Would ESPN give BE ACC money just to shut out NBC Sports?

[Palatine]

I think the BE needs to pay close attention to the UFC and their TV contract/ratings over the past 2 years. Not because they're comparable sports, but because what the UFC did is what many on this board want the BE to do. The UFC went from an almost-exclusive contract with SpikeTv (throw in a little Versus and Epix) to a national contract with the Fox network. After several years of consistency the UFC on Spike was a known commodity. MMA fans knew where to go to watch the UFC. Then the Fox deal comes along - big money, 4 events on BigFox and then a mix of Fx and FuelTv. Since the new contract began, the UFC's TUF ratings have taken a dive moving from Spike to Fx. The UFC is putting live events on Fuel that would have garnered 1-1.8m viewers on Spike......and those events are coming in at 150-200k (which generally break viewership records for Fuel). So the UFC got a boatload of cash and some national broadcasts, but noone watches Fuel (60m subscribers and tough to get in HD, if it's even available) and people don't watch Fx like they did Spike.

That is the stuff that gets me nervous about NBC. Every bar and sports fan in the country knows to turn to ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU if they're looking for a random live sporting event. Going to a new station with a limited existing following/viewership will be painful at first - and I'm sure ESPN would do their best to forget/ignore us.

It's NBC.

 

[UConnDan97]

You see what I did there. I ended with the Ocho, which was from Dodgeball, which starred Vince Vaughn, who was in Swingers where his big line was "Vegas baby" where I changed to Versus, the old name of NBCSN....oh just forget I brought it up.

You're so money. You're so money and you don't even know it!

 

[The Funster]

NBC would be the logical choice. They have ND and can piggyback and NBE game on top of the weekly ND game. As much as we bitch about ND and the old BE, ND is still a big hook that can work to the NBE's benefit and I'm sure NBC can use that hook for it's own benefit.

 

[huskypantz]

It's NBC.

It's NBC for what, one Saturday broadcast per week? Otherwise, it's NBC sports network or CSN or some other network. It's not like NBC will be preempting their regularly scheduled Monday prime time lineup for UConn-Louisville.

 

[FAIRTIDES]

I think the BE needs to pay close attention to the UFC and their TV contract/ratings over the past 2 years. Not because they're comparable sports, but because what the UFC did is what many on this board want the BE to do. The UFC went from an almost-exclusive contract with SpikeTv (throw in a little Versus and Epix) to a national contract with the Fox network. After several years of consistency the UFC on Spike was a known commodity. MMA fans knew where to go to watch the UFC. Then the Fox deal comes along - big money, 4 events on BigFox and then a mix of Fx and FuelTv. Since the new contract began, the UFC's TUF ratings have taken a dive moving from Spike to Fx. The UFC is putting live events on Fuel that would have garnered 1-1.8m viewers on Spike......and those events are coming in at 150-200k (which generally break viewership records for Fuel). So the UFC got a boatload of cash and some national broadcasts, but noone watches Fuel (60m subscribers and tough to get in HD, if it's even available) and people don't watch Fx like they did Spike.

That is the stuff that gets me nervous about NBC. Every bar and sports fan in the country knows to turn to ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU if they're looking for a random live sporting event. Going to a new station with a limited existing following/viewership will be painful at first - and I'm sure ESPN would do their best to forget/ignore us.

If NBC signs the BE for significant $'s, NBC will now how to make it all work. That includes getting the word out on NBCSPORTS. NBC is not going to make a large investment in sport's programming and watch the whole thing die because nobody knows how to find the games. NBC will promote NBCSPORTS and, by necessity, the BE.

 

[ShakyTheMohel]

If the money is the same, I think it makes sense to go NBC.

As an out of town UConn fan, most of the games this year are either ESPN3 or Gameplan. And if they are on ESPN/2 it is a weeknight. I don't know if it is just my cable system, but the picture quality on Gameplan is awful...worse than standard low def. ESPN3 has a better picture.

It would be nice to watch a Saturday afternoon game in HD for once...even if it is on NBCsports.

 

[pj]

On NBC the broadcast network we could have a Saturday lead-in to the ND game and a post-ND game. NBC Sports Network could show four Saturday games in succession (or 3 games overlapping with cutaways to more interesting games/action) plus a few weeknight games.

That could be slots for 8 nationally televised BE games per week, which would make every game nationally televised if we go to 16 teams. That's huge.

 

[dsturdy5]

NBC only has the rights to the ND home games. That is what, 7 Saturdays per year? Going by this year's schedule, the games are almost all 3:30, two games at 7:30. The 3:30 games allow nicely for a BE game at noon for an old style Saturday afternoon doubleheader (remember when ABC had noon and 3:30 games?).

The weeks that ND plays a night game, you could slide the BE game to 3:30. When ND is not on the network, play a single BE game at 3:30.

NBCSN could carry a game or two on Saturday's with one being primetime. Between NBC and NBCSN you could have upwards of 4 games on national tv each Saturday. The rest fall into regional networks like CSN/SNY.

You would also be able to do what CBS does on Sunday's and ESPN does on MNF, advertise the hell out of the big upcoming college games the next weekend during NFL games.

This question has probably already been asked but, could the BE get, on a smaller level, a deal like ESPN has with the SEC where CBS controls some games and ESPN gets the rest? I could see ESPN not wanting to lose the BE basketball rights and they could possibly do this by promising the BE a football game on ESPN2 Saturday afternoon or an ESPNU primetime game each week while NBC gets to control the rest of the games. In return ESPN gets to control the majority of the BE basketball games.

 

[Palatine]

With multiple platforms, NBC, NBS Sports, even MSNBC, every BE game could be shown every week end.

The #1 and #2 games along with ND on NBC.

Then the 3, 4, 5, 6 games on NBC Sports. This would be an especially good venue for the west coast teams.

On an out of conference week end with more game involving the BE, the lesser NBC cable channels like CNBC or MSNBC could carry games.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The basketball and football contracts don't expire concurrently, don't know the exact dates - pretty sure football contract is up as of the final whistle on Dec. 1st, 2012. Basketball, I think doesn't expire until after the big east season finishes up in March 2013.

I have no idea if both can be discussed at the same time starting 9/1, because if I"m not mistaken, ESPN holds the football contract exclusively, but I think but CBS is partnered with basketball...so not sure if ESPN can even talk about basketball without CBS interests present right now....again - not entirely sure how that's all goign to work come 1 september.

What I am sure about, is that it all gets real interesting in a few weeks. Key word - real.

 

[whaler11]

Talk about a disingenous post. You left out playing noon games on Saturday. Which is about the time that UConn historically played games before going big time, and which is the time slot that our school keeps saying it prefers.

If you can't make your point with all of the obviously relevant facts, maybe, just maybe, it wasn't worth making.

Disengenous? Too kind, it's not even true.