The Big East Tournament is thriving | Page 3 | The Boneyard

The Big East Tournament is thriving

It will be interesting to see the viewer ratings for the AAC games when they shift to ESPN+.
 
The FOX broadcast network scored a 0.7 rating and 1.13 million viewers for Saturday’s Villanova-Seton Hall Big East Tournament final, down 22% in ratings and 24% in viewership from last year (Villanova-Providence: 0.9, 1.49M).

Cincinnati-Houston American Athletic Conference final drew a 0.75 (-45%) and 1.19 million (-43%) on ESPN; last year’s final aired on CBS.
 
Dooley said:
The FOX broadcast network scored a 0.7 rating and 1.13 million viewers for Saturday’s Villanova-Seton Hall Big East Tournament final, down 22% in ratings and 24% in viewership from last year (Villanova-Providence: 0.9, 1.49M).

Cincinnati-Houston American Athletic Conference final drew a 0.75 (-45%) and 1.19 million (-43%) on ESPN; last year’s final aired on CBS.
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Different numbers than Billybud.
 
Zissou said:
It will be interesting to see the viewer ratings for the AAC games when they shift to ESPN+.
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Those numbers won't have ratings, so it's going to lift AAC ratings since the dreck will be excluded from the average.
 
Zissou said:
Different numbers than Billybud.
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As BIllybud said, numbers are adjusted for overnight. The AAC final without its conference heavyweight outdrew your "thriving" Big East with its conference heavyweight.
 
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Dooley said:
As BIllybud said, numbers are adjusted for overnight. The AAC final without its conference heavyweight outdrew your "thriving" Big East with its conference heavyweight.
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AND it wasn't on broadcast TV. Pretty bad indictment for the Big East on FOX.
 
The tournament is thriving. The conference is solid.
Big East....19,756
Big 12...….18,969
ACC...……..18,321
Big Ten.....17,463
SEC...…...…16,405
PAC12...….11,504
AAC...…...….7,588
A10...…...…..6,800

After ESPN and the ACC moved on the Big East, Fox created the Big East split of what was left. We have all of our games nationally broadcast because of Fox, so I'll take whatever TV results they muster.

Our games won't be streamed on Fox+. They are on TV.
 
Slasher said:
AND it wasn't on broadcast TV. Pretty bad indictment for the Big East on FOX.
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The title of this thread is very misleading. The Big East is far from "thriving". Ratings are consistently lower than most other basketball conferences year-to-year...and that's the only product that the conference offers. Absolutely nobody cares about venue attendance come basketball tournament time. Wait until NCAA games start tomorrow and venues are at 50% or less capacity everywhere for every game (exceptions being "home court advantages" for regional high seeds). And guess what? Millions of Americans will still watch the tournament...even the games that are being played in front of players friends/families. CBS isn't paying a gazillion dollars to the NCAA to air games at sold-out venues only. The premise that sold-out venues being any sort of indication that a conference is "thriving" is absolutely comical and completely misplaced. You can just as easily find 19,000 New Yorkers to go to Madison Square Garden to watch a championship high school basketball game.

The truth is that the Big East conference did a remarkable job at finding a desperate buyer for its part-time part-year content. Honestly, if we were to swap anything with the Big East, I wish we could swap commissioners. FOX desperately needed something/anything east and the Big East wasn't going to get anywhere close to $5M/yr from ESPN...who passed and instead inked MWC to a cheap deal at the time. The timing worked out incredibly well for the Big East and kudos to them for it.

My guess is that when the Big East's current TV deal expires, they won't get a raise either. Actually, the numbers they're pulling in on Fox sports would justify a significant pay cut. I don't know if it'll happen or not, but it would be VERY hard for anyone to compare ratings and still pay the Big East $5M/yr. Maybe their next deal will be scaled per school. Ex - Villanova (if Wright is still coach) gets $3M-$5M/yr; then a few (Georgetown? St John's? ) get $2M-$3M/yr; then the rest pull in $1M/yr or less. That would make more sense since half the conference are absolute deadweights with very tiny fanbases.

Fact is, not many casual sports fans watch regular season college basketball games. Most sports fans only begin to watch college basketball in March through the end of the tournament. Meanwhile, college football continues to outpace college basketball viewership by a very large margin. Sports fans do watch regular season college football games throughout the entire season. Hence, the AAC media deal being more lucrative than the Big East's.
 
Zissou said:
Our games won't be streamed on Fox+. They are on TV
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ESPN+ is not nearly the disadvantage that you want to hope/believe it is. Those ESPN+ games are only the dreg games that only the fans of each team will watch. Bottom line is that if a team in the AAC has a good season, they are going to be "rewarded" by having their games aired on ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU - maybe ABC - and will pull numbers that will always outpace anything FOX airs from the Big East. By filtering out ESPN+ low viewer games, it actually increases the viewer line of games that are on ABC/ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU etc and, ultimately, justifies the ROI of the network. Strong network viewership numbers are what advertising agencies care about and what drives everything.

Ironically, by airing so many Big East games that struggle to bring anyone to the TV set, it hurts the conference image which hurts advertising strength which could ultimately hurt the next Big East media deal. There is no way on Earth the Big East will secure north of the current $5M/yr. The viewership numbers don't justify that kind of cost by any means. The next Big East deal will likely see a fairly significant decrease.
 
Dooley said:
The premise that sold-out venues being any sort of indication that a conference is "thriving" is absolutely comical and completely misplaced. You can just as easily find 19,000 New Yorkers to go to Madison Square Garden to watch a championship high school basketball game.
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The 1/2 empty A10 tournament disproves your theory.
 
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Zissou said:
The 1/2 empty A10 tournament disproves your theory.
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When the formerly "must watch" Big East Final has fallen to the level where more folks watched the MWC Final...and the awful PAC 12 Final....well, it is not the Big East we all once knew.

The FOX broadcast network scored a 0.7 rating and 1.13 million viewers for Saturday’s Villanova-Seton Hall Big East Tournament final, down 22% in ratings and 24% in viewership from last year (Villanova-Providence: 0.9, 1.49M).

The BE Final has become a local event, a nice night out in New York...but is no longer the national must watch basketball event of the year.
 
Young folks (and some of us old folks with senior moments) forget about how the old Big East did capture the national interest in basketball.

Even a southern (primarily football) fan like me watched the old Big East.

The last title game of the original conference, Louisville-Syracuse on ESPN in 2013, had a 2.1 and 3.4 million rating. Double this year's.

UConn and Pitt, in the 2000's had one of the better rivalries in basketball...

Like the 2002 final which had Talik Brown hitting a three as UConn won in double OT....the teams met again in the 2003 and 2004 Finals (both won one).

The 1996 BE Championship game where UConn took on Georgetown's Allen Iverson and won with Ray Allen's shot as the clock ticked down (the Battle of the Allen's).

And yes, I remember when Georgetown and Nova faced off in the National Champiionship game..

And John Thompson and his Hoyas playing UNC in the national title game...with Patrick Ewing, Sleepy Floyd, Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, and Anthony Jones from that game all going in the first round.


No...for those of us who remember...the New Big East is not the BIG EAST.
 
billybud said:
Young folks (and some of us old folks with senior moments) forget about how the old Big East did capture the national interest in basketball.

Even a southern (primarily football) fan like me watched the old Big East.

The last title game of the original conference, Louisville-Syracuse on ESPN in 2013, had a 2.1 and 3.4 million rating. Double this year's.

UConn and Pitt, in the 2000's had one of the better rivalries in basketball...

Like the 2002 final which had Talik Brown hitting a three as UConn won in double OT....the teams met again in the 2003 and 2004 Finals (both won one).

The 1996 BE Championship game where UConn took on Georgetown's Allen Iverson and won with Ray Allen's shot as the clock ticked down (the Battle of the Allen's).

And yes, I remember when Georgetown and Nova faced off in the National Champiionship game..

And John Thompson and his Hoyas playing UNC in the national title game...with Patrick Ewing, Sleepy Floyd, Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, and Anthony Jones from that game all going in the first round.


No...for those of us who remember...the New Big East is not the BIG EAST.
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Do you (did you) go to any of these games (AAC or Big East Tournaments) first hand?
 
Zissou said:
Do you (did you) go to any of these games (AAC or Big East Tournaments) first hand?
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Why would I?

I was one of the millions who watched on TV....
 
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billybud said:
Why would I?
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Because you are a college basketball fan, I assume. So I take it you don't.

Couch jockeying sports is fine, but I think a perspective is missing when one doesn't actually go to the games. It's a different experience to not only see the games first hand and be in the building, but to tailgate, pre-game and post-game in the pubs, have the comradery of your friends (both from your team and the other team(s)), and live it.

You can catch some of the vibe from the TV, but you are not really living it.

I have been to a lot of games, including most of the Big East Tournaments. Also ACC games, SEC games, Big 10 games and a lot of NCAA games in addition to all of the major pro sports. Both basketball and football. I can tell you something is missing if the building is half empty. It's not all about TV, what network you are on, your lead-in, your time slot, your ratings, etc.

The Big East Tournament of old was great. UConn fans strongly represented, as did Cuse fans. The Cuse fans were probably the worst in the conference. I know Pitt had some good teams, but I don't really miss Pitt. (Screw them and West Virginia). Having it all surrounding MSG in NYC is phenomenal. I was concerned we would lose the Big East vibe after the restructure, but I'm pleasantly surprised. Fans from Creighton have swarmed NYC! We've replaced obnoxious Orange fans with polite Midwesterners in light blue who only say nice things about everyone! Seton Hall fans are now the worst of the conference. Things have changed, but the BET still has a great vibe with loud sold-out games, and not just the finals.

I'd love to see UConn come home to the Big East. Regional rivalries are important for sports, even in 2019. If you focus too much on money and TV ratings, you might miss how good the games are, actually. Sold-out arenas with screaming fans matter. I don't miss Pitt, Rutgers, or WV at all.

Maybe we don't have as much national appeal. Maybe our nationally televised games aren't between other ESPN broadcast games. The Big East is still thriving, when many of you believed the Requiem for the Big East had already been written.

And oh, by the way, 2 of the last 3 championships. I'm not sure how those looked on TV, but they were awesome from inside the arena.
 
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Zissou....

I was a southern guy living in Tallahassee during the old BE period.

I like sports...and watched basketball primarily in big games or tournaments.

The northeast is a long way from home.

Just curious...I have been to the Rose, Fiesta, Orange, Sugar, Emerald ( San Francisco), Peach, Cotton, Gator, and Champs Bowls....

...as well as to Columbus, South Bend, Lincoln, Baton Rouge, Charlottesville, Roanoke, Ann Arbor, Pittsburgh, etc for football games.

I guess you must have gone, at least, to the Pinstripe Bowl?
 
I've been to Yankee Stadium for baseball of course, and actually a pro football game there, but never been to the Pin Stripe Bowl. I've been to bowls, even though they are a long way from the Big East. Football games at Clemson and Georgia and others in the south. Cameron and the Phog for hoops. Wake, UNC, Clemson, Virginia (old and new), Pitt, GTown, etc. Of course the Palestra. Fenway, XL, the Dunk. South Bend. Happy Valley. US Opens. NBA playoffs. NFL. NHL. November tournament basketball. Nova Championships in Lexington, Houston, and San Antonio. A Final Four in Detroit. Regional NCAAs. I saw UConn beat Nova in Buffalo on the way to UConn's last title. I was at the game in Hartford last year. Etc, etc, etc.

If you have never breathed the air outside the Garden or felt the pulse of a game inside it, I think it's hard for you to get it. UConn fans know. It's hard to go to Memphis when you've lived tournament life in the Mecca.
 
Zissou said:
The 1/2 empty A10 tournament disproves your theory.
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Watch the NCAA tourney games today and tomorrow. Count how many of the games are sold out. Then come back here and continue to bang your head against the wall about the importance of sold-out arenas.
 
billybud said:
When the formerly "must watch" Big East Final has fallen to the level where more folks watched the MWC Final...and the awful PAC 12 Final....well, it is not the Big East we all once knew.

The FOX broadcast network scored a 0.7 rating and 1.13 million viewers for Saturday’s Villanova-Seton Hall Big East Tournament final, down 22% in ratings and 24% in viewership from last year (Villanova-Providence: 0.9, 1.49M).

The BE Final has become a local event, a nice night out in New York...but is no longer the national must watch basketball event of the year.
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Sums it up perfectly. Like I said somewhere, you can just as easily find 19,000 New Yorkers to go to MSG to watch a high school championship game. Big East hoops ratings are horrific and there just isn't any indication that it will get any better any time soon. FOX is trying to use B10 football to pump up BE ratings but it can't. There just isn't the amount of demand for it anymore now that the conference consists of nothing but small, private schools. All of the huge fanbases of the public schools are gone and they took their huge viewership eyeballs with them. And most casual fans don't begin to watch college hoops until March.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the Big East next media deal comes at a significant discount. Especially with yesterday's news of Disney buying FOX. Disney (ESPN) passed on the Big East before FOX inked them to that $5M/yr/school deal. I'm sure Disney/ESPN would bring back the Big East to their platform but they would likely want to pay the conference more on par with the MWC (around $1M/yr/school). Will be very interesting to see how that shakes out. And guess where most of those Big East games will air?? Yup, ESPN+. Oh the irony of that for OP.
 
Dooley said:
you can just as easily find 19,000 New Yorkers to go to MSG to watch a high school championship game.
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A10 half empty in NYC.

It's the Big East. 2 of the last 3 NCAA Championships.
 
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Big East History. Phil Booth this year is an all time great on the list of great MVPs. Only 4 MVPs are from teams that didn't win the BET - the Pearl, Alonzo, Victor Page, and Jonny Flynn.

There are legends that are not on this list. A.I. and Ray Allen are first to come to mind.

Only 3 two-time winners - Josh Hart, Peyton Silva, and Patrick

Craig Shelton, GU
Leo Rautins, SU
Eric Floyd, GU
Chris Mullin, St. John's
Patrick Ewing, GU
Patrick Ewing, GU
Dwayne Washington, SU
Reggie Williams, GU
Sherman Douglas, SU
Charles Smith, GU
Chris Smith, UConn
Oliver Taylor, SH
Alonzo Mourning, GU
Terry Dehere, SH
Michael Smith, PC
Kerry Kittles, VU
Victor Page, GU
Scoonie Penn, BC
Khalid El-Amin, UConn
Kevin Freeman, UConn
Bootsy Thornton, SJU
Troy Bell, BC
Caron Butler, UConn
Julius Page, Pitt
Ben Gordon, UConn
Hakim Warrick, SU
Gerry McNamara, SU
Jeff Green, GU
Sam Young, Pitt
Jonny Flynn, SU
Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia
Kemba Walker, UConn
Peyton Siva, Louisville
Peyton Siva, Louisville
Bryce Cotton, Providence
Josh Hart, Villanova
Isaiah Whitehead, SH
Josh Hart, Villanova
Mikal Bridges, Villanova
Phil Booth, Villanova
 
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