$ 14 MILLION?

[CL82]

I actually prefer to know all the facts and make a decision based on them instead of being emotional about it.

You realize that you are not actually making this decision, right?

 

[Waquoit]

. But it's also the typical stupid type of buy by NBC that continues to ensure their ongoing irrelevance in the sports landscape.

Bad week to write those words, isn't it house man?

ESPN is the the king right now, of course. But so was Microsoft. Stuff happens, we don't know the future. NBC owns the pipeline in a majority of households. That means NBCSN will always have a good spot. What if a la cart pricing takes hold? Is the casual viewer going to pay up each month for ESPN while NBCSN is on basic?

 

[whaler11]

Not inferred. Told.

http://www.thebiglead.com/index.php...expansion-and-his-school-blocked-connecticut/

Apparently, ZLS wasn't the only one out there that doesn't know about this year-old story that has been hashed out ad infinitum (or perhaps even ad nauseum) on the Boneyard. But certainly not inferred...

I know the quotes. I know they had some impact and influence. I don't know the entire impact because I wasn't in the room. Just because someone says something doesn't make it true anyway.

 

[CL82]

The BE also needs to be a good partner. We are coming with the national market, but also need to come to the table with a solid OOC. Finally, we need to win all our OOC games. As a conference, I hope that we win 85%, splitting with B1G, Big 12, and winning the occasional SEC. Win all others. We also need to make the investment that we will allow them to broadcast some of the big OOC games, maybe one per year, per two years. Then they get to cross pollinate SEC games or B1G to get eyes on sets. Partnership, collaboration, something we don't get now from ESPN.

Football playoffs has been said to be the death knell of the Big East, but I have a hunch it will be a key to our establishing national relevance. Everyone, not just the BE needs quality OOC games. We are a great source for the B1G and the SEC. Win some of those games and we'll start to change the way the casual football fan thinks of us. I suspect Manual will surprise us with what he's been working on, once they are finalized.

A regional UConn basketball team, was in the right place at the right time in joining a fedgiling Big East and became a national program leveraging ESPNs coverage. I think Connecticut is poised to do the same thing in football. (Tough to become a national power in football, but nationally relevant? That's 'doable'.) We'll have games against the big boys, because they need us to build their SOS. We'll have coverage on a national broadcast network and be promoted there. Our scattered league will give us access to some great recruiting markets. We won't be competing for the five stars but will get some quality players, who will realize that being on the two deep sooner is in their best interests. Heck, we may even have a passing game. The pieces are coming together!

 

[whaler11]

You realize that you are not actually making this decision, right?

Sorry for wanting toknow the facts and formulate an opinion not based on hurt feelings. I know not jumping to conclusions without knowing all the facts is sort of out of bounds for the Boneyard, but I think I can wait for actual information to base an opinion on rather than mindless speculation in filler articles.

 

[CL82]

Sorry for wanting toknow the facts and formulate an opinion not based on hurt feelings. I know not jumping to conclusions without knowing all the facts is sort of out of bounds for the Boneyard, but I think I can wait for actual information to base an opinion on rather than mindless speculation in filler articles.

Okay, so why post? You want to wait until there is a signed contract and then decide whether your in favor of the deal? Great. In the meantime, take a seat on the bench while people who are interested in the latest news during the college sport dead period discuss it. Works for everyone.

 

[whaler11]

Okay, so why post? You want to wait until there is a signed contract and then decide whether your in favor of the deal? Great. In the meantime, take a seat on the bench while people who are interested in the latest news during the college sport dead period discuss it. Works for everyone.

I'd say I quite like discussing it. We have gotten to this point because a handful of people are saying that NBC is a no-brainer. People take speculation and act like it's real. 14 million isn't real right now. Saturdays on network NBC w Notre Dame isn't real yet.

Anytime you and Dan would like to stop replying to me that is fine w me.

 

[UConnDan97]

Just because someone says something doesn't make it true anyway.

Same old Whaler! You crack me up. You remind me of the Chappelle skit on burden of proof:



Enjoy...

 

[UConnDan97]

I'd say I quite like discussing it. We have gotten to this point because a handful of people are saying that NBC is a no-brainer. People take speculation and act like it's real. 14 million isn't real right now. Saturdays on network NBC w Notre Dame isn't real yet.

Anytime you and Dan would like to stop replying to me that is fine w me.

I didn't say that NBC was a no-brainer, as you have "inferred." I have already posted in this very thread that if ESPN offers the better deal, then so be it (it's on page 7 of this quickly deteriorating thread, if you're interested). I just said that if NBC offers the better bid, I would feel better about their desire to promote our league and some of the things they can offer us in terms of time slots and bracketing around the ND game to capture new viewership. I'm just not sure why that is such a touchy subject with some that continue with the same old mantra of "ESPN is everything and NBC sucks." That's all.

 

[UConnDan97]

By the way, what's lost in all of this is that there is a third party that none of us have talked about (likely because there just doesn't seem to be much info out there on them), and that is FOX. They also put on a presentation for the Big East brass, and I'm not sure what they might have to offer as well. The point here is that competitive stations drive the bid up for the Big East, which is good for UConn. And these aren't "Mickey Mouse" tv stations, by the way. These are national brands on basic cable; it's not like we are being bid on by Lifetime Movie Network, for !! Let's all keep some perspective, shall we?

 

[whaler11]

Same old Whaler! You crack me up. You remind me of the Chappelle skit on burden of proof:



Enjoy...

One person saying something is hardly true. I know you take any quote on the internet as gospel - I don't take an idiot like that at his word.

If you think pointing out I don't believe everything I read somehow bothers me...?

 

[CL82]

I'd say I quite like discussing it. We have gotten to this point because a handful of people are saying that NBC is a no-brainer. People take speculation and act like it's real. 14 million isn't real right now. Saturdays on network NBC w Notre Dame isn't real yet.

Anytime you and Dan would like to stop replying to me that is fine w me.

Okay so discuss it, but spare us the sanctimonious "oh I prefer to know all the facts..." blather. It adds nothing to the discussion.

 

[UConnDan97]

One person saying something is hardly true. I know you take any quote on the internet as gospel - I don't take an idiot like that at his word.

If you think pointing out I don't believe everything I read somehow bothers me...?

Not just any idiot on the internet. I prefer to put MUCH more stock into things that AD's say, since they are....you know....AD's! This is just like the Johnson quotes from Memphis that you gave me such crap about last week (or two weeks ago). I guess what really shocks me is that you are treating university athletic directors as if they are random bloggers posting their latest thoughts on superconferences. These are actually people IN THE ROOM when this stuff goes down! You understand the difference, right?

 

[junglehusky]

If the speculation in the @Mengus post bears out and the league gets football games nationally on NBC in double/triple headers next to ND games, I would be pretty pleased. If I were at the negotiating table I'd also put some emphasis on streaming rights, on-demand and online. Get them to make a Big East app like what they did with the Olympics. The league will have to determine cost vs. benefit of having live streaming available, what that might do to ratings and advertisement revenues from streaming. Bonus points if they can find a way to get streaming available overseas for our alumni/fans around the world.

 

[whaler11]

Not just any idiot on the internet. I prefer to put MUCH more stock into things that AD's say, since they are....you know....AD's! This is just like the Johnson quotes from Memphis that you gave me such crap about last week (or two weeks ago). I guess what really shocks me is that you are treating university athletic directors as if they are random bloggers posting their latest thoughts on superconferences. These are actually people IN THE ROOM when this stuff goes down! You understand the difference, right?

Yes and there is never any reason for them to misrepresent anything in the media to further their goals. Everything can be taken at face value, people never lie to the media!

 

[UConnDan97]

Yes and there is never any reason for them to misrepresent anything in the media to further their goals. Everything can be taken at face value, people never lie to the media!

And Gene DeFillippo's "lie" that ESPN told them was for what purpose again? How did that further BC's or ACC's goals? Right. Refer back to my Dave Chappelle video on burden of proof for more on that...

 

[pj]

whaler11, if you've ever been involved in a business negotiation you'd know how this will end. The Big East just isn't that valuable to ESPN because they already have content filling all of their air time, most of which they consider more valuable than the Big East. Fox has some free air time and NBC has a ton of it between the main channel on weekends and the cable sports network all week. So the Big East is most valuable to NBC, and they'll pay the most, while Fox will keep the bidding honest. Meanwhile the Big East is arranging everything to optimize value for a major national network -- nationwide presence, in major media markets, 4 time zone content, military academies, etc.

The first step in a deal is to maximize the amount of value created. The Big East is working hard on that. The next step is haggling over terms. I don't think this is going to be too hard. NBC will pay enough to stabilize its flagship content.

 

[UConnDan97]

whaler11, if you've ever been involved in a business negotiation you'd know how this will end. The Big East just isn't that valuable to ESPN because they already have content filling all of their air time, most of which they consider more valuable than the Big East. Fox has some free air time and NBC has a ton of it between the main channel on weekends and the cable sports network all week. So the Big East is most valuable to NBC, and they'll pay the most, while Fox will keep the bidding honest. Meanwhile the Big East is arranging everything to optimize value for a major national network -- nationwide presence, in major media markets, 4 time zone content, military academies, etc.

The first step in a deal is to maximize the amount of value created. The Big East is working hard on that. The next step is haggling over terms. I don't think this is going to be too hard. NBC will pay enough to stabilize its flagship content.

PJ, I agree with much of your post, but not all. Just because NBC needs us the most does not necessarily mean they will bid the most. They will still have to evaluate advertising dollars and content balance versus any bid. Also, just because ESPN needs us the least does not mean that they will not attempt to "over-bid" (i.e., bid closer to projected revenue) in order to keep competitive stations out of college football, or to enhance their own large market share of college football.

Should Whaler be skeptical that NBC can deliver a 14 million dollar contract? Yes. Should Whaler be skeptical that an NBC contract may not provide us with an appropriate level of exposure should they over-leverage NBCSports and under-leverage the NBC main channel? Yes. My only issue with Whaler's arguments is the constant reliance on the notion that none of the information released so far deserves any merit at all. That's where he and I most often clash, really.

 

[huskymedic]

Brandon Helwig ‏@UCFSports
New Big East TV contract "could exceed value" of ACC TV deal both monetarily and exposure wise @NickCarparelli tells 700 WLW in Cincinnati.

 

[FAIRTIDES]

What if the espn offer comes in at 8 million? None of UConn RU or UL could afford to take so much less. If the big east is in fact looking at that type of money when it comes time to negotiate the contract, espn will know of the GOR thing and initiate another round of expansion to further weaken the big east negotiating leverage.

If the BE believes that its demise is being orchestrated by ESPN, and that the orchestration will continue if, and every time, the league starts to recover, and if they can provide proof (the kind that comes with documentation) of the orchestration, it should do something. Remember when Flipper made statements about ESPN "choosing" PIT and CUSE? Following Flipper's "lapse," and just prior to his hyperventilation filled retraction, at least three ESPN higher-highers went out of their way to refute Flipper's statement. Also, a decent source, and BC grad, kidded that Bodenheimer (Greenwich High/lives in New Canaan), on hearing of Flipper's comments, was po'd.

Po'd? my ass! He was probably halfway between coronary and brain hemorrhage.

However, I don't think anything can be proven because there is nothing to prove. One of ESPN's color guys, during a UCONN game, talked about people thinking he and ESPN were to tough on UCONN. Noting that 60 to 80% of Bristol employees were UCONN fans and that a significant number were alumi, going to far outside "normal" journalistic critique was unlikely. If his numbers represent anything close to fact, something would have been leaked, by now. Some rabid UCONN fan would have seen to it.

 

[CL82]

Conspiracy Kitty says:
That would explain the "disappearances" of certain ESPN employees wouldn't it?

 

[FAIRTIDES]

The NBA has been promoting the WNBA for over a decade. Promotion does not equal success, it only equals promotion.

NBC promotes plenty of stuff today. Some of it is successful and some (most) of it isn't.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/20...ip-through-week-36-ending-may-27-2012/136000/

In NBC's core function.. you know being a TV network, they are fourth out of four.

Whaler, a lot you've said, in this thread, is true. But, it's one thing to promote any kind of football and another to promote Women's BB. Some people in CT. will never understand that, outside of this State and, maybe, a few college towns, oh, and parents, Women's BB does not strike a chord of any kind. Hell, the success of the women's program at UCONN is sometimes like a claymore mine the enemy has turned around on the good guys. It's used as a point of derision by FB and men's BB outsiders.

Football has a ready-made "chord" just waiting to be tickled. Ultimately the product has to be good, but people will, at least, give it a try. In terms of advertising, one (FB) is a new restaurant that specializes in big, juicy stakes, good fries, and 100 brands of foreign and domestic beer. The other (WBB) sells broccoli and water with lemon grass. Healthy? Yes, but many more folks are going to triple-up on their Lipitor dose and go for the steak and beer. And no amount of promotion is going to change the situation.

 

[whaler11]

And Gene DeFillippo's "lie" that ESPN told them was for what purpose again? How did that further BC's or ACC's goals? Right. Refer back to my Dave Chappelle video on burden of proof for more on that...

Yes, if there is anyone you can always take at face value it's an employee of the athletic department at Boston College University. They would never in a million years lie. Gene DeFillippo is a stand up guy. Why would he lie? Well if he thought his school's fans wouldn't be happy with the schools that were selected for expansion he would lie to put the blame elsewhere. He might lie to avoid being accused of keeping UConn out of the mix. He might be wrong - every meeting I go to has a lot of very smart people in attendance (not me of course) and many times those people have come to very different conclusions based on the discussion. If it's true why has no one else confirmed it?

You can believe everything one person says or writes. I choose not to. I'll believe that NBC has put Saturday in play when NBC says they have put it in play or a deal is signed that includes it. I'm certainly willing to say it may happen and I hope it does, but even the Big East claiming it exists does not mean it exists - they may just want ESPN to think it exists.

You must really enjoy election season, look at all the exciting promises and change the candidates will bring us come November!

 

[whaler11]

Just for fun more Gene D comments:

BC AD apologizes: ‘I spoke inappropriately and erroneously regarding ESPN’s role in conference expansion.’​

​

Guess what either he was lying before or he was lying in the apology. So is Gene D willing to lie to the media? Sure this is proof that he will and does, but I'm sure you'll tell me why I should believe everything he says at face value.​

​

If you were to take him at face value and he spoke erroneously, then pretty much your whole argument on expansion and ESPN goes out the window.​

​

So which is it? Gene D is willing to lie to the media and potentially can't be trusted - or ESPN didn't have anything to do with Syracuse and Pitt joining the ACC. I know which side I fall on....​

 

[UConnDan97]

Just for fun more Gene D comments:

BC AD apologizes: ‘I spoke inappropriately and erroneously regarding ESPN’s role in conference expansion.’​

​

Guess what either he was lying before or he was lying in the apology. So is Gene D willing to lie to the media? Sure this is proof that he will and does, but I'm sure you'll tell me why I should believe everything he says at face value.​

​

If you were to take him at face value and he spoke erroneously, then pretty much your whole argument on expansion and ESPN goes out the window.​

​

So which is it? Gene D is willing to lie to the media and potentially can't be trusted - or ESPN didn't have anything to do with Syracuse and Pitt joining the ACC. I know which side I fall on....​

You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking! Do you really need for me to tell you why a big-mouth AD would have to say "mea culpa" after having let the horse out of the corral?? Wow, dude.

As far as election time, I actually find it to be horrible. Robo-calls from some damned telemarketing elephant or donkey, nobody talks about the issues, nobody brings facts to their discussion, and most people's minds are made up before they even know who wins the primary. In other words, very similar to the Boneyard...