Big Ten Network (BTN)

[buckeyes_rock]

Mediacom Nears Big Ten Network Pact - 8/22/2008 4:50:00 PM - Multichannel News

For any of you in Iowa. Keep your fingers crossed.

[VprHis]

This is like watching toddlers bicker over a new toy. They both look stupid.

That said, I'm glad I went DirecTV--the customer service at TW was atrocious. I had problems, and they didn't care. Well, to be honest, they cared a lot--they told me so when I cancelled them.

[DaveyBoy]

I'm not sure how the BTN's actions can possibly be described as looking stupid or childish. The BTN has a product that has cost. They are asking to have their costs covered plus a modest return on the investment...at least as modest if not more than other similar stations.

The TimeWarner management wants the BTN to receive $0 in return for its investment. Yeah, that's really mature and realistic.

If anyone was originally suspicious about BOTH the BTN and TimeWarner, the latest moves by TW have to pretty much seal the deal that TimeWarner was 99% at fault all along.

I'm just glad I dropped TW last year during the inaugural BTN season.

WOW is outstanding....just as good in quality and less money....DSL & phone too !

[ScriptOhio]

It's definitely a sorry state of affairs, according to some web sites:

1. According to the New York Times, the Big Ten is seeking a staggering $1.10 per subscriber in the conference's eight states (by comparison, the NFL Network as of last year was seeking 70 cents per head nationally) and 10 cents elsewhere.

2. The conference also agreed to a 10-year football/basketball deal with longtime partners ABC and ESPN, reported to be worth nearly $100 million annually.
SI.com - Writers - Stewart Mandel: Big Ten Network fighting cable battle for viewership - Tuesday June 26, 2007 4:48PM

3. Comcast would pay BTN around 70 cents per subscriber for the channel, well below the reported $1.10 BTN was originally asking.
Big Ten Network, Comcast close to TV deal | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

4. Just order DIRECTV's most popular CHOICE programming package or above and The Big Ten is included at no extra charge. (Yeah, right DIRECTV absorbed the costs).
DIRECT TV Big Ten Network: Big 10 on Satellite Dish TV | Expert Satellite Direct

5. The Big Ten Conference owns 51 percent of the network, and Fox owns 49 percent.
news: Big Ten Network inks deal with Verizon, negotiating again with Mediacom

It's the greedy Big Ten (and Fox) vs the even greedier cable company (Time Warner) eyeball to eyeball trying to get the other one to blink first. And sadly, it's all about the money, i.e. both are just looking at their bottom line - neither one really cares about the fans.

[elliemae]

Ummm.... I have Comcast & ummmm.... well happy to say the Big Ten Network just recently showed up here!

[RB07OSU]

Originally Posted by ScriptOhio

It's definitely a sorry state of affairs, according to some web sites:

1. According to the New York Times, the Big Ten is seeking a staggering $1.10 per subscriber in the conference's eight states (by comparison, the NFL Network as of last year was seeking 70 cents per head nationally) and 10 cents elsewhere.

2. The conference also agreed to a 10-year football/basketball deal with longtime partners ABC and ESPN, reported to be worth nearly $100 million annually.
SI.com - Writers - Stewart Mandel: Big Ten Network fighting cable battle for viewership - Tuesday June 26, 2007 4:48PM

3. Comcast would pay BTN around 70 cents per subscriber for the channel, well below the reported $1.10 BTN was originally asking.
Big Ten Network, Comcast close to TV deal | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

4. Just order DIRECTV's most popular CHOICE programming package or above and The Big Ten is included at no extra charge. (Yeah, right DIRECTV absorbed the costs).
DIRECT TV Big Ten Network: Big 10 on Satellite Dish TV | Expert Satellite Direct

5. The Big Ten Conference owns 51 percent of the network, and Fox owns 49 percent.
news: Big Ten Network inks deal with Verizon, negotiating again with Mediacom

It's the greedy Big Ten (and Fox) vs the even greedier cable company (Time Warner) eyeball to eyeball trying to get the other one to blink first. And sadly, it's all about the money, i.e. both are just looking at their bottom line - neither one really cares about the fans.

This pretty much sums it up. Regardless of good or bad guy, me and my dad made the switch to Direct TV. We want to watch the Bucks, plain and simple, and we'll go with whoever is going to do that. Dad's cautious about bad weather and satellite, so should we worry? Either way, we're getting it but just curious.

[Buckeye Nut]

Originally Posted by RB07OSU

This pretty much sums it up. Regardless of good or bad guy, me and my dad made the switch to Direct TV. We want to watch the Bucks, plain and simple, and we'll go with whoever is going to do that. Dad's cautious about bad weather and satellite, so should we worry? Either way, we're getting it but just curious.

DirecTV has excellent reception from my experience with it. It's been through a few pretty good storms and I've never once lost reception. Assuming it's installed properly I doubt you'll have anything to worry about.

[DaddyBigBucks]

Originally Posted by RB07OSU

...cautious about bad weather and satellite, so should we worry? Either way, we're getting it but just curious.

Tropical Storm Fay made its way across the north end of Florida and stopped, right over my house. We got rained on, torrentially, for most of the last 48 hours.

Being stuck in the house, we watched a lot of TV and DVR'd a lot more. The signal flickered a few times, that was about it.

[DaveyBoy]

It's the greedy Big Ten (and Fox) vs the even greedier cable company (Time Warner) eyeball to eyeball trying to get the other one to blink first. And sadly, it's all about the money, i.e. both are just looking at their bottom line - neither one really cares about the fans. [/quote]

I just don't see where this makes the BTN or Fox greedy. They have a product that costs hundreds of $millions. They decided to form a network so that they had more leverage in negotiating TV contracts.

meanwhile, the cable companies have little to no extra cost in carrying the BTN.

The real greed here is the thirst for more $ that Title IX brings. There are roughly equal numbers of women on scholarship at OSU compared to men. That's right...probably 2 hundred women's schollies being paid for by OSU FB and men's BB.......what's a schollie worth? I"m guessing, but probably $100,000 average AT LEAST. Add in the cost of the men's scholarships plus all of OSU's coaches, equipment staffing, and admins....it's not hard to see how an athletic department can gobble up a lot of money.

I'm sure there is wasteful spending there as in any large organization. But OSU athletics seems to give some $ over to the university for non-athletic causes when it's all said and done.

What we have here is a highly innovative BigTen conference that decided to look out for itself and to use sports programming as a key ingredient in ensuring a strong cash flow for years to come. Of course the BTN is losing money on its operations the first 2 or 3 years, probably. BUt we are getting to see a lot of sports on TV that ESPN would never have shown.

The BTN is a GREAT advancement for us.

[cincibuck]

Originally Posted by DaveyBoy

What we have here is a highly innovative BigTen conference that decided to look out for itself and to use sports programming as a key ingredient in ensuring a strong cash flow for years to come.

Or; what we have here is the future of all sports -- pay as you go. I wouldn't mind buying the Big 10 package and I'm fed up with the game selections one gets on Sunday's in Cincinnati. I could avoid having to watch the Bengals and the other dog-of-the-week game Mike Brown allows to precede or follow them by buying a season pass. I'm not all that interested in watching Indiana - Northwestern, but I'd buy the BTN if it were offerred a'la carte -- a choice no one seems to be talking about. But given the continual increase in the cost of doing the business of sports, pay-to-view seems like a good deal. It might even force some folks like Mike Brown to put a better product on the field.

[BuckeyeMike80]

Originally Posted by RB07OSU

This pretty much sums it up. Regardless of good or bad guy, me and my dad made the switch to Direct TV. We want to watch the Bucks, plain and simple, and we'll go with whoever is going to do that. Dad's cautious about bad weather and satellite, so should we worry? Either way, we're getting it but just curious.

The very strongest thunderstorm we've had since I've been in Springfield caused the picture to flicker and stall for about 10 seconds at the most.

[strohs]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeMike80

The very strongest thunderstorm we've had since I've been in Springfield caused the picture to flicker and stall for about 10 seconds at the most.

My dad switched to Direct TV last year and he stated to me just yesterday that its basically useless during storms.
Thats the only reason I have resisted switching up to this point

[cincibuck]

Second cup of coffee and beginning to wake up -- thinking about the offer to give OSU fans a chance to buy the BTN games -- a brazen attempt to split the conference; get OSU and it's fan base on a pay-per-view basis and lose any need to give money to the rest of the conference, then turn and offer the same deal to Michigan. Credit the schools for standing together and not doing a Notre Dame.

[Oh8ch]

Or; what we have here is the future of all sports -- pay as you go.

Just got back from Chicago where I paid $68 to sit in the upper reaches of the end zone to watch an exhibition game (I would only do it for my son).

I once paid $14 for season OSU tix as a student.

That $14 now looks like a bargain to watch those same games on TV.

Thank goodness I am old and will die soon. Either that or give up sports completely.

[BuckeyeMike80]

Originally Posted by strohs

My dad switched to Direct TV last year and he stated to me just yesterday that its basically useless during storms.
Thats the only reason I have resisted switching up to this point

I've never had that problem at all.

My parents have had DTV for over 10 years now and they don't usually have any issues either....