Any MAC fan in Ohio with dish who can't get TWCS can instead walk to any Ohio MAC school and watch the game live in person. Another positive of this deal. The rest of the MAC may finally get to watch games and who knows, maybe a few in Ohio will be inconvenienced enough to have to get off the couch and walk across the street and actually go to a game for once.

Win-win.

But they'll probably pout instead.

I'll be in Mississippi so I was relying on STO to watch any MAC games once I ship down there. I wont be able to walk into a sports bar and ask for the channel to be changed to a MAC game now.

(08-28-2013 09:42 AM)ilovegymnast Wrote:  I'll be in Mississippi so I was relying on STO to watch any MAC games once I ship down there. I wont be able to walk into a sports bar and ask for the channel to be changed to a MAC game now.

You couldn't before. STO blacked-out outside of MAC footprint. If the game is on GamePlan or FullCourt then the sports bar in Mississippi will still get the game even on TWCS the same as STO before. (Assuming they pay for FullCourt or GamePlan)

If you lived outside of the MAC footprint, even if you had DirecTV with the most expensive package that carried STO, all MAC games were blacked-out and so STO was worthless. Only paying extra for GamePlan or FullCourt could get you the games. Steinbrecher said that with TWCS you could still get the games outside the footprint if they were on FullCourt or GamePlan. STO was worthless outside of the footprint.

ESPN owned the national rights to MAC games, no way would they let STO show the games via dish nationally. You had to pay ESPN by buying FullCourt.

STO stunk for everybody outside of a select few within walking distance to all the games in Ohio.

(08-28-2013 10:05 AM)Miami (Oh) Yeah ! Wrote:  

(08-28-2013 09:42 AM)ilovegymnast Wrote:  I'll be in Mississippi so I was relying on STO to watch any MAC games once I ship down there. I wont be able to walk into a sports bar and ask for the channel to be changed to a MAC game now.

You couldn't before. STO blacked-out outside of MAC footprint. If the game is on GamePlan or FullCourt then the sports bar in Mississippi will still get the game even on TWCS the same as STO before. (Assuming they pay for FullCourt or GamePlan)

If you lived outside of the MAC footprint, even if you had DirecTV with the most expensive package that carried STO, all MAC games were blacked-out and so STO was worthless. Only paying extra for GamePlan or FullCourt could get you the games. Steinbrecher said that with TWCS you could still get the games outside the footprint if they were on FullCourt or GamePlan. STO was worthless outside of the footprint.

What p*ssed me off is that I have STO via DirecTV and GamePlan/FullCourt and when there was a game I had to watch it on GamePlan/FullCourt in standard definition while it was shown in HD on STO (but blacked out on that channel).

Ugh!!

Miami (OH) Yeah- I don't think all of your facts are correct. First of all the MAC games on STO were available in SW Ohio (where STO doesn't exist) on the same Time Warner Cable channel that all of the MAC games are on now. So you need to add to your STO numbers.

Also, this TWC cable channel is a plus channel (my father in law doesn't get it)- STO was a basic channel in Ohio. So I am curious of your 2.8M TWC customers how many get this channel. Also, STO is probably a common channel for many Ohio Sports fans to flip through looking for a game...I am curious how many of you have ever watched this TWC before today

Finally, I live in NE Ohio and I go to a lot of MAC games...I am a season ticket holder for Miami football (don't go to all the games)....I went to Miami BB games at BG, Kent and Akron last year... I sometimes go to random Kent and Akron BB games. I always go to the MAC tournament. But I still watched plenty of games on STO

The final point is STO production quality was awesome. I would rather have 40 awesome telecasts than 50 standard definition telecasts. So we will see how good TWC is- but for me on Direct TV GamePlan and Full Court it will be SD.

(08-28-2013 10:05 AM)Miami (Oh) Yeah ! Wrote:  

(08-28-2013 09:42 AM)ilovegymnast Wrote:  I'll be in Mississippi so I was relying on STO to watch any MAC games once I ship down there. I wont be able to walk into a sports bar and ask for the channel to be changed to a MAC game now.

You couldn't before. STO blacked-out outside of MAC footprint. If the game is on GamePlan or FullCourt then the sports bar in Mississippi will still get the game even on TWCS the same as STO before. (Assuming they pay for FullCourt or GamePlan)

If you lived outside of the MAC footprint, even if you had DirecTV with the most expensive package that carried STO, all MAC games were blacked-out and so STO was worthless. Only paying extra for GamePlan or FullCourt could get you the games. Steinbrecher said that with TWCS you could still get the games outside the footprint if they were on FullCourt or GamePlan. STO was worthless outside of the footprint.

ESPN owned the national rights to MAC games, no way would they let STO show the games via dish nationally. You had to pay ESPN by buying FullCourt.

STO stunk for everybody outside of a select few within walking distance to all the games in Ohio.

I never had a problem when I was in Texas doing the same thing. The chances of some of the bars we went to having ESPN fullcourt and gameplan had to be slim. Actually turned a good group of Texans onto MAC football and basketball because of it. I can't vouch for other areas.

I never even knew there was a Time Warner Sport Channel until I read this thread. Will have to check and see if I have it after work.

(08-28-2013 10:27 AM)chuckwalker Wrote:  Miami (OH) Yeah- I don't think all of your facts are correct. First of all the MAC games on STO were available in SW Ohio (where STO doesn't exist) on the same Time Warner Cable channel that all of the MAC games are on now. So you need to add to your STO numbers.

Also, this TWC cable channel is a plus channel (my father in law doesn't get it)- STO was a basic channel in Ohio. So I am curious of your 2.8M TWC customers how many get this channel. Also, STO is probably a common channel for many Ohio Sports fans to flip through looking for a game...I am curious how many of you have ever watched this TWC before today

Finally, I live in NE Ohio and I go to a lot of MAC games...I am a season ticket holder for Miami football (don't go to all the games)....I went to Miami BB games at BG, Kent and Akron last year... I sometimes go to random Kent and Akron BB games. I always go to the MAC tournament. But I still watched plenty of games on STO

The final point is STO production quality was awesome. I would rather have 40 awesome telecasts than 50 standard definition telecasts. So we will see how good TWC is- but for me on Direct TV GamePlan and Full Court it will be SD.

I do agree that the STO production quality was excellent. Better than ESPN in my opinion.

Sounds kind of like STO will be merged into FSO though and could get shuttered though

Also sounds like FSO wasn't that big on carrying the MAC and there was plenty of conflicts of interest once STO became a Fox property.

I don't think this TWCS deal is an "awesome" deal, but may be the best we had once Fox bought STO and it probably isnt as bad as many have made it out to be and could get better with time and expand the viewing footprint to the rest of the MAC.

I am really concerned about production quality.

MAC may have had no other choice.

I'll give it a break.

Well, This seems to be the TWCS channel lineup for the MAC footprint for OH, NY, IN, and MI. Nothing for IL yet, but I'm sure they are working on it. (However parts of Wisconsin is covered). Comcast and Buckeye Cable are on board.

The 2013 MAC Football Preview Show will air on the following cable outlets:

Ohio:
Time Warner Cable SportsChannel: 1311 (HD) and 311.
BCSN: Check your local listings

Indiana:
Comcast Indiana: Channel 81
Air Dates: Friday, August 30 @ 6:00 pm; Saturday, August 31 @ 12:00 pm; Sunday, September 1 @ 6:00 pm; Monday, September 2 @ 9:30 pm; Wednesday, September 4 @ 8:00 pm; Friday, September 6 @ 6:00 pm; Saturday, September 7 @ 12:00 pm; Sunday, September 8 @ 6:00 pm.

Michigan:
Comcast: Channel 900
Air Dates: Friday, August 30 @ 5:30 pm; Saturday, August 31 @ 12:00 pm; Sunday, September 1 @ 6:00 pm; Monday, September 2 @ 9:00 pm; Wednesday, September 4 @ 8:30 pm; Friday, September 6 @ 5:30 pm; Saturday, September 7 @ 12:00 pm; Sunday, September 8 @ 6:00 pm.

New York:
Albany, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel: 1803
Buffalo, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel: 713
Central New York, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel: 323 (HD)
Hudson Valley, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel: 461
New York City, Time Warner Cable: 197
Rochester, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel: 1026
Syracuse, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel: 323

Wisconsin:
Milwaukee, Time Warner Cable: 1332 (HD) and 32 analog
Air Date: Saturday, August 31 @ 11:00 am.

ESPN3
Subject to blackout.


http://www.mac-sports.com/tabid/969/Arti...annel.aspx

Akron is going to continue to use STO for it's weekly coaches shows.

http://gozips.com/sports/fball/2013-14/r...0829iccvfz

MAC season preview show on Comcast Chicago right now...

(08-31-2013 09:04 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  MAC season preview show on Comcast Chicago right now...

Thanks! Other than Bulls games, this is the first time I remember having reason to watch this channel.

(08-31-2013 09:04 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  MAC season preview show on Comcast Chicago right now...

BTW, it's really hard to believe that woman who is speaking about how good Dri Archer is, etc. I mean I know personally but it's just hard to believe what she's saying. I guess I'm still sexist.

Speaking of cable and things of that sort I was at Applebees with a friend and we spent the night watching the Kent State, Akron, Bowling Green, and Ball State games on his tablet. It was really nice being able to see all of those games at a push of a button.

(08-31-2013 09:04 PM)niusfactuary Wrote:  MAC season preview show on Comcast Chicago right now...

Easy to put this on whenever. Putting a game on live is totally different.

Here is a nice link from TWC showing the states they do business in and the number of subscribers they have (% of households that have cable and then US Census of households)

http://www.twcmedia.com/TWC/PB/CustomerC...ageid=4693

- 48.21% of all households in the state of Ohio subscribe to TWC and will have TWCS MAC coverage
- 55.53% of all households in the state of New York subscribe to TWC and will have TWCS MAC coverage
- 55.2% of households in Kentucky will have MAC coverage on TWC (mostly Lexington and Louisville)
- 24.61% of households in Wisconsin will have MAC coverage on TWCS (mostly Milwaukee)
- 1.37% of households in Pennsylvania will have MAC coverage on TWC (mostly Erie, PA)
- 2.86% of households in West Virginia will have MAC coverage


The new deal will have 7 million subscribers not counting whatever set-up is in Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. Including those states it will be well over 10 million subscribers (compared to 2.8 million for STO).

That website will show you all the details and even the other networks TWC has too.

I'm only worried about production quality, what I've seen so far isn't near the quality of what STO was producing.

A couple things/questions

1) Are you sure that the TWC Channel 311 is on all of those households you mentioned? My father in law has TWC and doesn't get Channel 311. Don't you need an advanced package to get Channel 311

2) I don't remember Kentucky being included in the TWC MAC footprint...is that true?

3) I don't think you can compare to STO 2.8M- you aren't counting the people in SW Ohio that got the STO games on TWC

4) I don't think you are accounting for the fact that STO is a channel that is on people's speed dial and I am not sure anyone would ever turn on 311 by accident.

(09-04-2013 03:41 PM)chuckwalker Wrote:  A couple things/questions

1) Are you sure that the TWC Channel 311 is on all of those households you mentioned? My father in law has TWC and doesn't get Channel 311. Don't you need an advanced package to get Channel 311

2) I don't remember Kentucky being included in the TWC MAC footprint...is that true?

3) I don't think you can compare to STO 2.8M- you aren't counting the people in SW Ohio that got the STO games on TWC

4) I don't think you are accounting for the fact that STO is a channel that is on people's speed dial and I am not sure anyone would ever turn on 311 by accident.

The official "MAC Footprint" according to the ESPN contract which defines our limitations on "regional" coverage is any state that has a MAC University and any adjacent state to a state that has a MAC university. Such states include Wisconsin
Which lines up with the official press release from the MAC touting the channel in Milwaukee that one could view the MAC football preview there (and other places of course). I am assuming that if those areas carry the MAC preview, they will also carry the live events which would be allowed by ESPN. Am I sure? No.

Same goes with norther Ky and Erie, PA. Websites like TitanTV could show their exact listings.

I would be surprised that any Ohio TWC subscriber wouldnt get channel 311. Miami's home hockey games were on TWC 311 last year and it seemed like everybody got it. Again, am I sure? No.

Does the MAC TV deal with ESPN expire on June 30, 2016 or June 30, 2017?

(09-04-2013 03:41 PM)chuckwalker Wrote:  A couple things/questions

1) Are you sure that the TWC Channel 311 is on all of those households you mentioned? My father in law has TWC and doesn't get Channel 311. Don't you need an advanced package to get Channel 311

2) I don't remember Kentucky being included in the TWC MAC footprint...is that true?

3) I don't think you can compare to STO 2.8M- you aren't counting the people in SW Ohio that got the STO games on TWC

4) I don't think you are accounting for the fact that STO is a channel that is on people's speed dial and I am not sure anyone would ever turn on 311 by accident.

In terms of your 1st question - a TWC subscriber needs to have the digital video tier - if you only have standard cable (no converter box - plugged directly into the outlet), you will not get this channel. The good news is that approximately 75%+ of TWC subscribers have at least one TV on a box.