Basketball TV visibility will go down in Big East

[UConnJim]

No matter if you like or dislike the move to the Big East, one thing is true: ESPN is the king of college basketball. With the Big East media rights outside off the ESPN universe, we should expect to see less coverage of UConn basketball on ESPN. Plus, FOX coverage of college basketball has not attracted a large number of viewers. I looked up the average college basketball viewers by network and it is not good for FOX:

From 2015/2016:

CBS 1.471 million
ESPN 1.232 million
FOX 639,000
ESPN2 362,000
ESPNU 118,000
FS1 109,000
NBCSN 56,000

So being on FS1 is like being on ESPNU. The Big East men's championship game over the past 3 years has averaged 1.24 million viewers which is what ESPN averaged per game over the WHOLE season.

Look at Villanova. Last year after December 15th, Villanova did not play a game on the ESPN networks, UConn men's basketball played 12 games, and UConn women played 8 times excluding the NCAA tournament. How many Big East game highlights were covered by Sports Center?

One last question: Outside of Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery can anyone name another FOX college basketball personality?

 

[tzznandrew]

So being on FS1 is like being on ESPNU. The Big East men's championship game over the past 3 years has averaged 1.24 million viewers which is what ESPN averaged per game over the WHOLE season.

Look at Villanova. Last year after December 15th, Villanova did not play a game on the ESPN networks, UConn men's basketball played 12 games, and UConn women played 8 times excluding the NCAA tournament. How many Big East game highlights were covered by Sports Center?

How many people watch games on ESPN+, because that's the actual comparison that matters going forward...

 

[browndog319]

I am perfectly tech savvy. But I’m NOT a fan of watching hoops on my laptop or phone. Nope.
I stream most TV content through my Roku or AppleTV but ESPN+ doesn’t seem to be there yet (am I wrong?).
I pay extra to have access to SNY because I live out of the geo area.
Is it so wrong to want to watch on a large TV as nature intended?
Is it so wrong to want to watch in a bar?

 

[WrenchFan69]

No matter if you like or dislike the move to the Big East, one thing is true: ESPN is the king of college basketball. With the Big East media rights outside off the ESPN universe, we should expect to see less coverage of UConn basketball on ESPN. Plus, FOX coverage of college basketball has not attracted a large number of viewers. I looked up the average college basketball viewers by network and it is not good for FOX:

From 2015/2016:

CBS 1.471 million
ESPN 1.232 million
FOX 639,000
ESPN2 362,000
ESPNU 118,000
FS1 109,000
NBCSN 56,000

So being on FS1 is like being on ESPNU. The Big East men's championship game over the past 3 years has averaged 1.24 million viewers which is what ESPN averaged per game over the WHOLE season.

Look at Villanova. Last year after December 15th, Villanova did not play a game on the ESPN networks, UConn men's basketball played 12 games, and UConn women played 8 times excluding the NCAA tournament. How many Big East game highlights were covered by Sports Center?

One last question: Outside of Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery can anyone name another FOX college basketball personality?

People will have included access to our games on TV. We've immediately become at worst the second most viewed team in the conference. The numbers, not even bad right now, will increase. ESPN+ would be a death sentence for our viewership. Another Fox college basketball personality would be our own Donny Marshall.

 

[Austin316]

Well... I suppose the numbers are going up for FS1 and I’m guessing the SNY deal will remain... sooooooo what’s ur point?

 

[HuskyBoi]

watching games on ur laptop while having to plug an hdmi cable is pretty annoying. not to mention those times you decide to lay down in bed and watch on ur phone and you end up falling asleep missing the second half which can happen. ill take fox on tv anyday

 

[UConnJim]

Linear TV viewing is undergoing a slow death. That is why Disney, HBO, ESPN, and others are coming out with over the top options and why Netflix, YouTube TV, and HULU are thriving. It is easy to watch them with a cable box today. I don’t watch Netflix on a computer, but on my TV. Games on ESPN3? I watch it on our TVs. ESPN+ will be the same. Streaming is the future and linear TV is the past.

If UConn decided to move to the Big East to allow women’s basketball games to be shown on a bundled linear cable sportsnet (SNY) which are in decline, they are really dumb.

By the way, the AAC was going to have more men’s basketball and football games on the linear ESPN networks with the new contract, not less.

 

[noeynox]

You people really don't have smart tvs? A fire stick or Roku? Streaming games is no different than watching on a channel.

 

[UConnJim]

I am perfectly tech savvy. But I’m NOT a fan of watching hoops on my laptop or phone. Nope.
I stream most TV content through my Roku or AppleTV but ESPN+ doesn’t seem to be there yet (am I wrong?).
I pay extra to have access to SNY because I live out of the geo area.
Is it so wrong to want to watch on a large TV as nature intended?
Is it so wrong to want to watch in a bar?

You are wrong. You can download the app and watch ESPN+ with Roku or Apple TV on your regular TV.

 

[browndog319]

You are wrong. You can download the app and watch ESPN+ with Roku or Apple TV on your regular TV.

Okay, I’ll have to look for it. But it’s not seamless like it is for Amazon or Netflix content. I have looked and not found it...

 

[kansashusky]

But now we wont have to play Sunday games correct?

 

[krinklecut]

How visible are we when we're playing in Texas, at 9pm, on ESPN+?

 

[WrenchFan69]

But now we wont have to play Sunday games correct?

We won't be playing ECU at 2pm on superbowl Sunday, that's for sure

 

[kemba]

All that really matters is ESPN and ESPN2 and timeslots. And in the AAC those were going to be limited, with a lot of bad ones

 

[metsfan2323]

I think its fair to wonder if we would be making this move if Nova had not won their two championships. That's all the NBE has to show for itself in recent years. Other than Nova the conference has been a down trending crap fest and yes being shunned by ESPN has hurt them.

 

[CL82]

How many people watch games on ESPN+, because that's the actual comparison that matters going forward...

Don't think so. T1 games were staying on the ESPN family of channels. For the most part + was only going to be T3 games.

 

[Brochacho]

I think its fair to wonder if we would be making this move if Nova had not won their two championships. That's all the NBE has to show for itself in recent years. Other than Nova the conference has been a down trending crap fest and yes being shunned by ESPN has hurt them.

Dying conference, yet on average 53% of the NBE makes the NCAA tournament any given year as opposed to 27% for the AAC.

 

[AdamaNation]

No matter if you like or dislike the move to the Big East, one thing is true: ESPN is the king of college basketball. With the Big East media rights outside off the ESPN universe, we should expect to see less coverage of UConn basketball on ESPN. Plus, FOX coverage of college basketball has not attracted a large number of viewers. I looked up the average college basketball viewers by network and it is not good for FOX:

From 2015/2016:

CBS 1.471 million
ESPN 1.232 million
FOX 639,000
ESPN2 362,000
ESPNU 118,000
FS1 109,000
NBCSN 56,000

So being on FS1 is like being on ESPNU. The Big East men's championship game over the past 3 years has averaged 1.24 million viewers which is what ESPN averaged per game over the WHOLE season.

Look at Villanova. Last year after December 15th, Villanova did not play a game on the ESPN networks, UConn men's basketball played 12 games, and UConn women played 8 times excluding the NCAA tournament. How many Big East game highlights were covered by Sports Center?

One last question: Outside of Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery can anyone name another FOX college basketball personality?

True. But the augmented New York market may shake things up quite a bit.

 

[metsfan2323]

Dying conference, yet on average 53% of the NBE makes the NCAA tournament any given year as opposed to 27% for the AAC.

The AAC being at 12 and the NBE being at 10 screws with those percentages and the AAC has been trending upwards as a conference while the NBE has been sliding. There's a reason why NBE fans are thrilled by this move, they needed a boost.

 

[WrenchFan69]

The AAC being at 12 and the NBE being at 10 screws with those percentages and the AAC has been trending upwards as a conference while the NBE has been sliding. There's a reason why NBE fans are thrilled by this move, they needed a boost.

They just got a Top 15 ever program to join their conference, with two national championships in the last 10 years, who fits perfectly in their geography and has old rivalries with current members. Why wouldn't they be thrilled?

 

[CL82]

True. But the augmented New York market may shake things up quite a bit.

The problem is FS1 and FS2 have zero name recognition. I couldn't even tell you what channel they are.

 

[3rdbass]

The problem is FS1 and FS2 have zero name recognition. I couldn't even tell you what channel they are.

Well I have been watching a lot of soccer on them in past year. Soccer fans know their channel number. LOL!

 

[superjohn]

I think its fair to wonder if we would be making this move if Nova had not won their two championships. That's all the NBE has to show for itself in recent years. Other than Nova the conference has been a down trending crap fest and yes being shunned by ESPN has hurt them.

What does the AAC have to show for itself?

 

[Brochacho]

The AAC being at 12 and the NBE being at 10 screws with those percentages and the AAC has been trending upwards as a conference while the NBE has been sliding. There's a reason why NBE fans are thrilled by this move, they needed a boost.

Only counting 10 AAC teams the percentage jumps to an incredible 31%

 

[CL82]

They just got a Top 15 ever program to join their conference, with two national championships in the last 10 years, who fits perfectly in their geography and has old rivalries with current members. Why wouldn't they be thrilled?

Reading there boards, some are concerned about falling further back into the pack and some feel that "UConn will leave again" even though we never left in the first place.