[NU Sports] Re: Indiana game

[Herman Wang]

I have DirecTV, so I can't address your Time Warner-specific questions, but I know that DirecTV has had at times up to 5 BTN overflow channels to provide live coverage to every single game happening that day.  

As you referenced, during the nonconference portion of the season, there could be as many as 11 BigTen games on any given weekend (12 next year).  Most weeks, though, there are a handful of teams on the road or with byes.  This past weekend, for example, you had the NU, Purdue and Minnesota games sharing the 11 a.m. CT slot on the BTN + overflow channels, with the Wisconsin game on ESPN.  Michigan State was on the road against Florida Atlantic; that game was on ESPNU.  Iowa and Ohio State had the 2:30 CT slot and were on ABC and ESPN, respectively.  Michigan also played at 2:30, but was on the road against Notre Dame, so that game was on NBC.  In the evening, Penn State was on the road against Alabama (game on ESPN), while Illinois was at home (game on BTN).  Indiana had a bye.  

Every single BigTen home game since the BTN was created has been broadcast live either on the ABC/ESPN family or the BTN, using the overflow channels.  No tape delay.  I can't tell you how Time Warner handles the overflow channels, but I've been very happy with DirecTV's carriage of the BTN.

I imagine that even in a scenario where all 12 BigTen teams are playing at home on a given weekend, the schedule makers will work with ABC/ESPN and the BTN to shuffle around the start times, perhaps moving a game or two to Thursday, in order to provide live coverage of every single game.  The live broadcasts are the BTN's only reliable moneymaker, so the conference will bend over backwards to ensure every game is covered live, even if it has to use the BTN overflow channels.



> From: nolan at romaine.tssi.com
> Subject: Re: [NU Sports] Re: Indiana game
> To: jonathanwhodges at gmail.com
> Date: Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:16:04 -0500
> CC: nwu-sports at romaine.tssi.com
> 
> > Since the BTN began broadcasting in 2007, EVERY Big Ten home game has been
> > televised either on ABC/ESPN Networks or the BTN.  As far as I know, the
> > contracts give the conference all rights to home games and those rights are
> > transferred to the BTN for any games not picked up by ABC/ESPN.  This is
> > somewhat different than most other conferences where the home teams still
> > retain rights to their home games after the networks have chosen their games
> > for the week (hence opening up the chance for local syndication and/or
> > PPV).  So, I think Nebraska's PPV cash flow will be ending after this
> > season, although they will soon get a large and steady stream of cash from
> > the Big Ten television contracts as well as the BTN.
> 
> Next year there could be as many as TWELVE home games for Big Ten
> schools on a given weekend during the non-conference season.  
> 
> Even if they break them out into three different time slots with 2-3
> games on ABC/ESPN (and possibly move one or two to a different day of the 
> week), can they fit all the remaining games on BTN + 2 overflow channels, 
> or are some of them likely to be shown in delayed form only? 
> 
> I'm not really complaining here, I did get to watch the NU-Illinois State 
> game Sunday evening (which is probably better than I'll be able to do with
> the Rice game), and as far as I could tell they didn't have to skip any 
> plays, either.  And hopefully Time Warner cable will do something about
> carrying the overflow channels by next season.  
> 
> But that's a lot of production crews, even if some of them are rent-a-crews.  
> (I've heard some real complaints about the qualify of some of the Nebraska
> PPV games, with announcers who couldn't pronounce the names of the
> starters and coaches and camera coverage that rivaled that of a webcam
> at a teenager slumber party.)  
> --
> Mike Nolan
> 
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