It's May and as of right now only two service providers have signed up for the SEC Network. The SE two largest providers, DirecTV (rural) and Comcast (urban) are still resisting at the moment. Now I've driven through Atlanta and have seen the billboards promoting the SEC Network with the orange and red helmets, a clear indication that ESPN is willing to use the Clemson/UGA game as leverage. But consider the following:
The season starts and the hold out continues, causing ESPN to flex the the Clemson/UGA game to the SEC Network. Fans in the South aren't going to be bereft of SEC Football. You'll still end up with the premier game on CBS as well as several 2nd tier games available on the other WWL family of networks. From a scheduling perspective, the max number of games the SEC Network of theoretically show on any given Saturday is three (1-4PM; 4-7PM; 7-12PM). Is this realistically enough games to get SEC fans to pick up their pitchforks or switch to other network? I'm not so sure.
I think those two will eventually carry it but what will go down to the last second is "for how much"
I agree with 10th. We are still early for providers to sign on. Most of these negotiations go to the 11th hour.
It's not even going to matter Vandiver. Uverse within a couple of years will be the most pervasive delivery system in the nation. It is a lot more reliable to have fiber optic delivery to your home than to lose your favorite game in a thunderstorm. All Direct TV is doing is losing subscribers and Dish is picking them up. The number of free channels that Direct TV is offering to keep people from switching is a big danged tell. And since I have 300 plus of Direct TV's channels and almost everyone I know in Auburn will be switching prior to the start of the season as Uverse is switched on in our area (it's a month late now was supposed to be available by the end of April) I think Direct TV is about to hit the roughest quarter in the Southeast that they have experienced. Dish reps are going door to door selling now. Charter is flirting with picking it up and have drastically changed their language when responding to the question by their subscribers. They have gone from a flat no to saying that they are exploring what it would take to get it.
Within 5 years the dish will be all but gone except in the most rural of areas. Comcast just doesn't want to subsidize a competitors product and doesn't want to drive up the value of SEC games.
There is a link on the main board right now about Disney's plans to adapt to all technologies for delivery systems. You need to check that out as well. But knowing people that have Uverse, once folks experience it they won't be going back to cable systems like Charter, or to Dish or Direct T.V.
(05-07-2014 11:47 AM)JRsec Wrote: [ -> ]It's not even going to matter Vandiver. Uverse within a couple of years will be the most pervasive delivery system in the nation. It is a lot more reliable to have fiber optic delivery to your home than to lose your favorite game in a thunderstorm. All Direct TV is doing is losing subscribers and Dish is picking them up. The number of free channels that Direct TV is offering to keep people from switching is a big danged tell. And since I have 300 plus of Direct TV's channels and almost everyone I know in Auburn will be switching prior to the start of the season as Uverse is switched on in our area (it's a month late now was supposed to be available by the end of April) I think Direct TV is about to hit the roughest quarter in the Southeast that they have experienced. Dish reps are going door to door selling now. Charter is flirting with picking it up and have drastically changed their language when responding to the question by their subscribers. They have gone from a flat no to saying that they are exploring what it would take to get it.
Within 5 years the dish will be all but gone except in the most rural of areas. Comcast just doesn't want to subsidize a competitors product and doesn't want to drive up the value of SEC games.
There is a link on the main board right now about Disney's plans to adapt to all technologies for delivery systems. You need to check that out as well. But knowing people that have Uverse, once folks experience it they won't be going back to cable systems like Charter, or to Dish or Direct T.V.
You're right about Uverse and its coverage JR. In 5 years the system has gone from major metros only to inclusion of most of the rural peripheries, which when you consider what it takes to install network fiber, is an amazing achievement. I have Direct TV as well and I'm in a wait and see mode since my wife and I are big fans of the Sunday Ticket. So I'm hopeful I won't have to switch.
Part of me thinks that's what got Direct TV balking at the idea of carrying the SEC Network. I think that's a terrible hedge since most NFL fan's don't have other teams they are looking to watch but are more interested in catching the highlights, which the Redzone easily accommodates.
BTW, how awesome would and CFB/SEC Redzone Channel be?
(05-07-2014 12:16 PM)vandiver49 Wrote: [ -> ] (05-07-2014 11:47 AM)JRsec Wrote: [ -> ]It's not even going to matter Vandiver. Uverse within a couple of years will be the most pervasive delivery system in the nation. It is a lot more reliable to have fiber optic delivery to your home than to lose your favorite game in a thunderstorm. All Direct TV is doing is losing subscribers and Dish is picking them up. The number of free channels that Direct TV is offering to keep people from switching is a big danged tell. And since I have 300 plus of Direct TV's channels and almost everyone I know in Auburn will be switching prior to the start of the season as Uverse is switched on in our area (it's a month late now was supposed to be available by the end of April) I think Direct TV is about to hit the roughest quarter in the Southeast that they have experienced. Dish reps are going door to door selling now. Charter is flirting with picking it up and have drastically changed their language when responding to the question by their subscribers. They have gone from a flat no to saying that they are exploring what it would take to get it.
Within 5 years the dish will be all but gone except in the most rural of areas. Comcast just doesn't want to subsidize a competitors product and doesn't want to drive up the value of SEC games.
There is a link on the main board right now about Disney's plans to adapt to all technologies for delivery systems. You need to check that out as well. But knowing people that have Uverse, once folks experience it they won't be going back to cable systems like Charter, or to Dish or Direct T.V.
You're right about Uverse and its coverage JR. In 5 years the system has gone from major metros only to inclusion of most of the rural peripheries, which when you consider what it takes to install network fiber, is an amazing achievement. I have Direct TV as well and I'm in a wait and see mode since my wife and I are big fans of the Sunday Ticket. So I'm hopeful I won't have to switch.
Part of me thinks that's what got Direct TV balking at the idea of carrying the SEC Network. I think that's a terrible hedge since most NFL fan's don't have other teams they are looking to watch but are more interested in catching the highlights, which the Redzone easily accommodates.
BTW, how awesome would and CFB/SEC Redzone Channel be?
It would be fantastic! It needs to be done.
ESPN Goal Line/Buzzer Beater/Bases Loaded says hi. Theoretically between ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3, LHN, and SECN, there should be plenty of games to go around. It would be neat if CBS could partner with them just to pick up the extra SEC game plus all of CBS's other holdings.
Just for perspective.
The Big Ten Network had these carriage fights through the beginning of its 2nd year (and maybe a tad longer). Fox then owned Direct TV (or maybe Dish) which got it there right away. Columbus has 3 major cable operators. Before football season started, only one (Insight) had a deal. After the 2nd game, WOW! got it. Time Warner held out for almost another year. They were the most difficult to get a deal with in part because they had the most territory (and the Big Ten wasn't signing a deal for just a part of its territory).
The thing to remember is this is all about price and not just carriage. The SEC/ESPN wants the absolute top dollar it can get while the cable companies obviously don't want to overpay. The result is that conference/ESPN might be willing to holdout to force the cable companies to pay more and the cable companies might hold out hoping to save in expenses.
Edit: Side Note: The network actually can show more than 3 games on a Saturday provided there is an overflow channel. The Big Ten Network has 2/3 overflow channels that I believe are only used in football season.
(05-11-2014 11:16 PM)ohio1317 Wrote: [ -> ]Just for perspective.
The Big Ten Network had these carriage fights through the beginning of its 2nd year (and maybe a tad longer). Fox then owned Direct TV (or maybe Dish) which got it there right away. Columbus has 3 major cable operators. Before football season started, only one (Insight) had a deal. After the 2nd game, WOW! got it. Time Warner held out for almost another year. They were the most difficult to get a deal with in part because they had the most territory (and the Big Ten wasn't signing a deal for just a part of its territory).
The thing to remember is this is all about price and not just carriage. The SEC/ESPN wants the absolute top dollar it can get while the cable companies obviously don't want to overpay. The result is that conference/ESPN might be willing to holdout to force the cable companies to pay more and the cable companies might hold out hoping to save in expenses.
Edit: Side Note: The network actually can show more than 3 games on a Saturday provided there is an overflow channel. The Big Ten Network has 2/3 overflow channels that I believe are only used in football season.
I think the only overflow option ESPN would have is the Longhorn Network or ESPN 3.
(05-12-2014 12:17 PM)vandiver49 Wrote: [ -> ] (05-11-2014 11:16 PM)ohio1317 Wrote: [ -> ]Just for perspective.
The Big Ten Network had these carriage fights through the beginning of its 2nd year (and maybe a tad longer). Fox then owned Direct TV (or maybe Dish) which got it there right away. Columbus has 3 major cable operators. Before football season started, only one (Insight) had a deal. After the 2nd game, WOW! got it. Time Warner held out for almost another year. They were the most difficult to get a deal with in part because they had the most territory (and the Big Ten wasn't signing a deal for just a part of its territory).
The thing to remember is this is all about price and not just carriage. The SEC/ESPN wants the absolute top dollar it can get while the cable companies obviously don't want to overpay. The result is that conference/ESPN might be willing to holdout to force the cable companies to pay more and the cable companies might hold out hoping to save in expenses.
Edit: Side Note: The network actually can show more than 3 games on a Saturday provided there is an overflow channel. The Big Ten Network has 2/3 overflow channels that I believe are only used in football season.
I think the only overflow option ESPN would have is the Longhorn Network or ESPN 3.
They frequently use ESPNNews. But the SECN Vandiver will likely be handled similarly to the BTN initially. They can purchase overflow channels if they desire to. I would think that is a future issue they will look at if the popularity of the SECN is sufficient in the first couple of years.
Don't think of the overflow channels being actual channels. For us, they are two very high numbered channels that with cable you only get if you have a cable box. Outside of showing those games, they have no purpose.
(05-14-2014 07:22 AM)ohio1317 Wrote: [ -> ]Don't think of the overflow channels being actual channels. For us, they are two very high numbered channels that with cable you only get if you have a cable box. Outside of showing those games, they have no purpose.
I sent a letter to the conference office two years ago detailing how, in the age of a 20 or 24 school conference, that the economic advantage would be found in eventually dedicating a channel to each regional division. You could sign up for just your region if you desired, or buy the whole conference package in a reduced bundle, with the bundle being slightly higher than the total conference charge we have today.
The differences would be these. As local university facilities were upgraded each school would have their own 10 minutes of news that would be broadcast twice a day. Advertising would be regional to reach the areas of the schools involved on that particular channel. Most non-revenue seasonal sports would be broadcast during each schools allotted time slot. Revenue sports games broadcast on the network would be available on each of the channels, and where two or more were possible during the same time slot on the appropriate channel for the home school. A conference newscast which included world news, business news and of course extended sports coverage of the conference would be broadcast 3 times a day and would last 30 minutes. The morning show could be an hour if the conference found advantages in that.
The idea is to glean more regional advertising while offering national advertisers a 3 for 1. They would get triple the exposure on the divisional channels for the price of one. If you want to make sports channels really relevant you need full news coverage for those who don't want to have to hunt down another news channel. Expanded conference sports coverage would be expected. You could offer each divisional channel for 80 cents and offer the bundle for 2.00 a month. It would enhance the income level for any conference that could utilize it.
Eventually in the non-sports hours rather than running human interest stories or reruns each school could offer a sampling of educational shows aimed at issues that should be of interest regionally or even as it pertains to their state. In that regard you also gain a PBS like value for the consumer.
(05-07-2014 02:09 PM)JRsec Wrote: [ -> ] (05-07-2014 12:16 PM)vandiver49 Wrote: [ -> ] (05-07-2014 11:47 AM)JRsec Wrote: [ -> ]It's not even going to matter Vandiver. Uverse within a couple of years will be the most pervasive delivery system in the nation. It is a lot more reliable to have fiber optic delivery to your home than to lose your favorite game in a thunderstorm. All Direct TV is doing is losing subscribers and Dish is picking them up. The number of free channels that Direct TV is offering to keep people from switching is a big danged tell. And since I have 300 plus of Direct TV's channels and almost everyone I know in Auburn will be switching prior to the start of the season as Uverse is switched on in our area (it's a month late now was supposed to be available by the end of April) I think Direct TV is about to hit the roughest quarter in the Southeast that they have experienced. Dish reps are going door to door selling now. Charter is flirting with picking it up and have drastically changed their language when responding to the question by their subscribers. They have gone from a flat no to saying that they are exploring what it would take to get it.
Within 5 years the dish will be all but gone except in the most rural of areas. Comcast just doesn't want to subsidize a competitors product and doesn't want to drive up the value of SEC games.
There is a link on the main board right now about Disney's plans to adapt to all technologies for delivery systems. You need to check that out as well. But knowing people that have Uverse, once folks experience it they won't be going back to cable systems like Charter, or to Dish or Direct T.V.
You're right about Uverse and its coverage JR. In 5 years the system has gone from major metros only to inclusion of most of the rural peripheries, which when you consider what it takes to install network fiber, is an amazing achievement. I have Direct TV as well and I'm in a wait and see mode since my wife and I are big fans of the Sunday Ticket. So I'm hopeful I won't have to switch.
Part of me thinks that's what got Direct TV balking at the idea of carrying the SEC Network. I think that's a terrible hedge since most NFL fan's don't have other teams they are looking to watch but are more interested in catching the highlights, which the Redzone easily accommodates.
BTW, how awesome would and CFB/SEC Redzone Channel be?
It would be fantastic! It needs to be done.
I am totslly cracked out on the Red Zone. An SEC Red zone would be off the charts on Saturdays.
Just make it split screen with 4 boxes. One for each conference. Sorry B12 and ACC you are having a death match to see who gets the 4th box and stays alive in realignment. That would be awesome.
Of course that would require like one association or something similar or linked contracts, but hell that would be heaven for a CFB fan. Make it happen Obama!
(05-15-2014 12:40 AM)jhawkmvp Wrote: [ -> ]Just make it split screen with 4 boxes. One for each conference. Sorry B12 and ACC you are having a death match to see who gets the 4th box and stays alive in realignment. That would be awesome.
Of course that would require like one association or something similar or linked contracts, but hell that would be heaven for a CFB fan. Make it happen Obama!
Well so far we still have Gitmo, we still have boots on the ground in the Middle East, and Health Care is still experiencing glitches. Maybe the politicians on both sides of the aisle need to keep their hands off of our sports and let the networks run them.
(05-15-2014 02:16 AM)JRsec Wrote: [ -> ] (05-15-2014 12:40 AM)jhawkmvp Wrote: [ -> ]Just make it split screen with 4 boxes. One for each conference. Sorry B12 and ACC you are having a death match to see who gets the 4th box and stays alive in realignment. That would be awesome.
Of course that would require like one association or something similar or linked contracts, but hell that would be heaven for a CFB fan. Make it happen Obama!
Well so far we still have Gitmo, we still have boots on the ground in the Middle East, and Health Care is still experiencing glitches. Maybe the politicians on both sides of the aisle need to keep their hands off of our sports and let the networks run them.
They won't because having hearing for steroids in baseball, player compensation in the NCAA and whether or not the 'skins should change their name are all more easier to discuss than the actual issues.
(05-15-2014 03:42 AM)vandiver49 Wrote: [ -> ] (05-15-2014 02:16 AM)JRsec Wrote: [ -> ] (05-15-2014 12:40 AM)jhawkmvp Wrote: [ -> ]Just make it split screen with 4 boxes. One for each conference. Sorry B12 and ACC you are having a death match to see who gets the 4th box and stays alive in realignment. That would be awesome.
Of course that would require like one association or something similar or linked contracts, but hell that would be heaven for a CFB fan. Make it happen Obama!
Well so far we still have Gitmo, we still have boots on the ground in the Middle East, and Health Care is still experiencing glitches. Maybe the politicians on both sides of the aisle need to keep their hands off of our sports and let the networks run them.
They won't because having hearing for steroids in baseball, player compensation in the NCAA and whether or not the 'skins should change their name are all more easier to discuss than the actual issues.
Sad, but oh so true!
(05-19-2014 01:18 PM)vandiver49 Wrote: [ -> ]Well I guess this thread is pointless...
http://news.yahoo.com/t-agrees-buy-direc...21893.html
That's not the only news of the day Vandiver. Bullet was reporting from a Houston Chronicle article on the CS&CR board that Direct TV is now in negotiations to add the SECN prior to 8/14/14. So the SEC is covered either way. If Direct TV acquires the SECN this year were covered, and quite profitably, if they don't then by next year AT&T will. I think we're sitting pretty right now. UVerse, Dish, and now Direct TV. Charter won't be far behind because of their demographic. Tally Ho buddy!
Here in Baton Rouge, the SEC-ESPN Network will be available on Direct-TV, Dish, and ATT Uverse.
UVerse is available in some parts of the city but not all. The major cable provider is COX, which I have, and as of now there is no agreement with COX to carry the SECN. That sucks, for me.