here in town. Cableone was the #1 mass media outlet here BEFORE E* started adding all of the HD channels, now they are lossing ground FAST.

I personally believe that E* will add the BTN simply because the BTN is a 24 Hr HD station (from what I heard), so even at $1.10 per sub, that's pretty cheap for an HD channel IMO.
And everyone on this board is guilty of stopping on an HD channel and watching something they wouldn't normally watch, simply because it was in HIGH DEFINITION!

 

[Tom Bombadil]

All of the B10 Universities are going to want the BTN carried by every provider, as they are sharing the revenue. That's the whole point of starting it.

I would gladly pay $1.10/month to get it.

If I have to pay to get the Disney channels, and the music channels, and the outdoor life channels, and the WE and Oxygen channels, and Fox News, and a dozen other channels that I won't watch a single time in a year (or 5 years), then at least give me the BTN, a channel I would watch a lot.

I do wish there was an al a carte option. They used to offer channels at $1.50/month each. Even if there was a $30/month minimum (20 channels), I'd opt for it. I never watch 75% of the channels that I get, and I'm not counting PPV and all of those audio-only music channels.

 

[dishcomm]

All of the B10 Universities are going to want the BTN carried by every provider, as they are sharing the revenue. That's the whole point of starting it.

I would gladly pay $1.10/month to get it.

If I have to pay to get the Disney channels, and the music channels, and the outdoor life channels, and the WE and Oxygen channels, and Fox News, and a dozen other channels that I won't watch a single time in a year (or 5 years), then at least give me the BTN, a channel I would watch a lot.

I do wish there was an al a carte option. They used to offer channels at $1.50/month each. Even if there was a $30/month minimum (20 channels), I'd opt for it. I never watch 75% of the channels that I get, and I'm not counting PPV and all of those audio-only music channels.

Perect solution is to make this service a premium..This way, people who aren't interested, don't have to pay for it..

 

[db2]

You could say the same thing about every channel.

 

[dishcomm]

You could say the same thing about every channel.

Sure...But then the ,marketplace decides whcih channels are worth extra dollars and which are not...Like I keep saying, if one wishes to see the BTN, let them pay for it..It's that simple...

 

[verman]

What are the odds E* gets this done before football season starts? I have had Charter for years, but just bought a house and am going to get either D* or E* because I've had it with cable companies. College football is my favorite sport and I will have 5 TV's set up in my basement, Vegas style, so I want as many games as possible on Saturdays. I know E* is cheaper, but I will pay for more games. I want to get a carrier by August 15. Any suggestions on which way to go?

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Perfect solution is to make this service a premium..This way, people who aren't interested, don't have to pay for it..

It isn't the perfect solution for the BTN and B10 conference schools, as it would significantly cut their revenue estimates.

The $1.10/month price is based upon it being included in a basic or expanded basic tier.

I believe the BTN is prepared to hold out for this price for a couple of years and let the public put the pressure on the cable and DBS providers.

 

[HD MM]

I want to get a carrier by August 15. Any suggestions on which way to go?

I am setting August 15th as my deadline to decide too. That will give me a little over 2 weeks before the CFB season and want to have everything in line by then. I would imagine we should have some better info regarding their status on E* by then. If not, here I come D*!