The Days of Bundlers (networks and cable/satellite providers) Are Nearing an End

[B1GALUM]

FWIW. Jim Delany discussing plan for future events in the NYC area although no details provided but says details will be coming soon. Starts around 1:35.
http://www.btn.com/video/?select=VK_EpknxdurF

 

[itgoeslike]

People don't make emotional attachments to conferences. They make emotional attachments to teams/schools.

You might remember how many UConn fans complained about playing Notre Dame at neutral sites. Iowa and Nebraska are never going to want to play each other in NYC in front of 30k people. Minnesota/Wisconsin? Purdue/Northwestern might not draw 15k.

The schools will never do what you are proposing. Maryland playing home games jn NYC? Their fan base would revolt and it makes zero sense. No one in NYC who isn't related to Boomer Esiason is going to be a Maryland fan.

The conference works for the schools. Not the other way around.

Your comments once again don't appear to apply to my posts, but I'll do my best to respond to them. The emotional connection is with the teams within the league. USC coming once every ten years is not going move the needle. The conference is the framework to build the relationship. If your talking about fans that complained about the prospect of playing Notre Dame at Fenway Park they were wrong. Nebraska and Wisconsin aren't going to have a problem playing a high profile game once every several years. The Northwestern game would most likely be scheduled at the Rent. Maryland is playing in Brooklyn in the coming months and will have its fan base show up. They would show up along with fans of their B1G opponent, especially if it was once every two years. UCF is playing Penn State in Ireland, UCONN played in Germany, the PAC are sending their football teams to China and Europe, http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/7/10/4511704/pac-12-football-china-europe

In contrast to your assertions that there is zero potential for college football in NYC, the B1G is moving forward with a greater local presence. Your comments appear to reflect what is and what was, and not necessarily might be. I think we will have to agree to disagree.

 

[whaler11]

Your comments once again don't appear to apply to my posts, but I'll do my best to respond to them. The emotional connection is with the teams within the league. USC coming once every ten years is not going move the needle. The conference is the framework to build the relationship. If your talking about fans that complained about the prospect of playing Notre Dame at Fenway Park they were wrong. Nebraska and Wisconsin aren't going to have a problem playing a high profile game once every several years. The Northwestern game would most likely be scheduled at the Rent. Maryland is playing in Brooklyn in the coming months and will have its fan base show up. They would show up along with fans of their B1G opponent, especially if it was once every two years. UCF is playing Penn State in Ireland, UCONN played in Germany, the PAC are sending their football teams to China and Europe, http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/7/10/4511704/pac-12-football-china-europe

In contrast to your assertions that there is zero potential for college football in NYC, the B1G is moving forward with a greater local presence. Your comments appear to reflect what is and what was, and not necessarily might be. I think we will have to agree to disagree.

I have replied to your posts. You do not get where the emotional connection lies. It is with a single school. Caring about the conference comes from the connection with a single school.

You brush away huge issues with your proposal: Nebraska is not giving up a home game in Lincoln to play a game in NYC. Schools like Nebraska do not give a flying **** about NYC. Wisconsin is not giving up a game in Madison. If the Big 10 office called these schools with this nonsense they would hang up.

There is only one facility in NYC to play football games before November. What do you think the attendance would be at the Meadowlands the fourth random college game of the season? 13k?

And for a bonus you are crossing basketball with football to come up with complete nonsense. UCONN played a college basketball game in Germany so Ohio State is going to punt a game in Columbus in front of 105k to play in front of 35k in New Jersey.

Get. A. Clue.

 

[itgoeslike]

I have replied to your posts. You do not get where the emotional connection lies. It is with a single school. Caring about the conference comes from the connection with a single school.

You brush away huge issues with your proposal: Nebraska is not giving up a home game in Lincoln to play a game in NYC. Schools like Nebraska do not give a flying about NYC. Wisconsin is not giving up a game in Madison. If the Big 10 office called these schools with this nonsense they would hang up.

There is only one facility in NYC to play football games before November. What do you think the attendance would be at the Meadowlands the fourth random college game of the season? 13k?

And for a bonus you are crossing basketball with football to come up with complete nonsense. UCONN played a college basketball game in Germany so Ohio State is going to punt a game in Columbus in front of 105k to play in front of 35k in New Jersey.

Get. A. Clue.

You're the one that's clueless. Thanks for repeating over and over again obvious crap like "fans like teams." No . Also, the fact you keep saying that Ohio State is giving up home games proves you have basic comprehension issues. OSU is going to eventually play an AWAY game at Rutgers, which could easily be played at a NYC venue. You also zero in on irrelevant parts of the conversation, oddly suggesting I was trying to slip basketball in between Penn State football playing in Ireland and PAC football teams playing in China. WTF does that have to do with anything? "I mentioned UCONN going to Germany because this is a UCONN board and because it blows a hole in your theory that teams would never travel out of the Midwest. Just look at Notre Dame's desire to represent in strategic and fan laden parts of the country. You also underestimate the B1G's fan base in the NYC region.

Here's the point I was making: Over time, if you increase frequency, visibility and buzz in a sustained and structured way, you will see an increase in fan support and media ratings. If you need to find a former teacher or smart adult to help explain, please do.

Apparently your forté is to sit around and abruptly disagree with people without providing any value-added insight into the discussion. Thank God you weren't around to derail UCONN's success before it ever got started.

 

[whaler11]

You're the one that's clueless. Thanks for repeating over and over again obvious crap like "fans like teams." No . Also, the fact you keep saying that Ohio State is giving up home games proves you have basic comprehension issues. OSU is going to eventually play an AWAY game at Rutgers, which could easily be played at a NYC venue. You also zero in on irrelevant parts of the conversation, oddly suggesting I was trying to slip basketball in between Penn State football playing in Ireland and PAC football teams playing in China. WTF does that have to do with anything? "I mentioned UCONN going to Germany because this is a UCONN board and because it blows a hole in your theory that teams would never travel out of the Midwest. Just look at Notre Dame's desire to represent in strategic and fan laden parts of the country. You also underestimate the B1G's fan base in the NYC region.

Here's the point I was making: Over time, if you increase frequency, visibility and buzz in a sustained and structured way, you will see an increase in fan support and media ratings. If you need to find a former teacher or smart adult to help explain, please do.

Apparently your forté is to sit around and abruptly disagree with people without providing any value-added insight into the discussion. Thank God you weren't around to derail UCONN's success before it ever got started.

Good lord. You've gone from Western Big 10 schools playing conference games in New York to Ohio State will play at Rutgers.

My forte is to point out obvious holes in delusions of grandeur. Your proposal is for Eastern Big 10 teams to give up home games to play at the Meadowlands.

Rutgers doesn't want Ohio State at the Meadowlands. Maryland doesn't want Michigan at the Meadowlands. Penn State doesn't want Wisconsin at the Meadowlands. This board made it clear UConn fans wanted Michigan at Rentschler. They all want those games at home because they want to leverage them to sell tickets and they want home field advantage.

You don't get that the schools care about themselves and not the conference. No coach worth a damn is going to risk his future for the good of the conference.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

We have been talking about NYC as a college football television market not if UConn can be nationally relevant in football. Your posts are constant moving targets and your rationalization is generally DREAM BIG but no substance on how to actually deliver on any of these dreams. So you can go on planning on how to spend your powerball winnings and I'll continue to worry about incremental gains. One can't get nationally relevant until they are locally relevant.

Note to self: focus; stay on point; think incrementally; play "small ball" (no home runs thank you very much); figure out how to make UConn relevant in Storrs first, Manchester can wait...

Have you ever worked for IBM big guy? The reason I ask is because the first hard drive they put in a personal computer was 10MB. The boys in the blue suits didn't believe anybody could ever max out a drive that big. Just wondering if you were one of them.

Just to tie things up from my perspective, I've been talking about UConn's presence in NYC as part of a plan for national relevance. I've been talking about the B1G's presence in NYC as part of a plan to capture the nations largest and most under served market to bolster their revenue stream going forward. I've been talking about how we should be trying to understand pricing models going forward when content providers stream themselves and ISPs are just an interface and can charge accordingly...

You've been talking about New York isn't a college football town because, well, it just isn't. And it never will be because, well, it just won't. Why don't people see that? Simple as a pimple really. Freakin grandiosity pimps. Who needs them?

 

[RegisteredUconn]

You don't need to have the ear of a conference president to tell what ideas have no chance of making it. Teams with very large stadiums bring in up to $10M for each home game and millions more for the local economy. You think they will leave that on the table for a lower payout for the sake of raising the profile of the NYC market to the extent your scenario would entail - especially for teams like Nebraska and Wisconsin who have a pretty small NYC alumni base? Neutral site payouts do not come close to the money that these schools will be leaving on the table.

A few games a year is fine, but the scope of what you're suggesting will mean leaving tons of money on the table for the local economies of these schools - it'll never work.

If you feel strongly about this, you should push for UConn playing all of its major home games in NYC instead of the Rent and see how much buyin you get.

I get in the mail (e-and snail) everyday telling me how somebody is going to give me a discount if I sign up for their stuff. They're willing to forgo some revenue today for greater revenue tomorrow. Go figure. Do I think that schools want to maximize revenues? Yes I do. Do I think the folks in Lincoln and Madison would be willing to play the occasional game in NYC if it meant substantially greater revenues for the conference and, by extension, them? In a New York Minute. And greater revenues don't even address intangibles like the value of "Road trip to New York" in a recruiting pitch.

 

[billybud]

LOL...I remember that 10 meg hard drive...Everything is relative, it was a huge upgrade from my 64 kb Commodore 64.

Your post made me review my PC history...And feel very old.

We all have changed how we use our PCs, based on their increased capability. In terms of entertainment, the 64 could play a version of Pong....I now have many, many movies stored, songs, pictures....

 

[itgoeslike]

Good lord. You've gone from Western Big 10 schools playing conference games in New York to Ohio State will play at Rutgers.

My forte is to point out obvious holes in delusions of grandeur. Your proposal is for Eastern Big 10 teams to give up home games to play at the Meadowlands.

Rutgers doesn't want Ohio State at the Meadowlands. Maryland doesn't want Michigan at the Meadowlands. Penn State doesn't want Wisconsin at the Meadowlands. This board made it clear UConn fans wanted Michigan at Rentschler. They all want those games at home because they want to leverage them to sell tickets and they want home field advantage.

You don't get that the schools care about themselves and not the conference. No coach worth a damn is going to risk his future for the good of the conference.

The B1G universities will continue to expand their local presence in NYC in the coming years, regardless of your assertion that NYC will always have zero interest in CF. The universities will do it out of self interest because it will ultimately make them more money, not less money. Obviously, they know something you don't. My money is on their vision, and not your lack thereof.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

LOL...I remember that 10 meg hard drive...Everything is relative, it was a huge upgrade from my 64 kb Commodore 64.

Your post made me review my PC history...And feel very old.

We all have changed how we use our PCs, based on their increased capability. In terms of entertainment, the 64 could play a version of Pong....I now have many, many movies stored, songs, pictures....

Ah, memory lane... It is a beautiful place to visit. I wonder how many of those original IBM drives I'd need to accommodate all the files I have stored today.

Be careful though or whaler will turn this into a "How Can We Get the Whale Back to Hartford?" thread.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

The B1G universities will continue to expand their local presence in NYC in the coming years, regardless of your assertion that NYC will always have zero interest in CF. The universities will do it out of self interest because it will ultimately make them more money, not less money. Obviously, they know something you don't. My money is on their vision, and not your lack thereof.

There are lots of guys like Rudy's dad and that priest at Joliet Catholic. Notre Dame's not for guys like you, Rudy. It all starts with a vision. Guys who want to bypass the vision and go straight to the plan are destined to utter the words, "What went wrong?"

 

[RegisteredUconn]

You don't need to have the ear of a conference president to tell what ideas have no chance of making it (today). Teams with very large stadiums bring in up to $10M for each home game and millions more for the local economy (today). You think they will leave that on the table for a lower payout for the sake of raising the profile of the NYC market to the extent your scenario would entail - especially for teams like Nebraska and Wisconsin who have a pretty small NYC alumni base? Neutral site payouts do not come close to the money that these schools will be leaving on the table (today).

A few games a year is fine, but the scope of what you're suggesting will mean leaving tons of money on the table for the local economies of these schools - it'll never work.

If you feel strongly about this, you should push for UConn playing all of its major home games in NYC instead of the Rent and see how much buyin you get. (Iodine is an essential element for good health. It doesn't mean you should drink a quart a day.)

How long do you think the current model for enjoying sporting events will continue? I wonder what the current ratio of "face-to-face" to "on-line" business meetings is. I wonder how that ratio is projected to move in the future. More on-line or more face-to-face? I wonder how the ability to see the action from one's living room where the players appear larger than they do from a stadium seat, where replay and slow-mo are available for almost every play (and where the programmer doesn't provide it, the DVR will) will affect stadium attendance. I wonder how long before those 100,000 seat behemoths become campus dinosaurs and a move toward smaller stadiums begins to take shape. Like it or not, the in-home experience is making inroads as the preferred mode of sports viewing. And that is likely to accelerate. But, what the hey, let's just jamb our heads in the sand and pretend that all change stops today.

 

[B1GALUM]

The B1G universities will continue to expand their local presence in NYC in the coming years, regardless of your assertion that NYC will always have zero interest in CF. The universities will do it out of self interest because it will ultimately make them more money, not less money. Obviously, they know something you don't. My money is on their vision, and not your lack thereof.

Jim Delany is absolutely interested in bringing B1G events to NYC and speaks specifically about "a regular influx of traditional, historic teams"; note "regular" in that statement.
Although he did not specifically name teams, I think one can presume he is referencing teams like Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State in football and Indiana and Michigan State in basketball.
The avoidance of teams losing games at home in football, which is already a concern with the move to the 9 game schedule, will need to be addressed.
However, Delany has made it clear the B1G will "be out there with events and with press opportunities" and "everything is on the table".
What are the events? Don't know but he makes it sound like it is more than just teams visiting Rutgers' campus.
Does it mean it will be successful? No but the B1G is going to try.

http://snyrutgers.com/rutgers/footb...ig-ten-to-take-over-the-new-york-city-market/
With the addition of Rutgers and the Pinstripe Bowl come 2014, it’s no secret that Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany is trying to get his conference to infiltrate the New York City market.
Something he reaffirmed at Big Ten football media days.
“Make no mistake about it: We’re going to be out there with events and with press opportunities, and we’re going to work hard to build relationships and friendships,” Delany told The Star-Ledger‘s Steve Politi. “We know it’s a competitive area for everything, and so we won’t dominate anything, but we want to be relevant for years to come.”
Which Delany said means, “everything is on the table.”
As Politi writes:

“even the Big Ten football kickoff, an annual event that attracts thousands of fans at $100 a pop for a luncheon and autograph session with coaches and players.​

That one has a long history here and won’t move any time soon. But the Big Ten basketball tip-off? The postseason hoops tournament? All of that could be coming to a hotel ballroom or an arena in the New York area, sooner than later, because Delany wants to conquer the media capital of the world.”​

Of course, the fact that Rutgers is in the shadow of the media capital of the world is a big help in making that happen. And making college sports relevant in New York City when they’re typically not.​

“It’s really hard to be part of the community if you’re not in it,” Delany said. “Rutgers and Maryland put us in that community. I grew up in New Jersey, so I understand the challenge. What the Big East tried to do in football and what others have tried to do, it didn’t have a regular influx of traditional, historic teams.”

 

[ctchamps]

How long do you think the current model for enjoying sporting events will continue? I wonder what the current ratio of "face-to-face" to "on-line" business meetings is. I wonder how that ratio is projected to move in the future. More on-line or more face-to-face? I wonder how the ability to see the action from one's living room where the players appear larger than they do from a stadium seat, where replay and slow-mo are available for almost every play (and where the programmer doesn't provide it, the DVR will) will affect stadium attendance. I wonder how long before those 100,000 seat behemoths become campus dinosaurs and a move toward smaller stadiums begins to take shape. Like it or not, the in-home experience is making inroads as the preferred mode of sports viewing. And that is likely to accelerate. But, what the hey, let's just jamb our heads in the sand and pretend that all change stops today.

I thought we solved the problem by putting couches at stadiums.

 

[RegisteredUconn]

I thought we solved the problem by putting couches at stadiums.

It was a stroke of genius, I admitted that.

 

[Pudge]

Nothing annoys me more than someone stating that past product is entirely predictive of future behavior!

Stating that NYC will never be consumers of CFB is just so blatantly ignorant of the way enterprises find markets as to be ignorant. Your UConn football program went from Zero (ok ... 4-6000) to a fairly big deal. You can cite all kinds of examples. One thing is absolutely true ... Things change. There's a huge new generation rising. We're now going to see a World Series of Video Games on our TV.

I agree with the OP. While his metrics on demographic regions is fairly meaningless, it points to the opportunity. This is why I've believed Rutgers & UConn have great future prospects. It's why Cuse reaches beyond Onondaga County. A penetration of this region can draw big numbers. Why? Because the population is here. (And unlike Syracuse & Buffalo) There is some good reason to see growth & potential. Swoffords is shortsighted. I'm hoping Delany & Co can expand on what he's saying on the Eastern front.

 

[ctchamps]

It was a stroke of genius, I admitted that.

I remember! It was on the football forum I believe and I just thought to bring it to this thread!

 

[whaler11]

Nothing annoys me more than someone stating that past product is entirely predictive of future behavior!

Stating that NYC will never be consumers of CFB is just so blatantly ignorant of the way enterprises find markets as to be ignorant. Your UConn football program went from Zero (ok ... 4-6000) to a fairly big deal. You can cite all kinds of examples. One thing is absolutely true ... Things change. There's a huge new generation rising. We're now going to see a World Series of Video Games on our TV.

I agree with the OP. While his metrics on demographic regions is fairly meaningless, it points to the opportunity. This is why I've believed Rutgers & UConn have great future prospects. It's why Cuse reaches beyond Onondaga County. A penetration of this region can draw big numbers. Why? Because the population is here. (And unlike Syracuse & Buffalo) There is some good reason to see growth & potential. Swoffords is shortsighted. I'm hoping Delany & Co can expand on what he's saying on the Eastern front.

Almost as annoying as postings of grandeur that contain zero tactics that deliver on these 'visions'.

No one has ever said that NYC won't potentially consume more college football in the future so good job with that. I am saying that adding Rutgers and playing random games in the area (really just the Meadowlands) isn't going to change that.

The more I look at the more obvious it becomes that the BTN is not going to get what they want from the NYC DMA carriers with what they have today. There isn't really even much juice or enthusiasm around Rutgers for their promotion - nevermind anywhere outside Piscataway.

 

[RS9999X]

Bundling will take on new forms. Anyone thinking Areo local stations with DVR, Netflix, and Spotify for $300 a year on a $35 chromestick won't start eating cable is crazy. Add Hulu and its $33 a month total for a year. $50 a month for internet and WiFi phones. That's about the same price as DirecTV on its most basic plan before taxes and box and remote rentals. Expect Amazon, Netflix, Google and Microsoft to get into content wars and bundle services with exclusives.

 

[junglehusky]

Bundling will take on new forms. Anyone thinking Areo local stations with DVR, Netflix, and Spotify for $300 a year on a $35 chromestick won't start eating cable is crazy. Add Hulu and its $33 a month total for a year. $50 a month for internet and WiFi phones. That's about the same price as DirecTV on its most basic plan before taxes and box and remote rentals. Expect Amazon, Netflix, Google and Microsoft to get into content wars and bundle services with exclusives.

Here's a post from the Atlantic on what ESPN is thinking about the future... bottom line is that with wages / incomes for working class folks not going up, more people are likely to see $800 bucks a year for a cable bundle as a luxury, and maybe not a necessity. The economy - specifically wages for the lower ~20-50% (not to get all Occupy Wall Street) - is more of a threat to ESPN than Chromecast... for now.

 

[itgoeslike]

Here's a post from the Atlantic on what ESPN is thinking about the future... bottom line is that with wages / incomes for working class folks not going up, more people are likely to see $800 bucks a year for a cable bundle as a luxury, and maybe not a necessity. The economy - specifically wages for the lower ~20-50% (not to get all Occupy Wall Street) - is more of a threat to ESPN than Chromecast... for now.

Here's 3 takes on the news that ESPN is exploring putting their entire suite of products on a web-based TV Service. . .

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...s-preliminary-talks-for-web-based-pay-tv.html
http://www.fiercecable.com/story/es...ould-have-buy-whole-suite-products/2013-08-22
http://advanced-television.com/2013/08/22/espn-in-ott-talks/

 

[junglehusky]

Here's 3 takes on the news that ESPN is exploring putting their entire suite of products on a web-based TV Service. . .

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...s-preliminary-talks-for-web-based-pay-tv.html
http://www.fiercecable.com/story/es...ould-have-buy-whole-suite-products/2013-08-22
http://advanced-television.com/2013/08/22/espn-in-ott-talks/

Well, that'll be interesting to see if this comes together quickly, or not, and what the pricing would be. If it doesn't happen fast, maybe ESPN will use the news to scare cable providers with thoughts of losing customers, in order to maintain or increase their fees.

 

[noeynox]

Bundling will take on new forms. Anyone thinking Areo local stations with DVR, Netflix, and Spotify for $300 a year on a $35 chromestick won't start eating cable is crazy. Add Hulu and its $33 a month total for a year. $50 a month for internet and WiFi phones. That's about the same price as DirecTV on its most basic plan before taxes and box and remote rentals. Expect Amazon, Netflix, Google and Microsoft to get into content wars and bundle services with exclusives.

I picked up chrome stick for fun and was surprised at the picture quality and its simple set up. I really picked up for when we go on vacation and want the kids to watch something on tv instead of the kindle fire and to try it out. I"m telling you, if I wasn't a sports fan I would absolutely do away with cable. It is an option that as my kids get older and start playing sports I may consider as well.

 

[upstater]

I picked up chrome stick for fun and was surprised at the picture quality and its simple set up. I really picked up for when we go on vacation and want the kids to watch something on tv instead of the kindle fire and to try it out. I"m telling you, if I wasn't a sports fan I would absolutely do away with cable. It is an option that as my kids get older and start playing sports I may consider as well.

I was in Greece for a month and none of these services worked for us over there because of licensing laws. Instead, I had slingbox. But for my kids it's a problem because it's live TV and they're not used to it. So, we bought entire seasons of Scooby Doo for them (20 episodes for $10) and that worked just as well. They watched a couple a day, then we bought other seasons. It's a brave new world out there.

 

[itgoeslike]

Well, that'll be interesting to see if this comes together quickly, or not, and what the pricing would be. If it doesn't happen fast, maybe ESPN will use the news to scare cable providers with thoughts of losing customers, in order to maintain or increase their fees.

I think they are doing it to increase revenue and for strategic reasons. Price concessions are great, but they have more to lose if they miss the boat as things transition. Netflix, Apple, Google, Amazon, Sony are all moving forward as quickly as they can.