Broadcasting rights

[johnsowe]

I wonder how the Comcast will work midco has 3 channels and the games are not always on Midco main. I can see some problems

[nd1sufan]

12 hours ago, UNDColorado said:

You know it's good since no bizun trolls have come over here to try and minimize it.

Not a horrible deal for UND. But I do believe NDSU gets about $2 milllion per year rather than $2 million for 4 years.

[UND1983]

14 minutes ago, nd1sufan said:

Not a horrible deal for UND. But I do believe NDSU gets about $2 milllion per year rather than $2 million for 4 years.

That would explain the constant stories from multiple writers, TV guys and shilling by Forum Comm. They need to do everything possible to try and make that back

[gfNDfan]

$2 million a year from FORUM Communications???  BUWAHHAHAHAHAHHHA!!!

Don't do drugs man - they are bad for you Entz/Tailpipe smokers!

[The Sicatoka]

11 hours ago, nodakvindy said:

Honest question, why?

Why which?

Why not announced? We knew Midco won before the official statements. They were working out details. Same here I'd guess.

Why did I want Tioga and Grand Rapids? Why not?  

[The Sicatoka]

8 hours ago, nd1sufan said:

Not a horrible deal for UND. But I do believe NDSU gets about $2 milllion per year rather than $2 million for 4 years.

What's the contracted structure? 

It could be flat fee from media to school but no slice of the ad revenues. <- low risk to school; high risk to media 

Another way is a media partner for broadcast and the school does all the ad sales and keeps all ad revenues. <- risk switches to school and what they can get for ad returns

Those scenarios would be very different up front fiscal numbers from media company to athletic department. 

[jdub27]

NDSU sold their entire packsge to Learfield. The situations are not apples to apples.

UND also traded some monetary value for some of the investments and additional coverage. The value far exceeds 4 years/$2 million.

[The Sicatoka]

Welcome to Saturday Morning Philosophy, with coffee. I'm your host: The Sicatoka. 

Today's topic is: Bet on yourself or take the money? Media deals in the 2020s.

UND went for infrastructure investments and "goodwill" (programming and air time) in lieu of a big media check. Then UND took advertising in house. Both of those moves say UND needs the tooling, not the cash flow, to keep "betting on self" and they found a way to get it. UND also has skin in the game -- UND needs to keep the value high, and raise it, to keep advertising returns high. 

NDSU took the check, the cash flow. If the value of what NDSU sold drops over the length of the deal, NDSU is out nothing. That's not betting on self. 

So who made the smartest move? And yes, that is smartest, not smarter. It's not two entities in play here but four. So let's explore.

Midco: They lay out some capital and make some improvements to UND facilities. They guarantee some air time. But they're getting programming for their cable channels and subscription service. If UND is awesome they come out great, viewers; if UND teams slide, well, they still have programming.

WDAY/ForumComm: They're writing big checks betting that NDSU stays a valuable quantity. Should NDSU get bigger, great bet for 'DAY. Should NDSU stumble, not so great of a bet. 

NDSU: They are locked in. Win or lose they cash the check. If they stumble, genius!, because the same check comes. If they explode and go even bigger, they shorted themselves. 

UND: They are getting exposure and a tangible improvements to facilities. And they are getting the exposure to announce what they are doing. If UND stumbles, they still have the stuff and the exposure. If they explode and go bigger, they have the returns of better ad revenue. 

Thinking about these from least to greatest risk, I'd say NDSU made the lowest risk move. They can "Amber Heard" the bed and still get the same check.

That said, I'd say UND made a bold, risky, move. In lieu of cash today they are betting on future success. Midco is right there with them. Each have made moves that look forward and depend on improvements. 

Forum Comm is in the riskiest position. Should the value of the entity they've pre-paid for drop, for whatever reason, they're still on the hook. That said, if NDSU goes big, ForumComm reaps all the media reward, and NDSU shorted itself. 

I hope you've enjoyed the rambling stream of thoughts and finished your coffee. 

I'm The SIcatoka and this has been Saturday Morning Philosophy, with coffee.

[Bison Dan]

27 minutes ago, jdub27 said:

NDSU sold their entire packsge to Learfield. The situations are not apples to apples.

UND also traded some monetary value for some of the investments and additional coverage. The value far exceeds 4 years/$2 million.

Love the term "value"  Value can mean different things to different people.  UND gave up a lot of money to cover other sports.  I wonder how much your foundation had to pony up in advertising to swing the deal.

[The Sicatoka]

Beware the man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. 

[Kab]

29 minutes ago, Bison Dan said:

Love the term "value"  Value can mean different things to different people.  UND gave up a lot of money to cover other sports.  I wonder how much your foundation had to pony up in advertising to swing the deal.

Speaking of team makers

[FSSD]

1 hour ago, The Sicatoka said:

Welcome to Saturday Morning Philosophy, with coffee. I'm your host: The Sicatoka. 

Today's topic is: Bet on yourself or take the money? Media deals in the 2020s.

UND went for infrastructure investments and "goodwill" (programming and air time) in lieu of a big media check. Then UND took advertising in house. Both of those moves say UND needs the tooling, not the cash flow, to keep "betting on self" and they found a way to get it. UND also has skin in the game -- UND needs to keep the value high, and raise it, to keep advertising returns high. 

NDSU took the check, the cash flow. If the value of what NDSU sold drops over the length of the deal, NDSU is out nothing. That's not betting on self. 

So who made the smartest move? And yes, that is smartest, not smarter. It's not two entities in play here but four. So let's explore.

Midco: They lay out some capital and make some improvements to UND facilities. They guarantee some air time. But they're getting programming for their cable channels and subscription service. If UND is awesome they come out great, viewers; if UND teams slide, well, they still have programming.

WDAY/ForumComm: They're writing big checks betting that NDSU stays a valuable quantity. Should NDSU get bigger, great bet for 'DAY. Should NDSU stumble, not so great of a bet. 

NDSU: They are locked in. Win or lose they cash the check. If they stumble, genius!, because the same check comes. If they explode and go even bigger, they shorted themselves. 

UND: They are getting exposure and a tangible improvements to facilities. And they are getting the exposure to announce what they are doing. If UND stumbles, they still have the stuff and the exposure. If they explode and go bigger, they have the returns of better ad revenue. 

Thinking about these from least to greatest risk, I'd say NDSU made the lowest risk move. They can "Amber Heard" the bed and still get the same check.

That said, I'd say UND made a bold, risky, move. In lieu of cash today they are betting on future success. Midco is right there with them. Each have made moves that look forward and depend on improvements. 

Forum Comm is in the riskiest position. Should the value of the entity they've pre-paid for drop, for whatever reason, they're still on the hook. That said, if NDSU goes big, ForumComm reaps all the media reward, and NDSU shorted itself. 

I hope you've enjoyed the rambling stream of thoughts and finished your coffee. 

I'm The SIcatoka and this has been Saturday Morning Philosophy, with coffee.

The biggest advantage is exposure.  UND is in the Twin Cities market with their front porch sports products.  I believe that Midco is going to target St. Thomas next and when they do.  It will make MidcoSN a very relevant product in the MSP marketplace.  In the news release, they also noted that several other cable providers were in play.  It will be interesting to see who they are.  Again, as Midco expands throughout the region UND benefits.

[jdub27]

3 hours ago, Bison Dan said:

Love the term "value"  Value can mean different things to different people.  UND gave up a lot of money to cover other sports.  I wonder how much your foundation had to pony up in advertising to swing the deal.

You mean UND is going to continue to advertise during UND events? Exactly like NDSU does? I'm shocked! 

But they are a non-profit, so feel free to check their financials to blow the lid off this one. 

[The Sicatoka]

27 minutes ago, jdub27 said:

You mean UND is going to continue to advertise during UND events?

Now imagine if UND was smart enough to call out retaining, at no cost under the contract, a number of advertising slots (:30 second commercials) per broadcast event. 

 

Spoiler Alert: Read the television RFP; it's in there. 

[Wildfan]

3 hours ago, FSSD said:

The biggest advantage is exposure.  UND is in the Twin Cities market with their front porch sports products.  I believe that Midco is going to target St. Thomas next and when they do.  It will make MidcoSN a very relevant product in the MSP marketplace.  In the news release, they also noted that several other cable providers were in play.  It will be interesting to see who they are.  Again, as Midco expands throughout the region UND benefits.

Comcast has a 49% stake in Midco, so not sure what their competition clause may be, but I always found it curious that Comcast didn't include the MidcoSN before. 

[jdub27]

51 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

Now imagine if UND was smart enough to call out retaining, at no cost under the contract, a number of advertising slots (:30 second commercials) per broadcast event. 

 

Spoiler Alert: Read the television RFP; it's in there. 

Shhhhh. You're ruining the conspiracy theory.... 

[FSSD]

2 hours ago, Wildfan said:

Comcast has a 49% stake in Midco, so not sure what their competition clause may be, but I always found it curious that Comcast didn't include the MidcoSN before. 

Well, I know that they advertised Midco services several years ago in the western suburbs.  But, this is the first time that I have heard about the addition of the channel.  I assume that it's going to be included in the add-on sport package.  So, that is the value-added portion for them.

[nd1sufan]

13 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

Welcome to Saturday Morning Philosophy, with coffee. I'm your host: The Sicatoka. 

Today's topic is: Bet on yourself or take the money? Media deals in the 2020s.

UND went for infrastructure investments and "goodwill" (programming and air time) in lieu of a big media check. Then UND took advertising in house. Both of those moves say UND needs the tooling, not the cash flow, to keep "betting on self" and they found a way to get it. UND also has skin in the game -- UND needs to keep the value high, and raise it, to keep advertising returns high. 

NDSU took the check, the cash flow. If the value of what NDSU sold drops over the length of the deal, NDSU is out nothing. That's not betting on self. 

So who made the smartest move? And yes, that is smartest, not smarter. It's not two entities in play here but four. So let's explore.

Midco: They lay out some capital and make some improvements to UND facilities. They guarantee some air time. But they're getting programming for their cable channels and subscription service. If UND is awesome they come out great, viewers; if UND teams slide, well, they still have programming.

WDAY/ForumComm: They're writing big checks betting that NDSU stays a valuable quantity. Should NDSU get bigger, great bet for 'DAY. Should NDSU stumble, not so great of a bet. 

NDSU: They are locked in. Win or lose they cash the check. If they stumble, genius!, because the same check comes. If they explode and go even bigger, they shorted themselves. 

UND: They are getting exposure and a tangible improvements to facilities. And they are getting the exposure to announce what they are doing. If UND stumbles, they still have the stuff and the exposure. If they explode and go bigger, they have the returns of better ad revenue. 

Thinking about these from least to greatest risk, I'd say NDSU made the lowest risk move. They can "Amber Heard" the bed and still get the same check.

That said, I'd say UND made a bold, risky, move. In lieu of cash today they are betting on future success. Midco is right there with them. Each have made moves that look forward and depend on improvements. 

Forum Comm is in the riskiest position. Should the value of the entity they've pre-paid for drop, for whatever reason, they're still on the hook. That said, if NDSU goes big, ForumComm reaps all the media reward, and NDSU shorted itself. 

I hope you've enjoyed the rambling stream of thoughts and finished your coffee. 

I'm The SIcatoka and this has been Saturday Morning Philosophy, with coffee.

I believe the Ingstads, who own FM Radio Media, when they started Bison1660 agreed to share advertising revenue from just that portion of their holdings with NDSU athletics. So the more revenue FM Radio Media gets the more NDSU gets. That could have changed with Learfield taking over but I don’t believe it did. One of the advantages to having a big NDSU supporter that owns a large Media company.

[The Sicatoka]

10 hours ago, nd1sufan said:

I believe the Ingstads, who own FM Radio Media, when they started Bison1660 agreed to share advertising revenue from just that portion of their holdings with NDSU athletics. So the more revenue FM Radio Media gets the more NDSU gets. That could have changed with Learfield taking over but I don’t believe it did. One of the advantages to having a big NDSU supporter that owns a large Media company.

I wouldn't trade that for being on Comcast in MSP.
Or potentially cable in the 'peg* ... or getting more TSN exposure.*

 

*Someone re-read the RFP last night. 

[The Sicatoka]

More details ...

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/und-hockey/und-signs-expansive-television-rights-deal-with-midco-sports 

Quote

 

The $500,000 per year contract was a substantial monetary boost from UND's previous TV rights deals. In 2012, it signed a five-year deal worth $1 million ($200,000 per year) with Midco. In 2017, it extended that contract for another five years for $1.425 million ($285,000 per year).

The new contract also includes other major financial commitments.

Among them are a $500,000 donation to the Champions Club, $200,000 in upgraded broadcast equipment at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, $250,000 for a Midco Sports set and broadcast equipment in Ralph Engelstad Arena for pregame, postgame and intermission productions, $250,000 for upgraded production vehicles, $20,000 for a fiberoptic extension to Bronson Field for soccer broadcasts, $50,000 annually to employ UND students to assist in basketball and volleyball broadcasts and $100,000 annually in sponsorships.

 

Quote

 

Midco Sports will expand its reach into the Twin Cities this season.

It has signed a contract to have an assigned channel on Comcast for cable subscribers in the Twin Cities.

"Gaining access to the Twin Cities via Comcast is really important," Powell said. "We're going to be able to showcase North Dakota athletics in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. It's a lot of fun to have new eyeballs and potential viewers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area."

Midco also is in talks with other cable companies to add Midco Sports to their cable lineups.

"We're in conversations with several others that I'll leave nameless for now," Powell said. "Should those deals come to fruition, we'll (have an announcement). We needed to get this UND contract done for people to believe they're going to have content."

 

 

[Cratter]

So Midco has to give UND $500,000 a year and then donate another $500,000 a year?

[Cratter]

I'm surprised they didn't try and include the "in-kind" donation amount.

[The Sicatoka]

21 minutes ago, Cratter said:

So Midco has to give UND $500,000 a year and then donate another $500,000 a year?

I'd guess to the Champions Club is a one-time because they specifically call out "annually" for some. 

[NeutralObserver]

On 8/4/2022 at 4:21 PM, Kab said:

If you live in Bismarck you might get 6 OTA channels

in Phoenix maybe 50

in Bowman maybe 0

 

With all the subchannels available, in Bismarck you would get around 32 channels total.  Which is from 6 channels, that is true, but most of them have multiple sub channels.

(I'm getting the channels that are available from this site, if anyone is interested:   https://rabbitears.info/market.php )

Dickinson and Williston each get 11  (but not ABC, because Forum has never cared about the far west, even though they own the Dickinson Press.)

Where the digital transition does suck is for towns like Bowman, like you mention.  If you look at the sites that predict coverage, from this same rabbit ears site I can see in Bowman on the outskirts of town, where you are higher up you might get 1 or 2 at best.  Where I'm guessing they used to get strong signals for CBS and PBS, if not NBC.  The fact that congress and the FCC did not try to make sure coverage areas stayed the same for areas like this was a failure of that whole transition.

[nodak651]

Wow what's with the MVFC deal with ESPN?  I just realized that every ESPN MVFC "game of the week" is exclusively on ESPN's streaming platform, as in home teams cant broadcast their home game on TV if it's the game of the week.  UND vs UNI is the game of the week and will not be on TV anywhere.  Is that correct?  Would love to see a copy of that contract...