Elsberry: Raw deal for CPTV; SNY not needed

[SFJeff]

DirecTV is offering their Sports Pack for $12.99 / month, which includes SNY. It seems it is a month to month contract (added to your service level) so one could buy it for only, say, November to March (5 months) and get all the UConn games. Given that I paid Hoopstreams $60 last season it will be a no brainer to sign up. Plus I'll get to see them in HD on my TV rather than on my computer screen.
LINK

 

[alexrgct]

The DirecTV sports pack also ensures you'll get to see the one game of the season that's on CBS Sports, as well as a Stanford game or two and an ACC game or two.

Not to mention a ton of other sports if that appeals to you.

 

[UcMiami]

And you don't actually need to pay for March as all the tournament games (and BE Tournament) are not part of the SNY rights. So ...4 months at $13/month for HD TV vs. streaming video at $60 - probably worth the 2 dollars.
What I like about this is that as a parttime out of stater I actually have the option to get a TV feed - I actually tried to get Satellite coverage in FL using a CT billing address to get CT programming so I could get CPTV - it used to work, but they changed the satellite links and I couldn't get it to work. (That was 2 months of frustration!!!)

 

[SFJeff]

The DirecTV sports pack also ensures you'll get to see the one game of the season that's on CBS Sports, as well as a Stanford game or two and an ACC game or two.

Not to mention a ton of other sports if that appeals to you.

CBS Sports comes standard on my DirecTV plan, the middle-of-the-road ChoiceExtra, as do several other national sports networks. In California, we also receive CSNBA and CSNCA regional sports networks (Comcast Sports Net -Bay Area and -California), which carry college as well as professional sports. But we west coasters would have to sign up specifically for the SportsPack to get SNY, whereas I would assume that would be included in a ChoiceExtra plan for those living in Conn/NY.

 

[Deadrody]

Elsberry writes: "The dealbreaker wasn't the money, it was UConn's unquenchable desire to push its brand all over the country."

That may be true, but there's nothing wrong with that. I understand why many people are upset that CPTV lost the TV rights, and it's a wrenching change to go from CPTV to SNY. However, clearly there are advantages to UConn sports and to the UConn brand to be seen by more households nationally.

And without beggers asking for money every 5 minutes. That alone is worth the change.

 

[meyers7]

Maybe its because I have the full digital package, but I live just outside Boston, and I get SNY on Comcast. Ch. 128.

Not sure. When i checked it wasnt available. Not on any package, not listed anywhere??? On the SNY site it said it wasnt available in MA. ???? Cool u can get it.

 

[RadyLady]

I'm a little confused. Wasn't CPTV crying the blues last year about how they were barely meeting their $$$ quota for many of the games? They talked like unless people called and donated more they would be losing money.

Just a thought about that - I have been watching this thread for a few days....they did talk about meeting production costs and so on during the pledge breaks, and they were giving away UConn gifts...but is it possible that some of the monies raised during the games went elswhere in CPTV's budget? We know that the games were a big draw, and when you have that much viewership, why not take advantage of it and line the coffers? I have nothing to substantiate this, I have just been wondering if this could be the case? If it were, the CPTV has lost important opportinities for fund raising,

Again, I am just mullling this one over...I do not have any facts....

 

[UcMiami]

Just a thought about that - I have been watching this thread for a few days....they did talk about meeting production costs and so on during the pledge breaks, and they were giving away UConn gifts...but is it possible that some of the monies raised during the games went elswhere in CPTV's budget? We know that the games were a big draw, and when you have that much viewership, why not take advantage of it and line the coffers? I have nothing to substantiate this, I have just been wondering if this could be the case? If it were, the CPTV has lost important opportinities for fund raising,

Again, I am just mullling this one over...I do not have any facts....

No way of knowing how exactly their internal accounting for memberships sold during game broadcasts worked, but there is no question that Uconn WBB was a huge part of their revenue stream and has repercusions beyond just the production costs for the games - simple math ... They raised their bid by $200,000/year. Presumably that means that last year they were making at least that much money above total production costs and overhead - and I doubt they were looking to just break even on the new contract either.

 

[Dairyair]

No way of knowing how exactly their internal accounting for memberships sold during game broadcasts worked, but there is no question that Uconn WBB was a huge part of their revenue stream and has repercusions beyond just the production costs for the games - simple math ... They raised their bid by $200,000/year. Presumably that means that last year they were making at least that much money above total production costs and overhead - and I doubt they were looking to just break even on the new contract either.

And that's the key factor in the equation. As far as I know, CPTV has never shown their books, and they may have not been required to. But WE have no accounting of their profit/loss from WBB, their concerts, or kids shows. We are expected to go on faith that if we didn't pledge, UConn WBB would disappear from the station.

 

[CL82]

I don't understand the logic of the last line in that there are UConn fans scattered all over the country. They are seen in the mix of locations on the Boneyard. Those fans already have watched through games close or not for over a decade. They clamor for improved signal whether streaming or HD on satellite and cable. Those people all the time attempt to grow the pool of CT fans and now they will have a better means to do it.

Equally important is that you want Connecticut basketball available to young basketball players and their parents. Seeing first hand what we do, even in blow outs, is the best, and perhaps the most honest, recruiting tool out there.

On edit: great quote from the Buckler article toward to this point:

Imagine being able to tell a recruit that regardless of where she lives, her family and friends will have the opportunity to see almost every game she ever plays.

I think that the change to SNY was a no brainer. It appears to have affected some adversely but I'd guess that the issues will be resolved before the opening tap of our first game. People will speak wistfully of the CPTV years, but I think everyone will be happier with the expanded coverage and product.


(Full disclosure - I get SNY and I will be watching a lot more games now.)

 

[Icebear]

Equally important is that you want Connecticut basketball available to young basketball players and their parents. Seeing first hand what we do, even in blow outs, is the best, and perhaps the most honest, recruiting tool out there.

On edit: great quote from the Buckler article toward to this point:.

I think that the change to SNY was a no brainer. It appears to have affected some adversely but I'd guess that the issues will be resolved before the opening tap of our first game. People will speak wistfully of the CPTV years, but I think everyone will be happier with the expanded coverage and product.


(Full disclosure - I get SNY and I will be watching a lot more games now.)

Nothing involving SNY diminishes the ability of in state kids to see the Huskies given the requirements of the contract.

 

[CL82]

Nothing involving SNY diminishes the ability of in state kids to see the Huskies given the requirements of the contract.

Agree and it enhances out of state kids ability to do so.

Change can be unsettling. I think once everyone gets used to this particular one, it will be viewed as an important step for Connecticut women's basketball and for women's sports in general. I am not aware of any woman's sport's program out there that has a "national" coverage deal. I see this as being a much bigger deal than many on the board. Our Huskies are changing the rules, for the better, yet again.

(Full disclosure - I get SNY and I will be watching a lot more games now.)

 

[Icebear]

Plus DVRing every game becomes a whole lot easier.

 

[UcMiami]

I think you have to start looking at things like the B1G network as being 'national' as they show up on most 'sports packages' regardless of what region you live in. The big difference is the number of games being telecast, and the fact that it is specifically a single team deal as opposed to a conference broadcasting contract.
Actually, now that I have written that - how many college athletic teams have a 'national' broadcast deal for all their games (or more accurately, most of their games?) ND football of course, but ...?

 

[Husky WBB Fan]

I posted some of the following at the end of a thread that had mercifully dwindled to obscurity and non-viewing, but I think the comments are relevant to this thread:

CPTV did a great job bringing us fans UConn WBB and developing the team profile over the past 18 years, but they hit inherent constraints in terms of being able to expand the "brand" viewership and recognition, and also to position UConn for the challenges posed by conference realignments. UConn administration read the shifting landscape and rightly looked for, and ultimately selected, another contractor to (hopefully) continue to expand the WBB brand to strengthen UConn's overall position. UConn WBB is now positioned to have visibility absolutely UNHEARD of in WBB and perhaps college basketball, period. Great accomplishment!!

Like so many fans, I have some anxiety ( ) going forward because I am very addicted to the WBB product CPTV developed and marketed, and I am very invested in continuing to see the UConn WBB product. However, the team is more like family to me than CPTV is - I would welcome any of the team members into my home, but not Jerry et al.... (to be understated...)

I am cautiously optimistic in what I have heard about the future programming since the announcement. UConn seems to have understood what we fans want and communicated that as part of the Proposal Request (RFP), and SNY seems to be saying all the right things with genuine excitement about delivering on what we fans want. Give the local cable companies a few weeks to hear from us fans - - they just learned about the SNY decision and they will desperately be wanting to cater to that large number of fans that J. Franklin quoted as formerly CPTV viewership for WBB.

As for CPTV, they may have been a nonprofit, but UConn WBB was very much a business and a financial flywheel for them (the marketing, the substantial income that supported the WBB and other programming through their general income fund). CPTV had their own family style delivery approach, but it was always a business, at least for Franklin and the CPTV administration who marketed us HEAVILY with guilt and (fabricated?!?) anxiety. CPTV was in it to maximize income and they were as aggressive about the marketing as most any advertiser on commercial TV - it's just they did that within a nonprofit business structure compared to a profit driven structure. Personally, I find the lack of graciousness Jerry has shown for the 18 year run AND for all UCONN has done for CPTV to be an embarrassment. CPTV was thanked on an ongoing basis with the revenue stream from Uconn WBB - - payment in full. No long term commitment should have been assumed by CPTV and was not earned. Please stop the whining, Jerry!! Most of us go to work each day with a full understanding that the job could end before the end of that day. For Jerry to continue his entitlement speech is, again, embarrassing.