NBC Sports - College BBall on now

[chrisn671]

for those interested in checking out our potential future broadcast home

ODU vs Delaware

Video quality is pretty good, and in the 5 or so minutes I've been watching the announcers don't seem to be all that bad.

 

[whaler11]

They have college basketball on all the time. Their production value is fine.

People just don't watch the channel. Michele Beadle's new show has been getting 20k viewers. That's absurdly bad. You'd think 20k would tune in just to see what she's wearing.

 

[djct1999]

it reminds me of that picture that shows the effects of wearing beer goggles of a slamming hot chick who 18 beers later becomes an old, nasty hag. a game on nbc will start off looking like uconn vs memphis and will slowly morph into odu vs delaware.

 

[Dann]

They have college basketball on all the time. Their production value is fine.

People just don't watch the channel. Michele Beadle's new show has been getting 20k viewers. That's absurdly bad. You'd think 20k would tune in just to see what she's wearing.

guilty as charged

 

[ConnHuskBask]

The NHL on NBC Sports Channel is actually really great. I'm a Devils fan, but not the type that will watch a random game and even I've found myself tuning in this season more than usual.

That being said, I realize that nobody watches the channel and playing our games on their would spell disaster.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

No way to NBC Sports at this point. If we are going to play for next to nothing, we might as well do it on a channel that people watch.

 

[UCFBfan]

No way to NBC Sports at this point. If we are going to play for next to nothing, we might as well do it on a channel that people watch.

I think this is NBC's undoing here. They set the price so low that ESPN will surely match it so they can get UConn and Cincy on tv for the few good match-ups they have. If there's only going to be a minimal payout, at least get it from ESPN and get the viewership.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

I think this is NBC's undoing here. They set the price so low that ESPN will surely match it so they can get UConn and Cincy on tv for the few good match-ups they have. If there's only going to be a minimal payout, at least get it from ESPN and get the viewership.

I don't think it's their undoing. I don't think they really care one way or the other. Hence, the pretty meaningless offer. If the BE takes it, cool. They get the televise the final year of the BE. If not, who really cares? This will not be a valuable product going forward and we have all of the evidence we need to draw that conclusion.

UConn needs to make sure that it stays on ESPN. I hate what they've done to the Big East but they have us by the balls. Maybe they'd even give us a deal for our 1st tier rights, if we are allowed to retain and sell them on our own. Giving our rights away to the BE so that we can get under 2m dollars a year back from them would be a huge mistake that would probably destroy UConn athletics. UConn's tier 1, 2, and 3 media rights are worth far more than that and if the BE won't work with us so that we can reap the benefits of our own value, then we will need to find a conference partner/s that will.

 

[whaler11]

I'm confused by these UConn tier 1 rights being reacquired and resold.

In the NNBE exactly what games is UConn selling as Tier 1 that are so valuable? One home football game with Tennessee?

UConn's Tier 1 rights are less valuable in this league because they aren't playing anyone that anyone gives a damn about.

You've got 2 games a year in basketball against Cincy and Memphis. A football game against Cinci every other year....

The random women's basketball games against Duke or Baylor?

What are the actual games that people think they are selling. Not the fantasy OOC games that aren't scheduled. Actual games that you can point to.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

I'm confused by these UConn tier 1 rights being reacquired and resold.

In the NNBE exactly what games is UConn selling as Tier 1 that are so valuable? One home football game with Tennessee?

UConn's Tier 1 rights are less valuable in this league because they aren't playing anyone that anyone gives a damn about.

You've got 2 games a year in basketball against Cincy and Memphis. A football game against Cinci every other year....

The random women's basketball games against Duke or Baylor?

What are the actual games that people think they are selling. Not the fantasy OOC games that aren't scheduled. Actual games that you can point to.

You bring up a very valid point. I still think UConn would be able to make far more if given the right to sell our own media rights based on the fact that we will get decent ratings in our own DMA even if we have way fewer marquee games. We will have to schedule aggressively OOC in all 3 of the main sports. That is a given if UConn has any intention to remain nationally relevant.

 

[Fishy]

UConn is not going to magically retain their media rights unless they go independent.

And they're not going independent, so let's drop that line of thought entirely.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

UConn is not going to magically retain their media rights unless they go independent.

And they're not going independent, so let's drop that line of thought entirely.

Of course not.

Everyone already knows we're going to the C-7 and playing football in the MAC.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

UConn is not going to magically retain their media rights unless they go independent.

And they're not going independent, so let's drop that line of thought entirely.

As unlikely as it is, Boise cut a deal with the MWC in order for them to earn a higher amount of revenue based on the value that they add to the conference. I feel UConn should be exploring similar avenues considering our options right now.

Is it really that outlandish to suggest that the BE only be allowed to retain rights for a limited amount of tier 1 content and the rest would be retained by the members? I don't see why it is.

 

[zls44]

Is it really that outlandish to suggest that the BE only be allowed to retain rights for a limited amount of tier 1 content and the rest would be retained by the members? I don't see why it is.

What about when NBC balks at that? They're the only network that's interested at the moment.

 

[CL82]

Who votes on this TV deal? UConn, Cinci and USF could do better on their own.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

What about when NBC balks at that? They're the only network that's interested at the moment.

Who really cares? The NBC deal isn't worth anything anyway. I honestly don't see how taking it does us any good.

At this point, I feel it would be in UConn's interest to only use the conference for scheduling, bowl agreements, and NCAA tourney credits.

I think if this is the best the BE can offer for a media contract, then they need to get out of the media contract business and provide an alternative service for the members of the conference.

UConn would find someone to pay to put our games on TV in the Hartford/New Haven market. We'd find someone to pick up a few higher profile games nationally. UConn doesn't really have to worry about not being able to sign a media deal.

SNY is going to lose Cuse next year and Rutgers the year after that, due to conference changes anyway. I'm sure they would be interested in expanding the relationship if more UConn content was available for them to pick up. They've done very well with it.

 

[CL82]

Could not agree more.

 

[huskymedic]

We'd find someone to pick up a few higher profile games nationally. UConn doesn't really have to worry about not being able to sign a media deal.

Who???

 

[HartbeatHusky]

Who???

How would I know who specifically? There are multiple sports networks out there. I would think one of them would want to pick up a few of the better UConn games.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

Don't mistake the lack of interest in paying top dollar to this conference we are currently in with there being no interest in televising UConn sports.

UConn has a 10 year deal with IMG now for $80 million. I don't know if the UConn women's package with SNY was negotiated with IMG or directly with UConn, but if it's with UConn it's almost another 1.5M a year.

This is just for the stuff that we were already able to sell that wasn't tied up with the BE contract. UConn may already be getting $9.5m a year for just our tier 3 rights. I just don't see how it would be bad for us to have the right to sell the rest and see if we can do better than what the BE is being offered as a package.

 

[huskymedic]

How would I know who specifically? There are multiple sports networks out there. I would think one of them would want to pick up a few of the better UConn games.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt it.

Don't mistake the lack of interest in paying top dollar to this conference we are currently in with there being no interest in televising UConn sports.

UConn has a 10 year deal with IMG now for $80 million. I don't know if the UConn women's package with SNY was negotiated with IMG or directly with UConn, but if it's with UConn it's almost another 1.5M a year.

This is just for the stuff that we were already able to sell that wasn't tied up with the BE contract. UConn may already be getting $9.5m a year for just our tier 3 rights. I just don't see how it would be bad for us to have the right to sell the rest and see if we can do better than what the BE is being offered as a package.

Somehow I just get this overriding feeling that's it just not that simple or easy...

 

[Fishy]

We're not going to be allowed to retain our Tier I rights and remain in the Big East.

It is that simple.

 

[CL82]

We're not going to be allowed to retain our Tier I rights and remain in the Big East.

It is that simple.

Fishy, who votes on the new BE contract. UConn, UC, and USF, only? If so, talk to them and vote it down. I think that's pretty easy. If it is the new guys, well that's tougher but the reported deal is so bad, I think it is reasonable to have it voted down. At that the BE becomes a scheduling alliance and people can shop their rights.

I agree with you that UConn can not do this unilaterally, but the reported deal is so profoundly bad that it may have, without intending to, have created an opportunity.

 

[huskyjawz]

The new schools may not come, in that arrangement, and we need the scheduling alliance.

Fishy, who votes on the new BE contract. UConn, UC, and USF, only? If so, talk to them and vote it down. I think that's pretty easy. If it is the new guys, well that's tougher but the reported deal is so bad, I think it is reasonable to have it voted down. At that the BE becomes a scheduling alliance and people can shop their rights.

I agree with you that UConn can not do this unilaterally, but the reported deal is so profoundly bad that it may have, without intending to, have created an opportunity.

The new schools may not come, in that arrangement, and we need the scheduling alliance.