What's up with Saturday night on ESPN/ESPN2? Is there something in the SEC contract stating that they have to get that slot? Does anyone have a link/reference? I'd like to really understand this issue.

(04-01-2012 06:28 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  What's up with Saturday night on ESPN/ESPN2? Is there something in the SEC contract stating that they have to get that slot?

In not so many words, yes.

Here's how the SEC contracts works and the conference's preferences.

* CBS gets 1st choice each week at 3:30pm ET. ESPN cannot air a competing SEC game during this time. CBS generally does not air SEC games the 1st two weeks of the season because of commitments to the US Open tennis tourney, so they double up two weeks. One week is a doubleheader at 12pm and 3:30pm, the other is a 3:30pm and 8pm doubleheader.

* With a few exceptions, ESPN's SEC games will be in the evening. That is the conference's preference. ESPN retains exclusivity in their time slot with respect to CBS. Regional games on FOX Sports Net and Comcast Sports South are allowed to air concurrently with ESPN (ESPN actually owns the rights to those games, licensing them to FSN and CSS). Generally the only game that airs in the early afternoon is the SEC Network syndicated game, also owned by ESPN. When CBS airs their primetime game, ESPN does have to move all its telecasts that week to 12pm/12:30pm ET. The regional cable syndication games also air in the evening and move to the early afternoon when CBS televises their primetime game.

http://www.secdigitalnetwork.com/NEWS/ta...ement.aspx

Here's the SEC's contracted games since '09 when their new contract started. You can see that

http://mattsarzsports.com/Football2009/SEC
http://mattsarzsports.com/Football2010/SEC
http://mattsarzsports.com/Football2011/SEC

The one odd exception was last year when LSU-Alabama was moved to primetime. CBS badly wanted the game in primetime as a 2nd game and had to negotiate with ESPN to allow for it. ESPN was allowed to concurrently air their SEC game because they had prior programming commitments in the 3:30pm window.

Last thing re: kickoff times and conference quirks. Much like the SEC prefers night time games, the Big Ten is the opposite. They prefer 12pm and 3:30pm starts. All of the games that will air in primetime for the Big Ten are decided in April & May. The Big Ten does not allow for night time kickoffs in the regular season after November 1st

Other conference TV quirks
* Big 12: FSN and ABC cannot air games starting at the same time in the 3:30pm window. They can coexist in the evening
* Big Ten: Until last year, the Big Ten Network and ABC could not air games at the same time, with rare exceptions. That fell by the wayside once Nebraska joined and the need for an additional television window was established
* Pac-12: Previously FSN and ABC/ESPN could not air games in the same window. Two years ago, the two sides allowed FSN and ESPN to coexist as ABC moved more Pac-12 games to ESPN/ESPN2. Under the new deal, FOX will have some exclusivity in their time slot so that the Pac-12 Network and ESPN cannot have a game start until 2-2.5 hours after kickoff
* C-USA: It appears that, based on last year's schedule, FSN and CBS College Sports will try to avoid televising concurrent games.

(03-31-2012 11:05 PM)catdaddy_2402 Wrote:  

(03-28-2012 02:29 PM)TexanMark Wrote:  

(03-27-2012 10:53 PM)catdaddy_2402 Wrote:  

(03-27-2012 10:40 PM)ClairtonPanther Wrote:  Personally, Friday is just a bad night period(and I'm not even talking about HS football). Most people tend to take their kids to movies and so on. There's a reason why ratings for sports are terrible on Fridays. For instance, WWE Smackdown moved between 3 different networks because their ratings suck.

We know this, but you have to remember that the ACC is only worried about North Carolina and since the only ACC school that cares about football seems to be Wake we are probably screwed here.

Bingo...Wake and Duke (probably GTech too) will be the designated pawns er FB teams to play Cuse, Pitt, BC and MD for these games.

Again...how long do you think our TV partner is going to tolerate games between 2-4 Syracuse and 3-3 Wake before they say "We need FSU/VT/Clemson/etc"?

If the garbage that is Raycom were televising Friday Night games it wouldn't matter, but ESPN ain't going to agree to just showing scrubs from now till the mid 2020's.

I have a feeling ESPN will get the games they want on TV. They have very good lawyers and are more than a match for the ACC conference lawyers when it comes to contracts. Syracuse is better than you think especially at home (big advantage for the Orange in the Carrier dome). The talent has been upgraded there just are not enough top recruits plus there is not enough depth yet. Looks like Clemson and FSU will be playing Syracuse every year.

I was thinking about something - if the Big East television contract is split between networks, they could end up Prime-time Friday and Saturday afternoons on NBC & NBC SN and Thursdays and late Friday Nights on ESPN... remember, the Big East will be coast-to-coast... four different time zones, so they could technically play games in the evening out west and be "late" night in the east on ESPN and give live fodder for Prime-time west coast audience AND the insomniacs in the east. ESPN is always being accused of being east-centric, may be they're going to be giving the Boise State/SDSU (+ whomever) and west coast viewers live relevant content instead of replays. This will open some Prime-time slots up to the ACC in the east, and still keep some valuable properties on ESPN - let's face it the World Wide Leader likes to have its cake and eat it too!

(03-07-2012 10:14 PM)Wolfman Wrote:  In the south, well, at least in North Carolina, yankees and damn yankees are 2 different creatures with very specific definitions.

I would prefer the ACC leave Friday nights to HS football. I think they will eventually have to cede and start playing on Fridays.

I think HS coaches would initially balk at the idea but I don't think they would ban coaches from their schools. Ultimately they want the best for their kids.

In North Carolina: Yankees is anybody north of a line from Newport News to Richmond to Charlottesville. Damned Yankees is anybody in Cary, NC.

In South Carolina: Yankees is anybody north of a line from Newport News to Richmond to Charlottesville. Damned Yankees is anybody from Ohio.

(04-09-2012 10:00 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  

(03-07-2012 10:14 PM)Wolfman Wrote:  In the south, well, at least in North Carolina, yankees and damn yankees are 2 different creatures with very specific definitions.

I would prefer the ACC leave Friday nights to HS football. I think they will eventually have to cede and start playing on Fridays.

I think HS coaches would initially balk at the idea but I don't think they would ban coaches from their schools. Ultimately they want the best for their kids.

In North Carolina: Yankees is anybody north of a line from Newport News to Richmond to Charlottesville. Damned Yankees is anybody in Cary, NC.

In South Carolina: Yankees is anybody north of the South Carolina border

FIFY

(04-11-2012 11:28 AM)catdaddy_2402 Wrote:  

(04-09-2012 10:00 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  

(03-07-2012 10:14 PM)Wolfman Wrote:  In the south, well, at least in North Carolina, yankees and damn yankees are 2 different creatures with very specific definitions.

I would prefer the ACC leave Friday nights to HS football. I think they will eventually have to cede and start playing on Fridays.

I think HS coaches would initially balk at the idea but I don't think they would ban coaches from their schools. Ultimately they want the best for their kids.

In North Carolina: Yankees is anybody north of a line from Newport News to Richmond to Charlottesville. Damned Yankees is anybody in Cary, NC.

In South Carolina: Yankees is anybody north of the South Carolina border

FIFY

In North Carolina: South Carolina = geechies!!!

(04-11-2012 11:28 AM)catdaddy_2402 Wrote:  

(04-09-2012 10:00 PM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  

(03-07-2012 10:14 PM)Wolfman Wrote:  In the south, well, at least in North Carolina, yankees and damn yankees are 2 different creatures with very specific definitions.

I would prefer the ACC leave Friday nights to HS football. I think they will eventually have to cede and start playing on Fridays.

I think HS coaches would initially balk at the idea but I don't think they would ban coaches from their schools. Ultimately they want the best for their kids.

In North Carolina: Yankees is anybody north of a line from Newport News to Richmond to Charlottesville. Damned Yankees is anybody in Cary, NC.

In South Carolina: Yankees is anybody north of the South Carolina border

FIFY

True, but here in the Upstate where there is enormous international manufacturing presence ... it has been the invasion of Ohio rust belters. And the bastards bring their liberalism with them, too.