I live in Ohio and would be pretty poed if E* didn't get the BTN and I had to miss some Ohio State Football games.
Big Ten Network
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B10 is NOT an HD Only channel, it will be in HD, but will have a simulcast SD Channel, they wont fight to get included in the "lowest tier" if they were an HD Niche channel.
Big Ten on Dish
According to a source of mine at a Big Ten athletic department, the only way you are going to get the Big Ten network anytime soon is to go to Directv.
Since Dish filed its motion with the FCC to have BTN declared a RSN, negotiatios have stopped both with Dish and with the Big Cable operators.
It's not just Dish. Comcast is just as adamant. Perhaps more so, since Comcast originally wanted to be the partner in the deal, but was outbid by Fox.
So it will probably go live on Directv and then there will be a game of chicken to see if the cable companies get enough complaints to relent, or if the Big Ten Alumni complain loudly enough to get the ADs and Presidents of the Big Ten to relent.
So, you might not see any movement until Late september.
According to a source of mine at a Big Ten athletic department, the only way you are going to get the Big Ten network anytime soon is to go to Directv.
Since Dish filed its motion with the FCC to have BTN declared a RSN, negotiatios have stopped both with Dish and with the Big Cable operators.
It's not just Dish. Comcast is just as adamant. Perhaps more so, since Comcast originally wanted to be the partner in the deal, but was outbid by Fox.
So it will probably go live on Directv and then there will be a game of chicken to see if the cable companies get enough complaints to relent, or if the Big Ten Alumni complain loudly enough to get the ADs and Presidents of the Big Ten to relent.
So, you might not see any movement until Late september.
If what you say holds true, BTN will not last long. No way they can survive on D* and a few small cable operators.
God, Silverman is so ignorant, it's not even funny. He thinks the Big 10 Network is the end all of sports networks. Being stranded in Big 10 land, i'm getting rather sick of Silverman and Delany pimping this network and their constant battering that the Big 10 Network is just as important to sports fans as ESPN.
Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman :: <blank>
Big Ten Network President Mark Silverman :: <blank>
Certainly he is pushing his agenda.
Note that Dish might even buy into his argument as although they do include ESPN, they don't include the RSN etc except in higher tiers. And that's also where they appear to want BTN. Of course they also want lower per customer charges. And if they could treat it as a RSN, perhaps they could avoid the $0.10 per customer outside the region
Problem is (again) the best games will be on the ESPN networks, ABC, and CBS. The BTN will be filled with lower-tier games and filler programming of non-revenue sports.
It remains to be seen how many Michigan football fans complain that they can't see the game vs. Appalachian State and how many IU basketball fans complain that they can't see the game against Chicago State. Agin ,thgough, if the BTN thinks their channel is so compelling, why do they insist on carriage on the lowest tier of service and refuse a-la-carte?
It remains to be seen how many Michigan football fans complain that they can't see the game vs. Appalachian State and how many IU basketball fans complain that they can't see the game against Chicago State. Agin ,thgough, if the BTN thinks their channel is so compelling, why do they insist on carriage on the lowest tier of service and refuse a-la-carte?
Big Ten has money
The Big Ten Conference has plenty of money to back the network. They could last a year on DTV alone if they had to. Probably longer.
The issue has been mentioned in the other threads but I will summarize:
FOX, the distributor and 49% owner of BTN, is in this for the money. So it is in their interest to get the best combination of high rates and high viewership.
The Conference is PARTLY in it for the money, but more in it for exposure, recruiting, etc (which is another way of saying "for the money"). So, if Iowa Football, Basketball (men's and women') and other games are not available in Iowa, that's a huge problem for them.
(It's also a Huge Problem for Fox sales people, by the way).
Fox is betting that fan pressure will bring the cable companies (and Dish) around. THe Cable companies and Dish are betting that the fans and panic in the athletic departments among recruiters wil bring Fox around.
The same thing happened in the Chicago area years ago when the White Sox and Bulls formed their own entity called "Sportsvision". It took about a year for distribution to become pretty universal. This was back in the day when there were a lot of little cable companies (unlike the nearly universal Comcast now).
I am sure history will repeat and this will be over by October. And it will happen one of two ways:
1) The FCC will rule that BTN is an RSN (is that too many TLAs in one sentence?). Anyway, if that happens Comcast and Dish will pick BTN up immediately and take the rate case to arbitration, where BTN will lose and have to change it's business model a bit.
2) If the FCC does not rule or rules that BTN is not an RSN, then the football season will start with BTN on D* only. Comcast and BTN will eventually come to a deal, and Dish will probably take the same deal Comcast does. In a lot of states, BTN needs Comcast more than Comcast needs BTN. This is a bad year for BTN to have a pissing match with Comcast. In the Chicago market (which is the demographic heart of Big Ten Country), no one is talking about College Football in view of the Cubs in a pennant race and the Bears coming off a Super Bowl. This leads me to predict a settlement in October, after the inevitable Cubs swoon.
The Big Ten Conference has plenty of money to back the network. They could last a year on DTV alone if they had to. Probably longer.
The issue has been mentioned in the other threads but I will summarize:
FOX, the distributor and 49% owner of BTN, is in this for the money. So it is in their interest to get the best combination of high rates and high viewership.
The Conference is PARTLY in it for the money, but more in it for exposure, recruiting, etc (which is another way of saying "for the money"). So, if Iowa Football, Basketball (men's and women') and other games are not available in Iowa, that's a huge problem for them.
(It's also a Huge Problem for Fox sales people, by the way).
Fox is betting that fan pressure will bring the cable companies (and Dish) around. THe Cable companies and Dish are betting that the fans and panic in the athletic departments among recruiters wil bring Fox around.
The same thing happened in the Chicago area years ago when the White Sox and Bulls formed their own entity called "Sportsvision". It took about a year for distribution to become pretty universal. This was back in the day when there were a lot of little cable companies (unlike the nearly universal Comcast now).
I am sure history will repeat and this will be over by October. And it will happen one of two ways:
1) The FCC will rule that BTN is an RSN (is that too many TLAs in one sentence?). Anyway, if that happens Comcast and Dish will pick BTN up immediately and take the rate case to arbitration, where BTN will lose and have to change it's business model a bit.
2) If the FCC does not rule or rules that BTN is not an RSN, then the football season will start with BTN on D* only. Comcast and BTN will eventually come to a deal, and Dish will probably take the same deal Comcast does. In a lot of states, BTN needs Comcast more than Comcast needs BTN. This is a bad year for BTN to have a pissing match with Comcast. In the Chicago market (which is the demographic heart of Big Ten Country), no one is talking about College Football in view of the Cubs in a pennant race and the Bears coming off a Super Bowl. This leads me to predict a settlement in October, after the inevitable Cubs swoon.
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Squirrel - your hypothesis is reasonable. However, Dish has shown that it will walk away from a sports deal if it doesn't get the deal it wants (see YES Network, MLB Extra Innings). I think there is a real possibility that BTN is not on Dish at all this year.
Not according to Silverman. He has stated in an interview that some weeks, the BTN will have 2nd choice behind ABC, but ahead of the ESPN family.
Well, Dish may not have have the Big Ten Network this year. The already don't have the NFL package that Direct carries. They didn't get the MLB package. I pay for a lot of channels that I don't watch such as Nickelodean, MTV, most of the Voom channels, etc.
It seems Direct never has any problem giving their customers the new channels and packages when they come out. Well, as as customer, I'll be reducing my account to the bare minimum and going with Direct this fall and when my 18 month commit is over, I'm gone. I emailed Dish this same message. I have been a Dish customer for a long time but this is the straw that broke the camel's back. If Dish's decision not to carry the Big Ten Network is based on economics, so is mine. I'll vote with my wallet and cosumers' right of choice.
It seems Direct never has any problem giving their customers the new channels and packages when they come out. Well, as as customer, I'll be reducing my account to the bare minimum and going with Direct this fall and when my 18 month commit is over, I'm gone. I emailed Dish this same message. I have been a Dish customer for a long time but this is the straw that broke the camel's back. If Dish's decision not to carry the Big Ten Network is based on economics, so is mine. I'll vote with my wallet and cosumers' right of choice.
Dish is Big in the Rural Midwest
I could be wrong, but I think eventually BTN will be on Dish.
The reasons are simple:
BTN absolutlely MUST be on Comcast and the other dominant Cable companies in the Great Lakes Area. Both parties know it. Dish will probably let them do the negotiating and pick up the same terms.
Also, DISH is REAL BIG in the Rural Midwest, in a lot of places that don't have Cable at all. BTN will need to get Dish in eventually because DTV is seen as too expensive in a lot of these areas.
ALSO, since the last post I read an article about the Big Ten Kickoff luncheon that included an item about BTN and Comcast.
The reporter apparently asked why the Commissioner was not urging people to switch to Directv. The answer was something to the effect of "The Launch of BTN is like a football game, and we have now reached halftime." Now they have one outlet, and by the end of the game they will have more.
My inference is that all parties are evaluating strategies. I think the fact that Dish filed with the FCC caught them off guard a bit.
As to the FCC, they will either rule in an expedited manner or not. It's a relatively simple issue. Either way, the ball is now in BTN's court and I assume they will be looking to make a deal so that they are NOT declared an RSN.
My guess is that for all parties BTN will be on the second level (AT xx) in the Midwest for one higher price per subscriber, and in the same package with ESPNU and CSTV outside that area for a about the same price as those two.
This would be similar to the way everyone treats RSNs, maybe at a higher price than most in the midwest and a lower price nationwide. There will be a deal done somewhere in there.
When? Who knows? My guess is that if it does not get done by November 1, then it won't happen until Next August.
I could be wrong, but I think eventually BTN will be on Dish.
The reasons are simple:
BTN absolutlely MUST be on Comcast and the other dominant Cable companies in the Great Lakes Area. Both parties know it. Dish will probably let them do the negotiating and pick up the same terms.
Also, DISH is REAL BIG in the Rural Midwest, in a lot of places that don't have Cable at all. BTN will need to get Dish in eventually because DTV is seen as too expensive in a lot of these areas.
ALSO, since the last post I read an article about the Big Ten Kickoff luncheon that included an item about BTN and Comcast.
The reporter apparently asked why the Commissioner was not urging people to switch to Directv. The answer was something to the effect of "The Launch of BTN is like a football game, and we have now reached halftime." Now they have one outlet, and by the end of the game they will have more.
My inference is that all parties are evaluating strategies. I think the fact that Dish filed with the FCC caught them off guard a bit.
As to the FCC, they will either rule in an expedited manner or not. It's a relatively simple issue. Either way, the ball is now in BTN's court and I assume they will be looking to make a deal so that they are NOT declared an RSN.
My guess is that for all parties BTN will be on the second level (AT xx) in the Midwest for one higher price per subscriber, and in the same package with ESPNU and CSTV outside that area for a about the same price as those two.
This would be similar to the way everyone treats RSNs, maybe at a higher price than most in the midwest and a lower price nationwide. There will be a deal done somewhere in there.
When? Who knows? My guess is that if it does not get done by November 1, then it won't happen until Next August.
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I posted this same comment with a question, nobody answered.
What is the SMALLEST Package I could buy and still be within my commitment with Dish?
I can not get out of my contract since I just upgraded my HD receiver to a VIP211 and an 18 month commitment.
Is there a MINIMUM channel list available? $19.99 a Month???
It's called the Family Pack. If you have a leased VIP receiver you will also incur a $6 monthly fee for having an HD receiver w/o HD subscription.
I was thinking of turning in the VIP receiver along with my other two, and just lease a basic receiver, or maybe buy one on EBAY( I'll put that receiver in my garage and set up a TV, or maybe move it to my Lake site.
If I am going to get the BTN on my cable company, then I'll also give them my money for their HD subscription.
If I am going to get the BTN on my cable company, then I'll also give them my money for their HD subscription.
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