UND/Midco 5 year contract

[gfhockey]

Will NBC Sports be strictly Notre Dame? Or will they have double headers like they had did last year?

I wonder if the CBS deal voids any chance that the sioux will be a late game on the double header?? DU and CC are in teh prime time zone for that.

[bincitysioux]

I wonder if the CBS deal voids any chance that the sioux will be a late game on the double header??

They could only for an away non-conference game........

[Sioux2007]

My question is why can't UND just let us all know if all games will be uplinked so the FTA user's can watch the games? That has nothing to do with FCS or CBS SN!!! I agree with everyone out of state like myself that if we can't watch UND games, even down in the Twin Cities, I think it's ridiculous. Huge set back for UND sports. Unless the Twin Cities market can find a way to broadcast the games on TV, I'm not going to be happy this fall/winter.

[82SiouxGuy]

I think at this point you put too much stock into the value of watching television online. And this is coming from a true techno-nerd that has the internet piped to every TV in my house, along with over-the-air, free-to-air satellite, and DirecTV. My point is that geeks like me are the exception rather than the rule. With UND Insider, Big Sky TV, random satellite feeds shooting through space, and season tickets for football and hockey, I'm all set. But my grandma in Arizona, and my aunts and uncles in Alaska are now out of luck along with tens of thousands of others.

I also trust the people who make these decisions. I may have mis-spoke when I said UND voluntarily went away from Fox. The NCHC made that decision for them. The HD that CBS will provide for hockey will be great. But I'd gladly take 20 UND hockey games in standard definition versus 4 or 5 games in high definition. And actually, all of the members of the NCHC would have been on TV more if Denver and UND would have stayed with Fox rather than going with CBS.

I'm over 50 and I watch TV mainly online. Most people wouldn't call me a techie, but I'm not afraid of technology. I gave up cable 4 years ago because I hardly ever used it. It wasn't worth whatever I was paying at the time. I watch some over the air local channels and just about everything else online. I have seen huge improvement in access and quality over the 4 years, and I believe that it will improve at least as much over the next few years. The main problem I have with my set up is the lack of access to sports. Some of the networks are starting to realize that. Look at what NBC did with Sunday Night Football last year and the Olympics this year. Big Sky TV and other online content will actually improve access for me and for a lot of others that either didn't have access to Fox, or didn't want to pay for the additional sports packages. And I attend almost every home hockey and football game along with a few basketball, volleyball and women's hockey games each year, so having the home games on television do little for me anyway. But having a lot of away games available will be important to me.

[82SiouxGuy]

My question is why can't UND just let us all know if all games will be uplinked so the FTA user's can watch the games? That has nothing to do with FCS or CBS SN!!! I agree with everyone out of state like myself that if we can't watch UND games, even down in the Twin Cities, I think it's ridiculous. Huge set back for UND sports. Unless the Twin Cities market can find a way to broadcast the games on TV, I'm not going to be happy this fall/winter.

Midco was talking about finding outlets in places like the Twin Cities. This has been a quick ramp up for them so they are probably still working on that.

[bincitysioux]

My question is why can't UND just let us all know if all games will be uplinked so the FTA user's can watch the games?

My guess is because Midco would frown upon the University advertising that the games could be viewed for free rather than through Midco's paid service. Since sprig said that Midco has offered the feed to all the regional cable companies that have carried in the past, that must mean that the games will still go up on satellite (rather than fiber). The question is, will the feed be scrambled now?

[bincitysioux]

I'm over 50 and I watch TV mainly online. Most people wouldn't call me a techie, but I'm not afraid of technology. I gave up cable 4 years ago because I hardly ever used it. It wasn't worth whatever I was paying at the time. I watch some over the air local channels and just about everything else online. I have seen huge improvement in access and quality over the 4 years, and I believe that it will improve at least as much over the next few years. The main problem I have with my set up is the lack of access to sports. Some of the networks are starting to realize that. Look at what NBC did with Sunday Night Football last year and the Olympics this year. Big Sky TV and other online content will actually improve access for me and for a lot of others that either didn't have access to Fox, or didn't want to pay for the additional sports packages. And I attend almost every home hockey and football game along with a few basketball, volleyball and women's hockey games each year, so having the home games on television do little for me anyway. But having a lot of away games available will be important to me.

So you and I are basically in the same boat. We pretty much have all the access we want/need. My point is, that it seems we both go out of our way to make sure that we can see what we want to. Most people probably don't do that.

We'll just have to agree to disagree on the value of online television content for now, and that is fine.

I'll ask you this though, since you watch most of your sports online, can you tell me a decent site to watch hockey on the internet? Because I have never come across an online hockey broadcast worth watching....................

[82SiouxGuy]

So you and I are basically in the same boat. We pretty much have all the access we want/need. My point is, that it seems we both go out of our way to make sure that we can see what we want to. Most people probably don't do that.

We'll just have to agree to disagree on the value of online television content for now, and that is fine.

I'll ask you this though, since you watch most of your sports online, can you tell me a decent site to watch hockey on the internet? Because I have never come across an online hockey broadcast worth watching....................

Some feeds for UND away games have been fair but I couldn't tell you which ones off the top of my head. I don't watch much NHL hockey. I've probably watched mainly First Row. Hockey is the toughest sport for the internet just like it is for TV. But if they can bring the technology that NBC used for Sunday Night Football it would be much better. That was in HD and the picture was very good. I just had some minor freeze up problems. Part of that is because I need to increase my internet speed, I just use a lower speed DSL.

[bincitysioux]

Some feeds for UND away games have been fair but I couldn't tell you which ones off the top of my head. I don't watch much NHL hockey. I've probably watched mainly First Row. Hockey is the toughest sport for the internet just like it is for TV. But if they can bring the technology that NBC used for Sunday Night Football it would be much better. That was in HD and the picture was very good. I just had some minor freeze up problems. Part of that is because I need to increase my internet speed, I just use a lower speed DSL.

See, that is what I am saying. Why would I want to watch Sunday Night Football on NBC's website, and deal with any (however minor they may be), buffering or freeze-up problems? I just watch Sunday Night Football on channel 11. Where I live (rural ND) I have 3 options for internet: wireless, dsl, or satellite. I have two of the three right now, and despite paying for the "highest burstable speeds" on both, I am buffering and freezing alot. I don't know if it is better if you live near or in one of the bigger cities, but it isn't the answer out here.......................

[82SiouxGuy]

See, that is what I am saying. Why would I want to watch Sunday Night Football on NBC's website, and deal with any (however minor they may be), buffering or freeze-up problems? I just watch Sunday Night Football on channel 11. Where I live (rural ND) I have 3 options for internet: wireless, dsl, or satellite. I have two of the three right now, and despite paying for the "highest burstable speeds" on both, I am buffering and freezing alot. I don't know if it is better if you live near or in one of the bigger cities, but it isn't the answer out here.......................

I've had very few problems, only on a couple of games. The advantage is that they give you multiple camera angles to choose from. They have 1 feed that gives you the same feed as they send out on television. They also give you several other dedicated camera feeds such as a sideline camera, an endzone camera and a camera dedicated to a specific player or area. You can switch back and forth between the cameras. I believe that you can also go back and create your own replays if you want by clicking on the timeline. That would be similar to a DVR without the cost. If you are interested in watching the line play or something specific you can usually find an angle to watch that action. That is something that isn't available on television.

[bincitysioux]

I've had very few problems, only on a couple of games. The advantage is that they give you multiple camera angles to choose from. They have 1 feed that gives you the same feed as they send out on television. They also give you several other dedicated camera feeds such as a sideline camera, an endzone camera and a camera dedicated to a specific player or area. You can switch back and forth between the cameras. I believe that you can also go back and create your own replays if you want by clicking on the timeline. That would be similar to a DVR without the cost. If you are interested in watching the line play or something specific you can usually find an angle to watch that action. That is something that isn't available on television.

I agree those are all great features. But how many casual fans care about zooming in on offensive line play?

You and I have discussed this topic before. I just think that at this point in time, IPTV is more of a luxury or enhancement to traditional TV. It will probably be a bigger player down the road, but I think is much farther off the horizon than you do.

Like I said, I have all the access I need personally. I watch more Sioux sports in person than I do on TV. The reason I want North Dakota athletics easily available to the mass public is simply to grow the brand and improve interest. Right now, I don't think relying on web-based media is the best way to go about it.

[82SiouxGuy]

I agree those are all great features. But how many casual fans care about zooming in on offensive line play?

You and I have discussed this topic before. I just think that at this point in time, IPTV is more of a luxury or enhancement to traditional TV. It will probably be a bigger player down the road, but I think is much farther off the horizon than you do.

Like I said, I have all the access I need personally. I watch more Sioux sports in person than I do on TV. The reason I want North Dakota athletics easily available to the mass public is simply to grow the brand and improve interest. Right now, I don't think relying on web-based media is the best way to go about it.

I think we may be on the edge of a revolution in television similar to the introduction of cable. Cable changed the way we watched TV, but it didn't totally destroy regular TV. The major roll out happened pretty quickly. I can see IPTV happening much quicker because much of the infrastructure is in place, and it will get much better as fiber optics are installed. But fiber optics won't be required to make the system work, it will only enhance the system as it becomes available. UND could be on the forefront of the new TV age. I'm sure it is going to happen, the only question is the timing.

[Smoggy]

I don't understand why the members of the conference agreed to the CBS deal given the exclusivity clause in it. It makes no sense for all the member schools to agree to televise fewer games than they have in the past.

Agreed that it was dumb for other schools to force UND and DU to give up nationally televised games. The only thing I can figure is that they assume it's too much of an advantage for those two schools instead of realizing it helps everyone.

[MoSiouxFan]

I think at this point you put too much stock into the value of watching television online. And this is coming from a true techno-nerd that has the internet piped to every TV in my house, along with over-the-air, free-to-air satellite, and DirecTV. My point is that geeks like me are the exception rather than the rule. With UND Insider, Big Sky TV, random satellite feeds shooting through space, and season tickets for football and hockey, I'm all set. But my grandma in Arizona, and my aunts and uncles in Alaska are now out of luck along with tens of thousands of others.

I also trust the people who make these decisions. I may have mis-spoke when I said UND voluntarily went away from Fox. The NCHC made that decision for them. The HD that CBS will provide for hockey will be great. But I'd gladly take 20 UND hockey games in standard definition versus 4 or 5 games in high definition. And actually, all of the members of the NCHC would have been on TV more if Denver and UND would have stayed with Fox rather than going with CBS.

I'm one of those tens of thousands of others that are "out of luck" down here in Mizzou. I can't tell you how great it's been to get all our home football and hockey games on FCS, not to mention some men's and women's bb games, since I usually only make it up there once a year for a weekend of football and hockey games. That's primarily why I ordered the extra sports package on our cable service. I think UND is losing far more out-of-state viewers than they realize, and we'll be pretty disappointed if nothing changes.

[82SiouxGuy]

I'm one of those tens of thousands of others that are "out of luck" down here in Mizzou. I can't tell you how great it's been to get all our home football and hockey games on FCS, not to mention some men's and women's bb games, since I usually only make it up there once a year for a weekend of football and hockey games. That's primarily why I ordered the extra sports package on our cable service. I think UND is losing far more out-of-state viewers than they realize, and we'll be pretty disappointed if nothing changes.

The fact that people were paying lots of dollars to watch the games, and UND got none of those dollars, probably played into the decision. College sports is a business. UND is going to get 6 figure checks every year for broadcast rights under the new situation. They have increased their athletic budget and are looking for ways to continue increasing it. So they cover a large bulk of the viewers while making a bunch of money that they weren't making before. That alone might have been the deciding factor in the process. Losing some viewers is the cost. That's the way business sometimes operates.

[MoSiouxFan]

The fact that people were paying lots of dollars to watch the games, and UND got none of those dollars, probably played into the decision. College sports is a business. UND is going to get 6 figure checks every year for broadcast rights under the new situation. They have increased their athletic budget and are looking for ways to continue increasing it. So they cover a large bulk of the viewers while making a bunch of money that they weren't making before. That alone might have been the deciding factor in the process. Losing some viewers is the cost. That's the way business sometimes operates.

Understand the business aspect. Hopefully, there'll be an alternative not too far down the road, because I think it impacts a lot of Sioux fans outside the radius of Midco.

[Jayson Hajdu]

All-

We certainly understand the consternation many of you have conveyed. I'll address a number of things discussed in this thread in the very near future, including the upgrades to our webcasts we are implementing for this upcoming year. Need to knock some other things off the ol' to-do list first, though.

[TheGreatSiouxNation]

All-

We certainly understand the consternation many of you have conveyed. I'll address a number of things discussed in this thread in the very near future, including the upgrades to our webcasts we are implementing for this upcoming year. Need to knock some other things off the ol' to-do list first, though.

Jason I think what most of us want to hear is "same viewing options as last year."

[Blackheart]

Agreed

[gfhockey]

Jason

I think being a full D1 school should mean better viewing options like FCS. In the moratorium stage we had it great, now that we turned in to the big sky and full D1 our options shrunk. Not what i expected out of the school i donate money too.

[Sioux2007]

I COULDN'T AGREE WITH YOU MORE GFHOCKEY!! I hope we hear from UND same options as last year for TV. Big step back if that's not the case!!!

[TheGreatSiouxNation]

I live 6 miles out of the Midco footprint here in Sioux Falls and have no options of changing cable companies. I have talked with my cable company asking them to pick up Midco Sports and were told very nicely no. I do agree with gfhockey. With out my satellite I have no options other than a webcast that has been so poor in the past that I will need a money back guarantee before I spend any money.

[bincitysioux]

I live 6 miles out of the Midco footprint here in Sioux Falls and have no options of changing cable companies. I have talked with my cable company asking them to pick up Midco Sports and were told very nicely no. I do agree with gfhockey. With out my satellite I have no options other than a webcast that has been so poor in the past that I will need a money back guarantee before I spend any money.

I'm in the same boat as you are. I can't even get cable at my place, satellite is the only option.

It is quite obvious to me that the coverage provided by the new TV deal is at best half as good as what has been availablet the past two seasons...........

[gfhockey]

Wasnt the d1 move supposed to increase exposure and visibility? Seems like we are limiting it now

[TheGreatSiouxNation]

Let's just hope that things will work out. I'm afraid that will not happen though. First the nickname, then the University cover up, and now a new statewide tv deal that leaves ALOT of viewers across the country in the dark. I hope Jason can provide good news. Full time DI program with a DII tv deal. I can get five USF football games and three USD games on TV though plus all the UAA Seawolves home hockey games this year.