Big Ten TV

[bste_lax]

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com ... -headlines

So the Big Ten looks like they will be getting a TV network on Direct TV. This could be beneficial to lacrosse since they will need content especially if Michigan or Michigan State could get some form of a broadcast going like BYU TV.

[Sonny]

Expect this to be the wave of the future.

Can a Lacrosse only channel be far behind?

[KnoxVegas]

Goodbye Golf! Hello Lacrosse Channel!

[DanGenck]

The Big Ten has also made no secret about the fact that in the future, they would like the Big Ten channel to be the only place to watch their football games.

Booooo...

[Sonny]

The Big Ten has also made no secret about the fact that in the future, they would like the Big Ten channel to be the only place to watch their football games.

Booooo...

ABC/ESPN has millions of dead presidents why that won't happen anytime soon.

[Brent Burns]

Would Big Ten actually be a bellwether where other conferences would follow suit? What would the pros and cons be for Big Ten TV?

[bste_lax]

Would Big Ten actually be a bellwether where other conferences would follow suit? What would the pros and cons be for Big Ten TV?

Pro
-More exposure to non-revenue sports

Con
-It won't be in as many homes than having their football and basketball games on ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPN+.

[bste_lax]

I didn't fully read the article but I guess they will still be part of ABC/ESPN for the "big" games but I don't think all the games would be on ESPN/ESPN2 like they are now for football.

[mholtz]

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/cs-060620bigtenchannel,1,102647.story?coll=cs-college-headlines

So the Big Ten looks like they will be getting a TV network on Direct TV. This could be beneficial to lacrosse since they will need content especially if Michigan or Michigan State could get some form of a broadcast going like BYU TV.

The Michigan vs Michigan State game was covered live on Comcast Local (available to all Comcast subscribers in Michigan and Indiana).

We are expecting that to be an ongoing thing.

[bste_lax]

Iowa's soon-to-be-gone AD had a press conference about the Big Ten TV.

Here are some quick hitters:

-Goes into affect in August 2007.

-They plan to make the channel available on expanded basic cable, not any type of special sports package or anything. Don't know if this is nationally or just regionally.

-The only football games that are not guaranteed to be on either ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, or the Big Ten Channel will be the non-conference away games but they would work with those teams/regions about getting them on TV. All conference games would be on TV.

-Game times will be more spread out so they don't have 4-5 running at the same time including one "prime time" game a week.

-Other conferences are trying to start something like this as well.

-Each school is getting an extra 7.5 million of this new TV deal.

-All the coach shows will be shown on here as well as locally. They are also going to try and create original content (Hawkeye Lacrosse Talk with Matt Benson?!?! )

-Men's Basketball still has a deal with CBS through 2010 so CBS would still show games on weekends.

-They are also possibly getting some old games from ABC/ESPN to show some "classic games".

Sounds like a promising deal if you ask me.

[bste_lax]

Here is a full transcript of Bob Bowlsby's press conference that I talked about above:

http://iowa.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=555197

[WyoPoke]

Would Big Ten actually be a bellwether where other conferences would follow suit? What would the pros and cons be for Big Ten TV?

Pro
-More exposure to non-revenue sports

Con
-It won't be in as many homes than having their football and basketball games on ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU/ESPN+.

The Mountain West was the first conference to sign an exclusive conference deal. The mtn. (a joint venture between the MWC and CSTV) will launch with UW's football game against Utah State.

The difference between Big Ten TV and The mtn.? Big Ten TV will actually be seen. To date there hasn't been any word in Cheyenne or, to the best of my knowledge, any other MWC markets about whether or not local cable systems are going to pick up the channel.

As if signing a deal with a fledgling network like CSTV because you're tired of ESPN trying to force your teams to play every day other than Thursday or Saturday wasn't diminishing the league's exposure enough, then they went and did something stupid by creating their own network that people may not ever get to watch.