I made this comment on another thread but i feel like it needs its own thread:

I want whatever is going to give my school/conference the most money and exposure. Right now we aren't getting EITHER. We can't sit around expecting or waiting for a TV deal that'll allow us to play a lot of weekend games in front of an ACTUAL tv audience--it will never happen because those weekend tv spots (the ones that aren't being used for P5 games) are already filled:

-ESPN/2/U/News- filled up their last weekend spots with AAC and MWC games. CUSA doesn't have the branding/add-value or bargaining power to usurp either of those conferences for that particular spot and the AAC/MWC isn't going anywhere. This brings up what we kinda knew all along...our markets (El Paso, Miami/Boca Raton, Houston, Norfolk, Charlotte, San Antonio) don't mean squat if there's no room left for more weekend games on TV.

-CBSSports- their weekend slots are already televising P5, AAC, and MWC games. CUSA may have a random once in a blue moon conference matchup on CBSSports on the weekend but in reality...its more than likely gonna be a Friday night game AND if they have a chance they will ALWAYS televise a P5, AAC, or MWC game over a CUSA matchup on the weekend ESPECIALLY if there are ranked teams involved

-FS1- doesn't want anything to do with CUSA
-FS2- doesn't want anything to do with college football
-FSN networks - more regional games in favor of P5 games

So, what other tv slots that's on WEEKENDS are we waiting for because there aren't any and won't be any for a looooong time. Our only hope is to have some type of deal with ESPN where all our conference games are on ESPN3 regardless of the day, plus an occasional tues/wed/thurs or friday night TELEVISED game and if our conference happens to improve to the point where we have multiple ranked teams than those team's games would undoubtedly more than likely replace the non-ranked AAC/MWC matchups that would normally be televised on WEEKENDS. Seems like this type of deal with ESPN is feasible and lord knows it'd pay muuuuuch better than the hodge podge thing we have now, right?

Knowing all of this, what do YOU think is CUSA's preferred/ideal realistic TV deal? Not necessarily in dollar figures but in terms of realistic exposure.

I want every game to be on WatchESPN. An arrangement similar to what the ACC currently has with Raycom Sports. Each game is on WatchESPN but then you can often also find it on a local CW, FSN, or other network (like NESN, SNY, etc.)... Kind of similar to how ASN worked but with channels that people actually get...

Call me crazy, but I'd like to investigate us playing one Sunday afternoon game/week. We could likely get ESPN/ESPN2 exposure when they're now showing bowling and the like. Sure, we'd go up against the NFL but many of our teams aren't located in NFL markets.

Exclusive rights with one of the main streaming platforms.

Ideally Amazon Prime.

It needs to be a deal with a streaming platform. And I'm not talking about one game a week on Facebook or Twitter, I mean one that holds the rights to all games as the exclusive partner.

I say let's be pioneers.

I think more than the money we need the exposure. We have already accepted a contract so low that it’s really nothing and they will make us do it again.

It would be nice to be on a channel people actually have. BeIN, while the quality is good, isn’t getting an audience. I hate to say it but it only makes sense to play more week day games.

Marshall crowds are getting smaller and smaller so I don’t know why Hamrick would push for more Thursday and Friday games.

We need some sort of C-USA game of the week where every week you can tune into something at the same time and see CUSA teams battling it out. Idk. We just need eyes actually on our teams again.

I think at an absolute minimum all CUSA games should be on ESPN3. Is that too unreasonable? I'm being serious.

We already have our own network, we just need to get them to show our games. Presenting: USA Network’s Conference USA Game of the Week

(11-06-2017 10:46 PM)TTT Wrote:  I made this comment on another thread but i feel like it needs its own thread:

I want whatever is going to give my school/conference the most money and exposure. Right now we aren't getting EITHER. We can't sit around expecting or waiting for a TV deal that'll allow us to play a lot of weekend games in front of an ACTUAL tv audience--it will never happen because those weekend tv spots (the ones that aren't being used for P5 games) are already filled:

-ESPN/2/U/News- filled up their last weekend spots with AAC and MWC games. CUSA doesn't have the branding/add-value or bargaining power to usurp either of those conferences for that particular spot and the AAC/MWC isn't going anywhere. This brings up what we kinda knew all along...our markets (El Paso, Miami/Boca Raton, Houston, Norfolk, Charlotte, San Antonio) don't mean squat if there's no room left for more weekend games on TV.

-CBSSports- their weekend slots are already televising P5, AAC, and MWC games. CUSA may have a random once in a blue moon conference matchup on CBSSports on the weekend but in reality...its more than likely gonna be a Friday night game AND if they have a chance they will ALWAYS televise a P5, AAC, or MWC game over a CUSA matchup on the weekend ESPECIALLY if there are ranked teams involved

-FS1- doesn't want anything to do with CUSA
-FS2- doesn't want anything to do with college football
-FSN networks - more regional games in favor of P5 games

So, what other tv slots that's on WEEKENDS are we waiting for because there aren't any and won't be any for a looooong time. Our only hope is to have some type of deal with ESPN where all our conference games are on ESPN3 regardless of the day, plus an occasional tues/wed/thurs or friday night TELEVISED game and if our conference happens to improve to the point where we have multiple ranked teams than those team's games would undoubtedly more than likely replace the non-ranked AAC/MWC matchups that would normally be televised on WEEKENDS. Seems like this type of deal with ESPN is feasible and lord knows it'd pay muuuuuch better than the hodge podge thing we have now, right?

Knowing all of this, what do YOU think is CUSA's preferred/ideal realistic TV deal? Not necessarily in dollar figures but in terms of realistic exposure.

I think that if the FIU/FAU's success extends beyond this year, the market of Miami/FTL/WPB will, all of a sudden, become very important for the C-USA TV deal.

(11-07-2017 12:26 AM)TTT Wrote:  I think at an absolute minimum all CUSA games should be on ESPN3. Is that too unreasonable? I'm being serious.

No. I can watch UT Chattanooga every weekend if I desire. Yet, where's Waldo (I mean C-USA).

(11-07-2017 02:27 AM)owl at the moon Wrote:  We already have our own network, we just need to get them to show our games. Presenting: USA Network’s Conference USA Game of the Week

Actually that's not a bad idea at all. NBC is part of a larger organization called NBC Universal which own the rights to the USA Network, NBC Sports Network, obviously NBC, Etc.

But I still like my idea of exclusive streaming rights with someone like on Netflix, Hulu or my preference Amazon Prime.

If we are willing to do it (and I see no reason not to), there are some other non-Saturday options.

It's clear that colleges will whore themselves out even at the expense of the sacrilege Friday night high school football. NFL took away our Thursday nights so we might as well take Friday's from the high schools. I really have no problem with two C-USA games on every Friday night. That's only four of our 14 teams on a Friday night at any given time. It's doable and not that debilitating on the fans schedules or the players schedule.

Another is Monday evening pre-Monday night game. The C-USA Game of the Week could be the prelude to the Monday night NFL game, which starts at 8:30 eastern time. A 6 p.m. ET or 5 p.m. CT start time could be hard on fans but not near as bad as a Tuesday or Wed night. Sunday evenings might not be too bad, but there really is no sweet spot between the late game and the start of the 8:30 p.m. game. So, again you're probably looking at 5 p.m. or so start time. Doable.

If we aren't going to get money (which we aren't) I'm all for focusing on exposure. And for right now that is still ESPN whether you love it or hate it. IMO, if we can convince them into letting us have as many Friday night games as they want that might be the way to go.

(11-07-2017 12:26 AM)TTT Wrote:  I think at an absolute minimum all CUSA games should be on ESPN3. Is that too unreasonable? I'm being serious.

Stadium> ESPN 3

You still need to have cable to watch ESPN 3 and the feed sucks.

With Stadium, any young person/student can watch the game on phone, laptop or tablet from any location.

YOU GUYS NEED TO UNDERSTAND IN 2017 THE INTERNET IS TV.


Why do you want to play on network losing 7k subscribers a day.

(11-07-2017 09:00 AM)owlcountry40 Wrote:  

(11-07-2017 12:26 AM)TTT Wrote:  I think at an absolute minimum all CUSA games should be on ESPN3. Is that too unreasonable? I'm being serious.

Stadium> ESPN 3

You still need to have cable to watch ESPN 3 and the feed sucks.

With Stadium, any young person/student can watch the game on phone, laptop or tablet from any location.

YOU GUYS NEED TO UNDERSTAND IN 2017 THE INTERNET IS TV.


Why do you want to play on network losing 7k subscribers a day.

Because right now ESPN from an exposure standpoint blows away what Stadium can do. By 2025, that may be a different story. And we desperately need more exposure. That said, I am very impressed with Stadium. I would like to stay with them in some capacity, if possible. It would be great if we could split the inventory between the two.

There is still more eyeballs on ESPN3 than Stadium. Besides, cable is my internet provider, I get ESPN3 almost by default.

Even if the Stadium numbers are comparable to ESPN3 (and let's be honest only people who are associated with the two schools are seeking us out on 3 or Stadium), the reason why ESPN relationship is important is that we need more games on ESPN or ESPN2.

The Marshall/MT game (on a Friday night) drew about the same rating as Virginia Tech/North Carolina on the following Saturday afternoon. It outdrew both Saturday Pac 12 games on Fox Sports 1 that weekend and also outdrew the MWC game that same Friday night.

Like I said love 'em or hate 'em ESPN still owns college football eyeballs. Therefore, for the betterment of our league that's where we need more games. I'm just not willing to give the Tues or Wed night. There are other options.

YouTubeTV and other streaming services.

Cable and major network television are dead men walking. It will be a slow death, but a death nonetheless.

Our best chance is to take a chance with a purely web-hosted service.

MSESPN is going out of business, you guys living under a rock? MSESPN is getting killed left and right with ratings, paying too much for the NFL, etc...They are talking about losing MNF, they more than likely are also going to be going through another massive layoff of employees...Hell ESPN couldn't even afford to do the all night marathon this season for college basketball, first time in years..

I don't get the obsession with ESPN on here? ESPN3 sucks, I had rather watch all of our games on Facebook and Twitter...Who cares if no one can watch it or knows where we are?, no one cares about our games on ESPN besides us CUSA fans...Streaming on Facebook, Twitter and Amazon is the future for CUSA, not MSESPN...

(11-07-2017 09:00 AM)owlcountry40 Wrote:  

(11-07-2017 12:26 AM)TTT Wrote:  I think at an absolute minimum all CUSA games should be on ESPN3. Is that too unreasonable? I'm being serious.

Stadium> ESPN 3

You still need to have cable to watch ESPN 3 and the feed sucks.

With Stadium, any young person/student can watch the game on phone, laptop or tablet from any location.

YOU GUYS NEED TO UNDERSTAND IN 2017 THE INTERNET IS TV.


Why do you want to play on network losing 7k subscribers a day.

The problem with this is that most fans of the given teams will watch online, but you will only grow "new fans" by being on old-school TV. People can just come-upon the tv and become a fan. Very few people are going online to watch a game unless they are already a fan of one of the teams.

(11-07-2017 10:14 AM)WKUFan518 Wrote:  MSESPN is going out of business, you guys living under a rock? MSESPN is getting killed left and right with ratings, paying too much for the NFL, etc...They are talking about losing MNF, they more than likely are also going to be going through another massive layoff of employees...Hell ESPN couldn't even afford to do the all night marathon this season for college basketball, first time in years..

I don't get the obsession with ESPN on here? ESPN3 sucks, I had rather watch all of our games on Facebook and Twitter...Who cares if no one can watch it or knows where we are?, no one cares about our games on ESPN besides us CUSA fans...Streaming on Facebook, Twitter and Amazon is the future for CUSA, not MSESPN...

What part of the numbers do you not understand? We can get 500K viewers on a Friday night or we can get 2,300 on a (pick your online platform) where everyone of those 2300 are already alums or students of the school. What is hard about that to understand?

ESPN may be dying but it's a slow death. There is a difference between dying and being dead. It is far from dead And the exposure that it provides is exponentially higher than any other platform we can choose.

One thing I like that is happening more this year is local stations are able to produce games that aren't picked up as part of our TV package. If it goes primarily to a stream, I would like to see consolidation (prefer Stadium but could live with ESPN3) instead of now where it is so scattered.

(11-07-2017 10:09 AM)shiftyeagle Wrote:  YouTubeTV and other streaming services.

Cable and major network television are dead men walking. It will be a slow death, but a death nonetheless.

Our best chance is to take a chance with a purely web-hosted service.

I don't think anyone is suggesting we need to sign a 25 year deal with a network. The mainstream TV still provides us with the best opportunity to not only compete (as we are losing ground to the MAC, MWC, and AAC) but also to grow (er I mean rebuild) our brand.

You guys need to take some marketing classes. That said a combination of both is a smart play here. I like more ESPN and ESPN 2 games with some shared online provider. I think we are dreaming on the Netflix, Hulu, etc. stuff.