Big East basketball on FoxSports

[upstater]

Is there any UConn fan here who would trade the 16 times UConn appears on ESPN for $1.7m more and Fox Sports?

 

[upstater]

Almost every single Big East intra conference game will be on national TV, with the mid week games in prime time. And by national, I mean on a television and not online. Yeah, that would suck.

Many on FS2, which few even get.

 

[upstater]

GAME 2: 8 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 39,000 viewers Lamar vs. Butler
GAME 3: 6 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 15,000 viewers Niagara vs. Seton Hall
GAME 4: 8 pm Friday: .0 rating, 14,000 viewers Lehigh vs. Villanova
GAME 5: 4 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 6,000 viewers Grambling vs. DePaul

The shocking one for me is Lehigh and Villanova. At prime time on a Friday night. Villanova actually has a pretty big fanbase.

 

[Hoophound]

The shocking one for me is Lehigh and Villanova. At prime time on a Friday night. Villanova actually has a pretty big fanbase.

Most fans don't watch crappy games that involve their team. That's why the Big East is in trouble. Casual Nova fans aren't tuning in to the Seton Hall game on FS1 or 2 like they would Espn.

As a general basketball fan, I'm not watching either because even if I wanted to (which I don't), I have no idea what channel FS1 is.

However, I trip across all kinds of football and basketball games on Espn and watch them. I've watched like 4 Ball St games and that started before I even started thinking about hiring their football coach. I never even checked what was on the other sports channels.

The general population is not composed of avid fans who seek out the product. They just see what's on Espn and the big networks and pick something.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Flipping through the channels today 13 time zones from ET, ... upchucked a bit when a faux Big East broadcast ad popped up for a game involving an ex-CUSA team (Marquette) versus our future BiG conference opponent (Ohio State).

 

[whaler11]

GAME 2: 8 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 39,000 viewers Lamar vs. Butler
GAME 3: 6 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 15,000 viewers Niagara vs. Seton Hall
GAME 4: 8 pm Friday: .0 rating, 14,000 viewers Lehigh vs. Villanova
GAME 5: 4 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 6,000 viewers Grambling vs. DePaul

Those are FS2 games I'm guessing. They have no chance with no carriage on those games.

 

[baggerbob]

The what ever they want to call themselves, has exactly one nationally ranked team, Marquette who no-one even cares about. By the end of the season the conference SOS will be so bad they will be lucky to get 3 teams in the tournament. They will quickly fade into obscurity, and UConn will be in a power 5 conference within 3 years.

 

[noeynox]

I don't think UConn is going anywhere in the near future, but aside from rivalries, I don't know that we are really all that worse off in a basketball conference with Temple, and Memphis, and UCF. This league should produce about 4 bids a year to tournament. I will miss games against GTown, Villanova, St. Johns, and PC. I will also miss games against SU, and Pitt. I just won't miss any of the others in basketball, not RU, WVU, Marquette, none of them.

I know that argument is that they're making more money, but the exit fee money should offset that and the non conference schedule should offset the RPI hit of playing the likes of Tulsa and Tulane. If in six years, when the exit fee money dries up, were still in this league and still making less money than Big East schools, then were hit. Even if we don't get aP5 invite, I think this conference will eventually make more money than the lastest Big East.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The Catholic 7 CHOSE to become mid-major.

Yes, they absolutely did.

I cannot speak for how the administrations of the schools involved felt but the lion's share of most of the fan bases were convinced (when this started going down) that we (UConn) would come to our senses, drop football and join them (and be the anchor that conference needed for hoops). What I find disappointing is the number of UConn fans who held the same opinion.

 

[upstater]

Most fans don't watch crappy games that involve their team. That's why the Big East is in trouble. Casual Nova fans aren't tuning in to the Seton Hall game on FS1 or 2 like they would Espn.

As a general basketball fan, I'm not watching either because even if I wanted to (which I don't), I have no idea what channel FS1 is.

However, I trip across all kinds of football and basketball games on Espn and watch them. I've watched like 4 Ball St games and that started before I even started thinking about hiring their football coach. I never even checked what was on the other sports channels.

The general population is not composed of avid fans who seek out the product. They just see what's on Espn and the big networks and pick something.

Still, though. The UConn men on SNY (i.e. lower tier games like Lehigh) were pulling 8 ratings in the Hartford/NH market. That's 16% of the 700k TVs in the state. So, in the market alone, you had 135,000 TVs tuned in. A far cry from 14,000 nationally.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

What channel is SMU vs. UConn on today? Oh yeah, the Internet.

All sides of the Depaul, Seton Hall, Providence round robin suckfest will be on national TV. And UConn can't get a football game on TV anywhere.

 

[upstater]

What channel is SMU vs. UConn on today? Oh yeah, the Internet.

All sides of the Depaul, Seton Hall, Providence round robin suckfest will be on national TV. And UConn can't get a football game on TV anywhere.

Football is under the old BE contract.

New contract begins next year.

92% of BE football games will be on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.

 

[whaler11]

Still, though. The UConn men on SNY (i.e. lower tier games like Lehigh) were pulling 8 ratings in the Hartford/NH market. That's 16% of the 700k TVs in the state. So, in the market alone, you had 135,000 TVs tuned in. A far cry from 14,000 nationally.

The Hartford DMA has almost a million TV homes exactly.

So an 8 rating is 80k homes. Where did 700k and 16 percent come from?

 

[whaler11]

Football is under the old BE contract.

New contract begins next year.

92% of BE football games will be on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.

I look forward to Big East football?

ESPN News is going to become the AAC football network. That's going to count as national TV because ESPN has so much inventory that is better these games are never going to see the light of ESPN2.

 

[metsfan2323]

Marquette scored 35 points today on national TV. National TV has seen enough of the new Big East already.

Now the Big East won't have any ranked teams. They better get used to that.

 

[upstater]

I look forward to Big East football?

ESPN News is going to become the AAC football network. That's going to count as national TV because ESPN has so much inventory that is better these games are never going to see the light of ESPN2.

No, wrong again.

The games can only be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.

 

[upstater]

The Hartford DMA has almost a million TV homes exactly.

So an 8 rating is 80k homes. Where did 700k and 16 percent come from?

I was wrong. I thought the entire state had 1.1, with 1/3rd of the population in Fairfield.
I also somehow thought the rating was the share. Only half of the TVs were tuned in that night.

 

[whaler11]

No, wrong again.

The games can only be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.

It's almost a mathematical impossibility so I guess we'll see next year.

 

[upstater]

It's almost a mathematical impossibility so I guess we'll see next year.

It's what the contract stipulates.

AND, Aresco said the same thing about the bball contract. He said 60% of the games had to be on those 3 channels, and that's what we got. BBall started this year, football starts next year.

 

[whaler11]

It's what the contract stipulates.

AND, Aresco said the same thing about the bball contract. He said 60% of the games had to be on those 3 channels, and that's what we got. BBall started this year, football starts next year.

Well then I hope you don't mind Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday because there were way better games
today ESPN owned that weren't televised.

There is no room on Saturday for AAC games on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU.

 

[noeynox]

Marquette scored 35 points today on national TV. National TV has seen enough of the new Big East already.

Now the Big East won't have any ranked teams. They better get used to that.

Damnnnn, at home too? Ohio State must play defense like 85 Chicago Bears.

 

[dmac80]

A couple of things, Fox Sports 1 and 2 are about 12 weeks old , ESPN has been around for 30 some odd years. It's going to take time, but it didn't take fox long to already overtake the pathetic competition startups. They are beating everyone in ratings regularly with the exception of ESPN and NFL network.

http://www.awfulannouncing.com/2013...nly-struggling-when-you-set-the-bar-high.html

Fox sports just posted its best ratings since it launched so it's growing. It is making a push for nba, has mlb games lined up, and may be bidding for the NFL Thursday night 8game package.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/20...most-watched-week-since-august-launch/215736/


Fox Sports was the only play for the c7, they were ruined by "big football" and the laughable attempts by UCONN, BC, and other northeast schools to try and play football with the big boys. Never going to happen! Fox sports is paying each big east school more than UCONN for its basketball and embarassing football team. That should tell you what the world thinks of the AAC. Wait til next year when Louisville leaves then you'll realize what a cess pool you're in.

The idea of the big East is a basketball centric league. The pitch to recruits is come play in urban markets where basketball is king. So far so good based on the recruiting hauls. Technically UCONN football with its 0-9 record is king on your campus. That's where the most money and priority is spent. Think about that.

 

[Fishy]

The divide is coming and whether UConn ends up on the right side or the wrong side, the new Big East is certainly doomed to the wrong side.

No one likes it, but that's your reality.

Anything without football will ultimately be marginalized.

 

[dmac80]

The divide is coming and whether UConn ends up on the right side or the wrong side, the new Big East is certainly doomed to the wrong side.

No one likes it, but that's your reality.

Anything without football will ultimately be marginalized.

Certainly a possibility. There's also the possibility that the big d*** swinging frauds running college football run into a lot of problems if they attempt to split and or pay athletes. I have a feeling congress might have a thing or two to say about that (think title ix, lawsuits, etc etc etc) and how about congressional districts that would lose out if that split we're to happen. Also there is the newly signed contract for the next 14 years and 10.8 billion dollar march madness tournament. I doubt they want to go wrecking that, or that they even could. Plus all talk from the football clowns has been if there is any sort of split it would try not to impact basketball. Lastly the big east will give every effort to be on the level playing field with any FBS school when it comes to basketball and how the athletes could be compensated. They've said so. And fox has a half a billion plus invested in it. Lots of lawyers to make things very costly and difficult for the handful of "power brokers" ruining college athletics.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The divide is coming and whether UConn ends up on the right side or the wrong side, the new Big East is certainly doomed to the wrong side.

No one likes it, but that's your reality.

Anything without football will ultimately be marginalized.

I don't see any way that UCF, Tulane and ECU are on the right side and Georgetown, Butler and Villanova are on the wrong side. The Big East is a major basketball conference, and always will be. Foxsports all but guarantees that status. The P5 can lock out the mid majors in football with relatively minor consequences to that sport, but they would never risk a split in hoops that would destroy the golden NCAA Tournament goose. Marquette and Creighton draw more fans per game than all but about 15 schools in the country.

Fox has pulled the Big 10, Pac 12 and Big 12 away from ESPN's control, and the Big 10 and Pac 12 are probably the two most stable and successful of all the conferences. By setting up the Big East in prime time, they are telling anyone that is listening that the Big East is protected.

We are backing the wrong horse.

 

[Fishy]

The Big East deal is play money for Fox.

It's a handful of bucks to help fill some hours on a new network - the Big East is a convenience for them. Do you think they even know where Creighton is? Does anyone even care? (Spoilers...no.)

Their heart and their wallets are elsewhere.

They own a controlling interest in the Big Ten Network, they have multiple-billions sunk in the Pac 12 and Big 12 deals...Fox is driving a split as hard as anyone.

 

[PRHusky]

Fox sports is paying each big east school more than UCONN for its basketball and embarassing football team. That should tell you what the world thinks of the AAC.

The only reason ESPN is paying the AAC so little is because contractually speaking, all they needed to do was match NBC's low ball offer. The fact that the previous BE contract was set up that way is beyond frustrating, but there is nothing anybody can do about that now. If you include the exit fees and tournament credits money, the AAC is making more than the BE. Plus, even though I pray that UConn will be long gone from the AAC by then, when the time comes for the AAC to sign its next TV deal it is all but certain that they will surpass what Fox is paying the BE.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The Big East deal is play money for Fox.

It's a handful of bucks to help fill some hours on a new network - the Big East is a convenience for them. Do you think they even know where Creighton is? Does anyone even care? (Spoilers...no.)

Their heart and their wallets are elsewhere.

They own a controlling interest in the Big Ten Network, they have multiple-billions sunk in the Pac 12 and Big 12 deals...Fox is driving a split as hard as anyone.

I think they do care, because despite Z's best arguments to the contrary, a lot of people do care about college basketball, but those people do not live in SEC or Big 12 country. The Big East has the markets and the marquee programs, and they have a good shot at sitting at the big boys table.

But even if your argument was true, staying with the AAC is still the losing hand, because if there is a split, isn't the AAC in worse shape than the Big East? The split will be between the P5 and everyone else, not between those schools that play D1 football and those that don't. If there isn't a split, UConn is better off with the better basketball league. Either way, UConn is better off with the better basketball league.

 

[metsfan2323]

The Big East has the markets and the marquee programs.

Ah no. This is not 1985.

National basketball ratings are driven by marquee players, ranked teams, and ESPN talking heads. The Big East has no ranked teams, no marquee players, and ESPN is probably going to put a gag order on its talking heads preventing them from even discussing the Big East.

The C7 are on a slippery slope to no where. UCONN, Syracuse and Louisville aren't around to drag them along anymore.

Nice job by Seton Hall today losing to Mercer.

 

[NRIFriarguy]

Ah no. This is not 1985.

National basketball ratings are driven by marquee players, ranked teams, and ESPN talking heads. The Big East has no ranked teams, no marquee players, and ESPN is probably going to put a gag order on its talking heads preventing them from even discussing the Big East.

The Big East is on a slippery slope to no where. UCONN, Syracuse and Louisville aren't around to drag them along anymore.

Nice job by Seton Hall today losing to Mercer.

The New Big East is in a better position then it was in the with the Old Big East. That is all that can really be judged right now. How it will compare nationally, will need to be determined. The break gives more money to the schools, there is no worry about teams trying to leave, and fans, recruits and the families of recruits can watch just about every game their team plays. For the most part, it will not matter if you can stream a game or which provider you have.

No, it is not 1985. But it is also not 2012 so the Big East teams will not be dragged around by Syracuse and Louisville anyways. And lets be honest, if there was no split, UCONN would STILL be trying to get an invite out of the Big East.

It is a new conference and a new network, with the deep pockets to wait out the rough start. The Big East may not be on as high a perch as it once was, but they believe they settled into a nice spot, and got off the 'slippery slope'.

Personally, I like that I can watch just about every PC game on TV all year long. It never happened when we were tied to ESPN, and I do not have COX, so I could never see those games either. I will take what has been given to us and wish the AAC well.