The unofficial online home for fans of the Old Dominion University Monarchs. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

(03-14-2017 01:20 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(03-14-2017 12:56 PM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(03-14-2017 11:41 AM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(03-14-2017 10:06 AM)EverRespect Wrote:  

(03-13-2017 03:51 PM)monarx Wrote:  Any chance ODU could work out an independent deal with MASN? That would be ideal. Heck, I'd give them every game not purchased elsewhere for free. Thats exposure in the area we need it.

We used to be on MASN often. I wonder if we could negotiate collectively with VCU, W&M, JMU and Mason to at least get on as often as we used to. Add Mason back OOC, MASN covers all the games among the 5 schools and maybe pick up a few more games aren't on the conference TV schedules.

Is there any reason we can't collectively bargain for ourselves as a group of Virginia schools for regional coverage if we aren't in the same conference?

Maybe if you did some sort of Philly 5 round-robin and marketed the rights to that? The Patrick Henry Cup? As far as bargaining as a collective, I can't imagine VCU signing on to that, given their deal with Learfield. Plus does MASN even want more basketball content? They often passed on ODU games through ASN.

VCU fans may feel like they are above it, but these are games that would otherwise not be on TV (granted, I have never heard of Learfield).

A regional network like MASN is not going to be interested in our conference games, even the better ones like MTSU and WKU, as all of the rest of our conference falls outside of MASN's region. Even if ODU has a decent fanbase, they are likely to get more viewers and advertising playing Drexel and Delaware. However, if we let them pick up the round robin, we might be able to get a couple more to go with it as part of the deal (like MTSU and WKU). If we could get something like this done, it would be worth it, even if we break even or lose a marginal amount for it. It would be worth it not only due to the fact that we could have 5-6 games that would be on every channel lineup for casual fans in the DC metro, but also for our alumni base in the DC metro, which is not insignificant.

I don't even think it's a matter of fan perception, though I grant you that's probably the case as well. It's more that VCU already has a pretty good TV setup between the A-10 contract, whatever TV they get through their opponents on the road, and the deal they have with their home games. It appears that their only non-televised game this season was at home against Princeton (which is odd, because there's no way that Binghamton or UNC Asheville rate as better games). They gain nothing by negotiating as a unit with two CAA schools, ODU and Mason.

Whatever interest MASN has in a game is going to hinge on regional relevance and having two regional teams in the same game helps. ODU-UMES or JMU-Campbell or whatever wouldn't do it. Thus, the Patrick Henry Cup. But MASN or any other regional sports channel is going to pick and choose their content, and even if ODU-MTSU is an option, it's entirely possible that the timeslot is occupado.

If ODU wants better presence in D.C., they should negotiate directly with one of the local TV stations up there. The ASN affiliate up here often passed on games, but if ODU is directly reaching out to the station with a contract that allows for game-driven advertising and a selling point of XX,000 alumni in the viewing area, they stand a much better chance at clearance in the region, even if on the .2 or .3 channel. If nothing else, WJLA's News Channel 8 shows DC United games, so they're not adverse to cutting into their loop of the most recent news show for sports.

I'm no expert on this stuff, just trying to think outside the box and hope that whoever is supposed to be the expert sees it and gets some actionable ideas they can take credit for. I just want to be able to see the games on television with audio that works and a picture that is stable and in HD. I don't care if it comes via MASN, ESPN, CBS, NBC, Fox, BEiN, an obscure channel on Cox, or MTV. I don't want to pay extra beyond my cable bill to subscribe to 12 different sites at $5 per month per pop and stream a schitty feed that buffers every 20 seconds. With the size of our athletic department, I don't think it is too much to ask someone to go around CUSA (who is no help) and figure it out.