bincitysioux Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 There is already alot of discussion about this here in the hockey forum, but thought I'd post it here too, since it affects many other UND sports. UND MEN'S HOCKEY: TV deal a mixed bag The good news is that more UND games — home and road — will now be available in high definition. All CBS Sports Network games come in high-def. The bad news is that the deal is an exclusive one and UND will not be allowed to renew its contract with Fox College Sports, which has allowed the school to broadcast every home game nationally for the past three seasons. If Fox College Sports doesn't have access to Sioux hockey games, they are not going put on the many football, basketball, volleyball, and women's hockey games that we've all become accustomed to seeing on national TV. IMO, this was a major concession that UND had to give in order for the NCHC to get a TV deal. Giving up 20 hockey broadcasts, 3 football games, and 10-12 basketball games on national TV in exchange for 5 High Defintion hockey games is not a good trade-off. This ticks me off. 2 Quote
FSSD Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 I think that the football games are limited by the ROOT sports/Big Sky deal. I wonder if the non conference games will be available. It should be noted that is has been mentioned that UND is working on a new deal post 12/13 after the FCS contract is up. So, let's see what direction they are going. The only person happy with the new deals so far is my wife - less Sioux sports to watch on TV. The other fanbases have to be execited...Duluth, Omaha and Jan Brady. Quote
ScottM Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 UND is the only school in the league that has all of its home games broadcast nationally. So UND gave that up, "for the good of the league" and will probably get nothing in return. Moreover, without a "Plan B" for national broadcasts for games that are not picked up by CBS, what good does that do anybody, especially a league needing exposure? Did UND and/or the league maintain the rights to stream their own home games not carrried by CBS, or did they negotiate that away too from their position of strength? Quote
UND Alum Fan Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 I see this as a lose/lose proposition for UND. For those of us that don't live in the Grand Forks area, how do we even stay fans of UND sports if we can't ever watch the games on TV. I've watched a couple on web casts and that is very painful. I certainly would not be a long term thing that I would do. CBS commits to a minimum of 18 games. There are 8 teams in the NCHC so UND get's what - 2/3 games on TV per year. I'm certainly not going to be a fan of a team that I can only see a couple times a year. What's the fun in that? Brian (or who ever makes those decisions) better get to work on this, because he just shot the school in the foot by agreeing to this one. Quote
UND1983 Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 A problem I see is even if you live in GF or Fargo, you need to have cable television to get FSSN. You can live a block from UND but if you have DirecTV you are screwed. Anybody without cable in the ND/MN area is screwed. Quote
GeauxSioux Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 The same guys that are getting castigated here are the ones that got the Sioux on Fox College Sports From the NLI blog from earlier today... The CBS Sports deal is only a NCHC hockey thing. The Big Sky has it's own TV deal with Root Sports. The UND Sports Network is definitely evolving, although not sure exactly how at this point. More details to come. I'm of the mind that there is something going on that they can't release just yet. Quote
mksioux Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 I think that the football games are limited by the ROOT sports/Big Sky deal. I wonder if the non conference games will be available. It should be noted that is has been mentioned that UND is working on a new deal post 12/13 after the FCS contract is up. So, let's see what direction they are going. UND may be working on a "new deal" improving internet streaming or maybe expanding regional coverage, but the CBS Sports deal precludes UND from entering into its own national television contract, like it currently has. As I said in the hockey thread, this decision is stunning. UND is giving up 22 hockey games, 3 football games, a few basketball games, all on a sports-tiered natoinal television station in exchange for 4 or 5 hockey games on a similar sports-tiered national television station. Not sure if the Big Sky Root deal would have precluded the football and basketball games anyway, but even taking those out of the equation, this is a real head-scratcher. Quote
82SiouxGuy Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 It probably isn't time to panic about this right now. There is plenty of time to work out something different, and the people that made the Fox deal are the ones still there, so they have a pretty good idea about how this TV thing works. Minimum of 18 games, with 2 teams playing in each game, and 8 teams in the league, means an average of 4.5 appearances per year per team if they give equal coverage. A better bet would be teams like UND getting more games so you can probably expect at least 6 games. Also, it sounds like the UNDSN will still be broadcasting games in the region, so that means most of the Dakotas and part of Minnesota will have some coverage. Also, the whole television game seems to be changing. Midco's sports network has only been around for a year or 2. Perhaps they are working on making that a bigger presence and getting on satellite. Maybe they have been in talks with FSN. New ways to stream television through the internet to actually show on television have been developed and are still being developed. Making that possible and making it good quality could open up UND sports to even more people that don't want to pay extra money on cable or satellite for the sports packages. That could be better for UND, and cheaper for everyone. Basically, it might be better to step off the ledge and get the whole story for something that isn't even happening for 18 months. Quote
MplsBison Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 Anyone know how much it costs to have the UND channel offered on whatever the Grand Forks cable network is (MidCon?) vs. the cost of having it on DirecTV? Can it be that expensive?? BYU has their network on satellite. Quote
GeauxSioux Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 Anyone know how much it costs to have the UND channel offered on whatever the Grand Forks cable network is (MidCon?) vs. the cost of having it on DirecTV? Can it be that expensive?? BYU has their network on satellite. I was wondering the same thing. I get the BYU channel in our Cox digital package. Quote
Jayson Hajdu Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 UND is the only school in the league that has all of its home games broadcast nationally. So UND gave that up, "for the good of the league" and will probably get nothing in return. Moreover, without a "Plan B" for national broadcasts for games that are not picked up by CBS, what good does that do anybody, especially a league needing exposure? Did UND and/or the league maintain the rights to stream their own home games not carrried by CBS, or did they negotiate that away too from their position of strength? UND still has the rights to stream all games live, with the exception of home games that are broadcast on CBS Sports Network. 2 Quote
Let'sGoHawks! Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 UND still has the rights to stream all games live, with the exception of home games that are broadcast on CBS Sports Network. You are certainly earning your dollars these past few days I would say. A lot of people are upset, it does go to show you how "spoiled" we have become with the national TV coverage. Most schools didn't have anything close to what UND has had, that said, we cannot lose that option. People don't want to sit by the computer and watch a pixelated broadcast. Young folks maybe, but I think of my uncle who lives outside the region, he would hate sitting by the computer with his beer instead of in his favorite recliner with his remote in hand, bigscreen TV and his beer. I believe something will be worked out by the time the NCHC actually rolls around. If the Big Ten schools have the BTN broadcast a game here or there, they still retain the right to broadcast a game elsewhere on nights the games aren't on BTN (ie: UMN-Twin Cities and Fox Sports North) Quote
ScottM Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 UND still has the rights to stream all games live, with the exception of home games that are broadcast on CBS Sports Network. That's actually good to know. Given how desperate cable companies and networks are to maintain control of content, it may make sense for UND to invest in its own "product" and market it accordingly. The technology isn't always the greatest right now, but the idea of catching a UND game streaming to an iPad while waiting for a plane has some potential from a fanbase marketing standpoint. Quote
Popular Post Jayson Hajdu Posted February 1, 2012 Popular Post Posted February 1, 2012 Good points by all. If I could tell our fans one thing, I would stress patience. These changes are still a year-and-a-half away. We are developing a plan for when that time arrives, and that year-and-a-half gives us time to explore the plan. Although it's far too early in that process to make any promises today, I can at least assure you that we will always strive to offer the best possible viewing options across multiple platforms, not just television. A lot can, and likely will, change in the next year-and-a-half (and beyond). Is yesterday's news positive for out-of-region fans? If I told you it was, I'd be lying. But we (administration) are determined to make the best of it, and thankfully in the year 2012 we are no longer restricted to just television or radio. We do not take our fans' devotion for granted. We're also well aware that our audience extends far beyond the local and regional viewing areas. With that in mind, please know that making our product available to as many people as possible will always be our goal. But these things take time, so please don't give up on us yet. 7 Quote
UNDColorado Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 Thanks Jason, at first I was a bit worried about the coverage I would get out here in Colorado. I do understand that these things take time and like you said, we have 1.5 years to figure this out. Sidebar- is the technology available to webcast in HD or close to (i.e. better quality than the current webcasts)? Then all you need is a HDMI cable to connect to your flatscreen and problem solved. Quote
802Sioux Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 I just don't understand why we ceded so much with no visible gain. Perhaps there is more to the picture that I can't see, but it feels like our negotiation skills were lacking. If I understood why it had to go down this way it would tast less like a turd sandwich. 2 Quote
FSSD Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 UND still has the rights to stream all games live, with the exception of home games that are broadcast on CBS Sports Network. So, a fan who pays for UND insider can't watch the cherry games that CBS Sports Network takes. Overall just frustrated, I hope the admin understands how bad this is... and other fan bases that bash UND all the time understand what they got at UND's expense. Quote
darell1976 Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 If UND is playing say Montana State and is on Root...could it also be on the UNDSN simutaniously? Quote
FSSD Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 If UND is playing say Montana State and is on Root...could it also be on the UNDSN simutaniously? As I understand it, only local broadcasters and regional areas with MidCont (my understanding not a lot of Fargo has access to MidCont) cable subscribers will see the game. Everyone else has to go to ROOT including people who pay for UND insider. Quote
FSSD Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 Good points by all. If I could tell our fans one thing, I would stress patience. These changes are still a year-and-a-half away. We are developing a plan for when that time arrives, and that year-and-a-half gives us time to explore the plan. Although it's far too early in that process to make any promises today, I can at least assure you that we will always strive to offer the best possible viewing options across multiple platforms, not just television. A lot can, and likely will, change in the next year-and-a-half (and beyond). Is yesterday's news positive for out-of-region fans? If I told you it was, I'd be lying. But we (administration) are determined to make the best of it, and thankfully in the year 2012 we are no longer restricted to just television or radio. We do not take our fans' devotion for granted. We're also well aware that our audience extends far beyond the local and regional viewing areas. With that in mind, please know that making our product available to as many people as possible will always be our goal. But these things take time, so please don't give up on us yet. Doesn't this impact UND football this year with the ROOT contract. How will the viewing work for FCS and UND Insiders? Quote
darell1976 Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 As I understand it, only local broadcasters and regional areas with MidCont (my understanding not a lot of Fargo has access to MidCont) cable subscribers will see the game. Everyone else has to go to ROOT including people who pay for UND insider. Midcon is only available in West Fargo, Moorhead and Dilworth..Cable One holds the monopoly here. Quote
ringneck28 Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 I guess that is another reason to keep my midcon. I am glad they do what they do, but as a whole to get more coverage of road games would be better. I am hoping that every one of the games that und is covered on is an away game. Quote
darell1976 Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 Yeah, and Cable One is awful in terms of channel availability. I swear half the channels I watch on DirecTV are not even offered by Cable One. I switched to save some money but was thinking of switching back to Directv...only DTV doesn't have the FSSN. Quote
Jayson Hajdu Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 I appreciate all of the questions, not only on this forum, but on Twitter as well. But there are so many questions still, that I'm thinking everyone may be best served if we hold a live chat in the near future in attempt to best answer all of your questions in one place. Once we nail down a date on our end, I'll be sure to give everyone a heads-up. It likely won't be as early as this week, but definitely in the near future. Quote
UND Alum Fan Posted February 1, 2012 Posted February 1, 2012 I appreciate all of the questions, not only on this forum, but on Twitter as well. But there are so many questions still, that I'm thinking everyone may be best served if we hold a live chat in the near future in attempt to best answer all of your questions in one place. Once we nail down a date on our end, I'll be sure to give everyone a heads-up. It likely won't be as early as this week, but definitely in the near future. Jayson, Appreciate the bind this puts you in. Streaming is certainly a viable option, but as a fan, want to be able to see all home games, most away games, want to be able to see the picture on a TV, want the picture to be bigger than the web cast, want to be able to read the numbers on the players sweaters, and actually want to be able to see the puck on the screen(yep, once in awhile we have to watch a game where we can't see the puck). Oh, and don't want this to be expensive for the fans to get. Looking forward to your webcast and good luck making UND's fans happy, cause today we are not; but know you are up to the challenge. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.