SNY article - acquired UConn women's bball w/ Men's and Football

[zls44]

CPTV was never going to match it. They couldn't. Wouldn't be responsible for them to, either. They're still using UConn to anchor their new sports TV channel (which is the product of some rather clever/brilliant interpretations of broadcast law...it has to be carried by LAW by any operator in the state because it's part of CPTV). CPTV could barely afford the last contract they signed.

This is best for all parties. The games will be on ESPN3, and it gives SNY a very valuable asset:

They can now broadcast something other than the Mets. That's a plus.

 

[whaler11]

According to other posts on other boards, the $20k was not correct. It was over $200k.

20k was what the channel 30 news said, it's still an insult to the blue hairs who supported them all along to not let CPTV go back and take another look.

 

[CTMike]

What's insulting about taking the most money and exposure? This is more about old people hating change more than anything.

 

[The Funster]

I don't think the move to SNY is earth shattering but if women's BB (along with men's BB and FB) can demonstrate good rating and ad revenue for SNY, surely that's a positive sign for the selling of the UConn brand?

 

[Carl Spackler]

Trust me, I don't read anything into your posts - you've pulled a lot of out a hat, more out of thin air and even more out of your ass.

I can only imagine the buzz going around the marketing departments of Ford, Coca Cola and McDonalds over this news today. Good Lord, I wish I lived in the world of cotton candy and bubble gum where this television deal was even remotely as important you peeps seem to think.

It's a fine deal for UConn. It keeps the checks coming in. It lets the handful of fans outside the the state of Connecticut and within the SNY footprint see more games. All lovely.

But no one else gives a s***.

Aren't you a Syracuse guy? what are you doing around here? do you have some kind of investment in this website?

The New York Mets are the majority owner of SNY channel, Timewarner partial owner, and NBCuniversal a partial owner, and SNY needs programming to fill the fall and winter and spring months when the Mets aren't playing.

Time Warner and NBC are invested in the success of SNY - and SNY is doing real well, and they're doing well because of UConn and they just paid to get uconn women's b-ball on top of the other sprots. .

BUt yeah - nobody gives a .

Go to the ACC Fishy, and enjoy b-ball tournaments rotating between greensboro and atlanta.

 

[whaler11]

What's insulting about taking the most money and exposure? This is more about old people hating change more than anything.

A big part of their fanbase is old people on fixed incomes. Its a big deal to a percentage of them. I don't give a crap if they ever play another game and I understand why they did it - its still a slap in the face to some people who love that team.

 

[The Funster]

H

Aren't you a Syracuse guy? what are you doing around here? do you have some kind of investment in this website?

The New York Mets are the majority owner of SNY channel, Timewarner partial owner, and NBCuniversal a partial owner, and SNY needs programming to fill the fall and winter and spring months when the Mets aren't playing.

Time Warner and NBC are invested in the success of SNY - and SNY is doing real well, and they're doing well because of UConn and they just paid to get uconn women's b-ball on top of the other sprots. .

BUt yeah - nobody gives a .

Go to the ACC Fishy, and enjoy b-ball tournaments rotating between greensboro and atlanta.

hoo boy, Carl Sparkles, what ever you got coming, you deserve it.

 

[junglehusky]

Carl Sparkles... that's brilliant.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Lots of people pay attention to this website. I've paid attention for a long time. I'm convinced without a doubt, that there are several posting names around here that aren't at all what they say they are, when it comes to being an avid fan and supporter of the University of Connecticut athletics and the Big East conference.

The University of Connecticut has treated CPTV with respect and honesty when it comes to the renewal of broadcasting rights that had run out for UConn women's basketball. There are indeed a lot of sad people in CT that are associate with women's b-ball and the historic broadcasting arrangment, but I guarantee you that nobody is unhappy or feels disrespected on how they've been treated.

You've got two posters on this thread, one that has admitted being an employee of a broadcasting company in CT, not CPTV, and another that I'm not 100% sure, call it 95% sure has admitted to having ties to Syracuse university.

Leadership from Syracuse university, less than one calendar year ago, sat in board rooms with leadership of the University of Connecticut and discussed the future of our institutions, and lied, squarely, into our leadership faces.

ESPN? Well think what you will of ESPN and how opposite sides of bargaining tables in broadcasting have been treated.

SNY is a network that broadcasts in the heart of the biggest media market in the world. SNY is a cable channel, that is co-owned by the parent companies of two sports broadcasting entities that are going to very interested in the future of the big east conference in coming months. SNY has invested in University of Connecticut sports, and has seen good returns, to the point where they've installed a new hard line feed into the state, so they can physically broadcast distinct events, and they just bought UConn women's b-ball outright, to go with the lower tier rights they purchased from ESPN for men's b-ball and football.

And if you think that tracking down advertisers to pay for advertising on broadcasting channels is as unimportant as whaler thinks, and that baseline subscriber fees for services are the most important thing to sustained success in broadcasting?

Well then I think you've been engrained to believe that the cable based broadcasting service of ESPN is the only way to broadcast sports.

I am a proud UConn alumni, and I support my university. THrough thick and thin, and when criticism is warranted, I give it. HARD. and when it's not, I defend it.

This SNY deal, and the ability to reach a wide, and most importantly - DIVERSE - viewing audience is a big deal for UConn, and it's something that the Big EAst, can lean on, as we move into new territory when it comes to media relations and our athletic department.

 

[The Funster]

Are you really that thick? You don't know who Fishy is and what he's done for the Boneyard?

And as far as HARD criticism goes, the only thing you know about it is that you can give it but can't take it. You constantly call out people for not sourcing their opinion and yet you have no compunctions about drowning us with some of the most arrant, unsourced nonsense. I have to be fair. Sometimes you post some good stuff but you take yourself far too seriously. Quit trying to always be the expert on everything and try just being a regular fan for a change.

 

[whaler11]

No one is mad or disrespected other than some of their most loyal fans that is.

 

[whaler11]

Carl ESPN starts the year with 7 billion dollars in subscriber fees. If you think anyone anywhere will ever be able to compete with that you are nuts.

Its the most powerful media brand in the world. The other networks have no choice but to be regional and niche they cant compete on a national basis. ESPN owns the rights to every single valuable sports property but the Olympics and NBC loses money hand over fist on that.

 

[whaler11]

If UConn ends up in a four team league with New Mexico State, Idaho and Rutgers - Carl will tell us how great it is they have the NFL model of home and home regional broadcasts on Idaho public access and the WB affiliate in Las Cruces.

 

[CTMike]

Nothing is quite so disarming as seeing "Fecunditying". Love it. haha.

Whaler, please tell me that you aren't advocating that we should have stayed with CPTV for less money and less eyeballs out of loyalty to small subset of our fans?

They can still watch, just on a different channel (if they have cable). They can listen to the game on the radio. If they have a computer, I'll even help them set up how to watch on ESPN3.

 

[WallStreetHusky]

If anyone wants to see the power of ESPN in numbers, check out their corporate parents earnings yesterday (Disney). It isnt ABC that drives their earnings.....it isnt the movies.....not the theme parks......the single biggest contributor to Disney's bottom line is ESPN.

That is the kind of bat ESPN swings out there, they are driving a company like Disney.

 

[dsturdy5]

What tier is SNY carried on throughout Connecticut? If it is like NESN in Massachusetts, as long as you have cable, I believe you have NESN. Now, as someone with elderly family on a fixed income, I understand not everyone will have the same access as before but college hoops is a brand and a business and is about making $

 

[whaler11]

I honestly dont care what they do. If they think taking the extra money is worth sticking a portion of the fanbase in the eye over then its fine with me. You just have to realize that is what they did.

If I was one of those geezers I'd be pissed - I understand they aren't valuable from a marketing standpoint, but they are the ones sitting through the 93-36 blowouts all year.

 

[willie99]

http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2012/05...ll/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter


Make what you will of this info. I was going to type a long thing, but just erased it all. Just understand that UConn sports - women's, men's bball and football now has cross sectional opportunity to reach 13.7 million television sets with live sports programming in the CT, NY, NJ, and eastern PA region, and the tier 1, primetime scheduling slots for all of those sets for each sport are up for sale in a few months if ESPN can't provide the same primetime scheduling opportunities and tries to put big east football on tuesdays and wednesdays.

And - that the situation that involves television sets in our region, is the same scheduling situation for prime time slots that exists in a variety of Big East markets.

Some of the powers that be may have wanted the big east weakened a year ago, and they're going to be pushing every inch of the propoganda machine they can as well, in coming months - and that propoganda machine is powerful.......

But thing about propoganda, is that it's just propoganda, and it defeats it's own purpose in the face of knowledge.

Ignore everything you read, hear or see, in the media about the business of big east athletics from now until a TV deal is done, unless you can source the info credibly, directly quoted from university officials, that will have to be accountable for their words and actions.

Trust, loyalty, honor. These words still mean something in this world.

doesn't SNY know UConn athletics is toast? they we'll be playing with UMass & Buffalo & Delaware soon?

what are they thinking?

 

[Carl Spackler]

I honestly dont care what they do. If they think taking the extra money is worth sticking a portion of the fanbase in the eye over then its fine with me. You just have to realize that is what they did.

If I was one of those geezers I'd be pissed - I understand they aren't valuable from a marketing standpoint, but they are the ones sitting through the 93-36 blowouts all year.

Well, to contradict misinformation, and for any geezers that might be reading.....

SNY is available on all basic tier systems broadcasting in CT. Here are the systems and channels. Good rule of thumb, not necessarily true, but if you can find the Yankees on TV on your system right now, you'll also be able to find the Mets somewhere, which also means you'll be able to see UConn Women's b-ball without changing a thing.

http://web.sny.tv/about/subscribe.jsp?state=ct

The bidding process for a broadcast contract for the University of Connecticut is subject to the laws of the state of CT for any contract provider of service involving state owned property or activity. The bidding process for this contract, was done in accordance with state law, and frankly, some of the things that channel 30 has reported, adn the CPTV CEO has said, are completely out of context, flat wrong, and misguided, if certain phone calls and requests were returned and entertained by UConn for CPTV, we'd be in violation of state law regarding the bidding of contracts for state services, and the decision about choosing a provider was approximately 40% about the money, and 60% other factors.

There was a 100 point system, that was clearly laid out in the bidding process, such that a committee of UConn leadership would award points to contract bids that came in and the highest point total would be awarded the contract.

In that point system, the monetary value of the contract, was only a part of the point system.

CPTV raised a baby for 18 years, and that baby grew up and is not too big for their house....and it's an important part of the UConn athletic department, and the entire University moving forward and also for the future of the University in conference relations. CPTV has been planning for life with out UConn women's b-ball for several years.



All of this info I've written, is available to anyone with an internet link.

 

[progrocks]

If these are SNY produced broadcasts, why the hell would they be on ESPN3? The mens games are because it is licensed through ESPN, but this does not seem to be the case with the womens deal.

 

[whaler11]

Nobody is arguing why they did it. To pretend there isnt a portion of the fanbase negatively impacted is stupid. Either they spend more or dont have access. Pretty simple.

 

[Dann]

Nobody is arguing why they did it. To pretend there isnt a portion of the fanbase negatively impacted is stupid. Either they spend more or dont have access. Pretty simple.

just so i understand this. what portion of the fanbase did we hurt here? the old ppl including my grandma now instead of watching channel 10 or w/e it is will now watch the game on channel 60. this move hurts the fanbase becuase the channel number is alot higher????

this adds a ton of markets in ny/nj/pa which leads to new viewers and fans. we make 200k more every one that could watch it before can now watch it still. i don't get the beef? what am i missing? ppl should be happy they don't have to sit thru those infomercial things for cheap uconn stuff. instead they can save the couple hundred bucks they spend on that every year and now buy tix to a extra game or 2 a year or buy a new shirt thru the school. seems like a win to me.

 

[CTMike]

91% of Americans have cable or satellite; I'm willing to bet it's even higher in CT.

 

[Carl Spackler]

If anyone wants to see the power of ESPN in numbers, check out their corporate parents earnings yesterday (Disney). It isnt ABC that drives their earnings.....it isnt the movies.....not the theme parks......the single biggest contributor to Disney's bottom line is ESPN.

That is the kind of bat ESPN swings out there, they are driving a company like Disney.

correct. By continually increasing subscriber fees, ESPN is driving the profitability of Disney. DIsney and Comcast very recently, in January I believe, agreed to have ESPN mobile internet broadcasts carried on the Comcast owned streaming services - which is the largest in the country. And ESPN has been advertising the watch ESPN thing.

ESPN has a problem in CT, though and that's AT&T, and the fact that most people in CT can't stream from the WatchESPN services that are linked with Verizon. Unless the big east conference is seriously expecting ESPN to provide a contract such that BIg East football is going to be regularly broadcast on ESPN channels on saturday afternoons? The only way we're getting in primetime college football to our own broadcasting reach, is through streaming services from ESPN that the majority of people in CT don't have access to. So, it's Wednesday night football for UConn, if we're going to be on TV. No thanks.

My concern in all of this has nothing to do with any of it in these giant parent corporations, it's my alma mater - UConn -and the success of my school moving forward.

There was a time, when the people in charge at ESPN were very much tied to, and concerned about the health of the UConn athletic department, and in turn - the Big EAst conference, in mutually benefiting each other, having both started at the same time, by the same people that sat together and hatched the ideas 32 years ago.

That time has long past for ESPN, and UConn, and the Big east conference, is just beginning to start to operate as a business, with no personal attachment to any of it, and UConn is simply moving forward in a way that best benefits our university, and our local broadcast area for fans.

 

[whaler11]

just so i understand this. what portion of the fanbase did we hurt here? the old ppl including my grandma now instead of watching channel 10 or w/e it is will now watch the game on channel 60. this move hurts the fanbase becuase the channel number is alot higher????

this adds a ton of markets in ny/nj/pa which leads to new viewers and fans. we make 200k more every one that could watch it before can now watch it still. i don't get the beef? what am i missing? ppl should be happy they don't have to sit thru those infomercial things for cheap uconn stuff. instead they can save the couple hundred bucks they spend on that every year and now buy tix to a extra game or 2 a year or buy a new shirt thru the school. seems like a win to me.

Old people who cant afford cable or those that now have to pay for cable if they want access. It hurts a specific portion of the fanbase. If you are too dense to see it not sure how I can help you.

 

[whaler11]

Watch espn isn't linked to your wireless provider its linked to your cable provider. So if you have Comcast at some point in near future you have access.

 

[Dann]

Old people who cant afford cable or those that now have to pay for cable if they want access. It hurts a specific portion of the fanbase. If you are too dense to see it not sure how I can help you.

i'm sorry, but how many people no matter the age don't have cable? is it really that many? i can't imagine it being that many? old people wise every nursing home has cable and i would think 99% in ct do have cable? i guess i'm just not seeing it.

 

[speedoo]

Old people who cant afford cable or those that now have to pay for cable if they want access. It hurts a specific portion of the fanbase. If you are too dense to see it not sure how I can help you.

How about providing a specific number or %, since you are so concerned about these folks? Wouldn't that contribute a lot more to the discussion than insults?

 

[whaler11]

i'm sorry, but how many people no matter the age don't have cable? is it really that many? i can't imagine it being that many? old people wise every nursing home has cable and i would think 99% in ct do have cable? i guess i'm just not seeing it.

According to google its 64% in the lowest income brackets. Many have cable but not a package that includes SNY as well. Its probably not a huge number of people and they clearly arent valuable, but they are good fans and get a bit screwed in their minds.

 

[Dann]

According to google its 64% in the lowest income brackets. Many have cable but not a package that includes SNY as well. Its probably not a huge number of people and they clearly arent valuable, but they are good fans and get a bit screwed in their minds.

hmm ok. i understand where your coming from and see the beef. interesting.