Quote:
Originally Posted by jwinslow
Yep, OSU Sports looks like he was right on earlier in this thread (not sure if an apology or kudos are in order, but I'll just send both your way  ). |
Thanks for the kind words. I've taken a step back from this thread as emotions are running high on this topic. I understand the feelings of fans that will be affected by the decisions involved. I support the BTN and hope they don't concede to the cable demands. A lot of fans don't realize the impact that basketball will have on the viewership in states like Indiana and Illinois and Michigan(MSU basketball). Football, at programs like Indiana and Illinois, take a back seat to basketball. With the influx of high quality coaches at
OSU, Indiana, Minnesota and Purdue, the conference is attracting a lot of national attention. You already have Izzo at MSU, who is considered as one of the top coaches in the nation. The point is that there will be a premium demand to see Big Ten basketball in these states. The BTN will offer at least 105 games, that's huge for the first year of programming. By comparison, ESPN plus offered 100 games last year. The bottom line is that the Big Ten wants to eventually control their own destiny and not be dependent on ESPiN and other networks to deliver their own product. To me, that's a wise business decision. I want to see the profits go to the Big Ten, not end up in Bristol. Let me say one brief thing about programming. I have seen negative comments about the "off season" programing on the BTN. I would rather watch old
OSU games on the BTN than a "spelling bee" on ESPiN. Again, I'm stepping back so others can vent their emotions(which I understand). Here is a comparison chart to see the impact of basketball
http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/...ison-chart.pdf