[NU Sports] Uh Oh! BCS Poll Warnings

[Roy Lamberton]

On the East Coast, if you have several other services linked to Comcast [as I
do], satellite is NOT an option due to cost and duplication.

I used to pay $99 for game plan, and could get it on my HDTV or Computer. ESPN
used to broadcast all of the Big 10 games somewhere.

Now, I can get Maryland, Virginia, even Rutgers, but I can't get NU because the
games are on the BTN and COMCAST doesn't carry it, even as a PPV.

Since the majority of people live on the East Coast, the loss of free coverage
around here has got to be hurting the Big 10's image. Our games aren't good
enough to get on TV, we must not be that good. [At least that's the danger of
this screwy setup].

When the network execs look at ratings for games, and run their focus groups,
you know that the Big 10 isn't getting mentioned as much because our games are
not on the Comcast or Time Warner cable systems. Out of sight, out of mind....

What is sad is that I have over 100 channels vacant on my system - I'd pay extra
for a sports tier that carried the BTN and other conference's TV, but right now
the roadblock is the Big 10 Network's demand that cable companies carry the net
on the free tier. On the Boston to DC corridor, Comcast's east coast strength,
the Big 10 isn't a Big enough draw to ever break thru to the freebie channels. 

Obviously, there also has not been a major shift in subscriptions from Comcast -
because they are holding firm in their desire to put the BTN on a sports tier,
which is where they want to put the ACC and SEC networks once they appear.

Going to a sports bar 35 - 120 miles away is not an option for me on Saturday
afternoons, neither is flying to Evanston. I used to be able to buy the entire
NU season, now I can't. 

The Big 10 won't have any clout again until they do.

rsl

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Roy S. Lamberton - Senior Associate
Computer Applications & Support Associates
and Publisher of Purple Reign, 
The Scout.com Northwestern University Site
(http://www.purplewildcats.com)
AIM Handle: CoachRoy74
======== Go Cats -  Beat 'em All ===========
"You have a Republic Madam --
     If you can keep it" - Benjamin Franklin
============================================

> -----Original Message-----
> From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On
> Behalf Of SjT (Stephen J. Truog)
> Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2007 9:26 AM
> To: nwu-sports at romaine.tssi.com
> Subject: RE: [NU Sports] Uh Oh! BCS Poll Warnings
> 
> > I disagree. Unless you have satellite and are
> > willing to spend extra for the BTN
> > games, you don't see any NU on the East Coast!
> 
> But that was the case before as well, and ESPN Game
> Plan cost more than the BTN. When we played the big
> boys we were on ESPN2 or ABC, but otherwise it was the
> GamePlan outside of the midwest (in the midwest, I
> will agree, it's a big change).
> 
> And that doesn't explain the lack of respect for the
> teams nationally -- OSU, Michigan, PSU, Wisky, etc.
> have still been on ABC plenty. In fact, with the new
> mirroring of the 2:30 games on ESPN or ESPN2, our
> "main" Big Ten game of the week has reached a wider
> audience than before. Plus we've been on the prime
> time ABC game a few times as well.
> 
> So I don't think the BTN has hurt our visibility
> nationwide. Within the midwest, perhaps, but NU and
> other BTN highlights are still all over Sports Center
> and our top teams still get national coverage on ABC
> and ESPN. BTN or no BTN, NU's games so far - outside
> of Michigan and OSU - would probably not have been
> anything other than Big Ten Plus anyway.
> 
> > Maybe the BTN will become a force in the Midwest
> > some day, but once the SEC and
> > ACC [and maybe the Big East] get their networks up,
> > we can kiss the opportunity
> > to watch our games on the East Coast goodbye.
> 
> Were the Big Ten Plus games on regular TV out east?
> 
> I think the BTN has helped our visibility outside of
> the midwest. I can get games in Arizona I could never
> get before unless I paid extra for the GamePlan
> coverage - and even that sometimes wouldn't have it.
> Now I get it as part of my basic package and it's more
> than just football.
> 
> The midwest is really the only place where Comcast
> negotiations are holding things up. Outside of that,
> though, I would think the BTN has helped more people
> have access to games that don't involve the big four
> or five teams in the league. And those teams still get
> their usual ABC/ESPN coverage.
> 
> > As bad as the picture was, at least ESPN gameplan on
> > the computer let us watch,
> > with the sound off and Dave & Ted on. Until the BTN
> > figures out that an internet
> 
> Again, didn't you have to pay extra for that? I
> thought I read that the BTN had a free trial viewing
> of their Net site last weekend. I'd imagine they
> couldn't charge much more - if not less - than ESPN's
> gameplan net.
> 
> I don't think the BTN has hurt our visibility
> nationwide for the polls - in fact I think it's gone
> the other way outside the midwest. I think it's our
> lack of big wins outside of league play, as was
> mentioned yesterday.
> 
> GO CATS!!!
> -SjT
> 
> * * * * * * * * *
> STEPHEN J. TRUOG
> sjtruog at yahoo.com
> GO CATS!!!
> 
> 
> 
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