NBC continues to add sports

[Husky25]

Gotta tell ya. I think the Big East is in a better position if they get on a network like NBC than one like Fox. I don't get what all the negativity is about.

 

[emshorts]

i'm gonna go out on a limb and say that aresco will get the BE the best possible deal

 

[CL82]

Well I became a fan in the late 70's early 80's, mostly thanks to some good Dom Perno teams. Used to watch with my dad. Then I spent my four years there. Soccer was much bigger than football at that point (Dan Donigan current RU coach was the BMOC), although football was competitive in the Yankee conference. By the time I graduated Matt DeGennarro was throwing the ball better than anybody we've seen in the last several years.

So no, I don't throw up. What I care about most of all is UConn's image as a university. I don't think the Big East helps it anymore and I think it is holding us back. That's not about football, where we have a long way to go. I don't think UConn can reach its overall potential in the BE. So NBC or ESPN, it doesn't matter much. Neither will alter the reality. I think it will be harder for me to follow the team on NBC, since I don't get SNY and rely on ESPN 3 heavily.

It might well be easier since NBC has its own internet broadcast infrastructure.

In the near term what NBC brings to the BE (and thus UConn) is (hopefully) enough cash for us to keep up with the facilities wars that Div 1 sports have become. It also allows us to have our game showcased rather than spat upon. I'd rather be ESPN fair haired child, but we aren't. We're the red headed stepchild. It is time for us to move out on our own.

 

[CL82]

UFL just announced that it's suspending operations. Another terrible piece of programming by NBC. Typical. At least they have the NHL...oh, wait.

Somehow our resident ESPN guy's hostility to NBCSN, makes me feel better about the prospect of moving there. If they were the joke that that they often portrayed to be, I suspect that the reaction might be somewhat more benign.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Can anyone pro NBCS please tell me if they add the Big East what other complimentary live sports they are going to add?

The rise of another sports network is not going to look like ESPN's rise - they had no similar competitors.

I can not wait for the TV deal to be done to shut the doors on the NBCS fantasy.

Are you at all familiar with the concept that every journey begins with a single step? NBCSports is not going to be ESPN after signing Big East. It's a step. One of many steps.

What if NBC sports signs the BE, and doesn't have any other live content? explain to me the apocolypse that will you predict will happen...

 

[whaler11]

Are you at all familiar with the concept that every journey begins with a single step? NBCSports is not going to be ESPN after signing Big East. It's a step. One of many steps.

What if NBC sports signs the BE, and doesn't have any other live content? explain to me the apocolypse that will you predict will happen...

Pretty simple. No one watches the games. Recruits don't want to play for schools on a second rate network with no coverage on ESPN and play suffers.

You know just the impact on those insignificant things.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Pretty simple. No one watches the games. Recruits don't want to play for schools on a second rate network with no coverage on ESPN and play suffers.

You know just the impact on those insignificant things.

wow... your inability to see anything from a positive or slightly optimistic view must make your life fun.

 

[Husky25]

Pretty simple. No one watches the games. Recruits don't want to play for schools on a second rate network with no coverage on ESPN and play suffers.

You know just the impact on those insignificant things.

For Crissakes, its not like UConn is being shown on CTSN!!!!! Last I checked, NBC stands for the National Broadcasting Corporation. It is among the oldest media companies in the history of the United States. ESPN has been around for 33 years. Have they cornered the market on multi-source broadcasting?

If John Q. Public can produce his own podcast from his daddy's garage and make it sound like 660 WFAN, I'm sure NBC can figure out how to market and make available a quality Big East product. Simmer down, Chicken Little. The sky is not falling.

 

[whaler11]

wow... your inability to see anything from a positive or slightly optimistic view must make your life fun.

Because I don't think NBCS has potential that is a reflection on my life. Gotcha.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I am totally against moving to NBC Sports from a pure exposure standpoint. I think the Big East and more importantly UConn gets further marginalized by not being on the default provider for everything sports in America.

To NBC Sports Channel's credit, they do a pretty good job with the NHL games, especially this playoffs.

I don't think anyone is saying the coverage or production of NBC Sports Channel will be bad, it's just that if no one is watching it, does it make a difference?

 

[ZooCougar]

I thought they were also on NBCSN? Classified...hilarious.

If we move to NBC Sports, then the channel our games will be played on may become classified.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Because I don't think NBCS has potential that is a reflection on my life. Gotcha.

Ummm no... Maybe I wasn't clear.
It's your inability to take a situation and look for the positive that is a reflection of you.
You position on NBCSports is one of many examples to prove my point.

 

[MattMang23]

Maybe there are no positives to this hypothetical situation?

 

[whaler11]

Ummm no... Maybe I wasn't clear.
It's your inability to take a situation and look for the positive that is a reflection of you.
You position on NBCSports is one of many examples to prove my point.

Yeah I was bashed for being negative about P from day 1. I was killed for being negative about the offensive line in the spring game.

Maybe when things don't have positives it's a better idea to stop pretending they do?

 

[junglehusky]

Maybe there are no positives to this hypothetical situation?

The positives for me would be having one game a week on over-the-air NBC (basketball and football), and live and archived streaming on par with the Olympics coverage.

 

[Husky25]

I am totally against moving to NBC Sports from a pure exposure standpoint. I think the Big East and more importantly UConn gets further marginalized by not being on the default provider for everything sports in America.

To NBC Sports Channel's credit, they do a pretty good job with the NHL games, especially this playoffs.

I don't think anyone is saying the coverage or production of NBC Sports Channel will be bad, it's just that if no one is watching it, does it make a difference?

As opposed to the FX Channel? Lets all calm down. Nothing's happened yet...

 

[ConnHuskBask]

As opposed to the FX Channel? Lets all calm down. Nothing's happened yet...

You don't think way more people watch FX than NBC Sports Channel?

 

[ctchamps]

The following would be my sequence of what comprises the greatest to least important factors for UConn and BE teams.
1) Having a top twenty team
2) Having several top twenty teams
3) Match ups with these top twenty teams
4) Games with top twenty teams being played in prime time.
5) Games played on a network that has wide exposure.

Any network that is pretty universal will insure that people can find games if they want to view games. People will view games from the BE if the BE has decent teams. Fans rooting for teams outside the BE would do this if only to determine how their teams and/or conferences would compare to the BE teams. I'm sure I'm not alone in having preferred watching Boise State as opposed to many of the games pitting major conference teams during the past several years.

 

[whaler11]

You don't think way more people watch FX than NBC Sports Channel?

They do but FX is a tough network to be on. No one stumbles upon an FX game because it isn't lumped in with sports stations. You have to go look for games on FX.

NBCS at least has that going for it on Comcast.

 

[whaler11]

Looks like NBC may end up with the EPL. Now that is legitimate programming. A step in the right direction.

 

[UConnDan97]

Looks like NBC may end up with the EPL. Now that is legitimate programming. A step in the right direction.

http://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/26/nbc-sports-group-outbids-fox-for-e-p-l-rights/

I agree with you that this is a legitimate programming step; one that puts it as a serious sports contender. The part that I found interesting was this:

"But NBC has bid about $85 million a year for the new E.P.L. rights, just under four times more than Fox currently pays for the rights, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations."

The conventional wisdom out there was that if ESPN was only willing to offer in the 6-8 million ballpark for the Big East, why would anyone want to bid a double-digit bid for us. Well, I think this is a sign that NBC is willing to be pretty agressive in their drive into serious sports programming, which is very good to see. Does it mean the BE will get the contract size it wants from NBC? Not necessarily, but this has to have people feeling a lot better about the possibility, and perhaps might be a sign to ESPN and FOX that NBC is getting very very serious...

 

[Marty Jackson]

There is nothing out for bid. Look at how far out the contracts are.

English PL Soccer

 

[whaler11]

English PL Soccer

It is and would be a big step to legitimacy - don't think it's done yet though.

 

[whaler11]

Here are some fun NBCS ratings tweets

a

 

[UConnDan97]

Here are some fun NBCS ratings tweets View attachment 1588 a

Not sure what the point of that is...