Midco sports

[Wildfan]

9 minutes ago, Kab said:

Midco, please let us know who in administration positions were cut.

i thought Midco was headed for bigger things but now they suck just like wday does.

soon everyone will be paying for every broadcast of every sport to many different _platforms

what the hell is Fenton doing

i hope UND hockey doesn’t become a summit broadcast

 

In the regional sports world it seems that you have to adapt to streaming world or falter. It been surprising to me that Midco Sports has stuck around as long as it has and even grown in recent years, which may have also led it down a financial rabbit hole. More and more people are moving away from the cable packages and moving to direct streaming platforms which brings overall subscriber numbers down. And with NCHCTV and MidcoSports Plus there was little incentive to pay for the entire Midco cable package just to watch the sports. Even the Wild and Twins being put on Bally Sports Plus also took away the requirement. 

Now are they also struggling with the online subscription service financially like the other big services? Also having all the MVFC games on ESPN+ was a cheaper option then MidcoSports Plus/Cable and ESPN/TNT/ETC are planning a combined sports streaming service for later this year. They must be thinking to adapt or lose out. 

[gfhockey]

1 hour ago, Wildfan said:

They mentioned keeping up contractual obligations with UND/USD/SDSU, and I know UND especially hockey has been huge for them so I would see them keeping that as is with a dedicated PXP. I believe they kept a USD and SDSU personality on staff. For other events it’s better to freelance and not pay fulltime benefits. For lower viewed events as well you might see the radio crew or a school appointed staff. Even the old Fight Sioux Sports Network had dedicated PXP. 

[gfhockey]

It also could be that they are no longer getting advertising from Schumacher’s tire. That’s a big dent and their advertising budget from here.

[Kab]

So now you need

nchc

‘ESPN+

Midco sports package

Summit league on Midco for BB

cbs + sports or cbs sports on cable 

what happens to all the Midco sports behind the scenes employees in grand forks?  Are they let go too?

 

 

 

[Green Banner]

1 hour ago, nd1sufan said:

I could see Jody going back to WDAY. Don’t think he is interested in relocating right now and don’t see a lot of other opportunities in the broadcast world in the area.

Logan Campbell recently left WDAY, so there is a open position in the Sports Dept. 

[The Sicatoka]

54 minutes ago, Green Banner said:

Logan Campbell recently left WDAY, so there is a open position in the Sports Dept. 

Can't blame her ... she broke the wrong right story. And it PO'd some people (who'd broken their word). 

[gfhockey]

19 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

Can't blame her ... she broke the wrong right story. And it PO'd some people (who'd broken their word). 

Which story

[Green Banner]

54 minutes ago, gfhockey said:

Which story

Entz to USC

 

[nodakvindy]

9 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

Can't blame her ... she broke the wrong right story. And it PO'd some people (who'd broken their word). 

She wasn't going to stay in ND much longer. Has the potential to be biggest sports media star to come out of the state since Lauren Shehadi. 

[Nodak78]

18 hours ago, Wildfan said:

In the regional sports world it seems that you have to adapt to streaming world or falter. It been surprising to me that Midco Sports has stuck around as long as it has and even grown in recent years, which may have also led it down a financial rabbit hole. More and more people are moving away from the cable packages and moving to direct streaming platforms which brings overall subscriber numbers down. And with NCHCTV and MidcoSports Plus there was little incentive to pay for the entire Midco cable package just to watch the sports. Even the Wild and Twins being put on Bally Sports Plus also took away the requirement. 

Now are they also struggling with the online subscription service financially like the other big services? Also having all the MVFC games on ESPN+ was a cheaper option then MidcoSports Plus/Cable and ESPN/TNT/ETC are planning a combined sports streaming service for later this year. They must be thinking to adapt or lose out. 

Bingo.  Survival mode with cable cutters.  Cable will have a short lifespan.  You will have internet and 4 or 5 apps.  ESPN+, MidcoSports+,  no hockey app for me or twins,  CBSsports.  Maybe one other.  No more midco.  Sign of the times.

[FSSD]

NFL has other Playoff Game this year going streaming exclusively.

[Cratter]

13 hours ago, nodakvindy said:

She wasn't going to stay in ND much longer. Has the potential to be biggest sports media star to come out of the state since Lauren Shehadi. 

"To come out of the state"

She's from VA. 

ND was just a brief stint in her professional career.

[nodak651]

I think Midco is going to go after the CCHA streaming rights.  As far as I can tell, the CCHA contract with Flo expires at the end of this year, and Midco would probably like the streaming rights to Augie games if they are going to be producing and broadcasting them.  There are a bunch of other synergies as well.  This would align with their comments about investing in streaming. 
CCHA announces streaming partnership, beginning with 2021-2022 season
CCHA launches all-new CCHA TV on FloSports (first paragraph says 3 season)

I'm trying to think of other potential leagues, but the MVFC, MIAC, and NSIC just announced new streaming deals of their own, in August 2023.  Curious about the NCHC, but I'm not sure a Midco deal would make sense, financially, for the NCHC.  NCHC.TV seems to be doing well well, but perhaps a deal with Midco would allow the other schools to siphon off some of the streaming revenue that UND is currently generating through the existing NCHC.TV arrangement, which sends about 85% of revenue to member schools based on fan affiliation.

Streaming for both the CCHA and NCHC is $30 a month, 3 times the price of Midco, so I'm curious how that would be handled. 

 

 

[UNDBIZ]

On 3/29/2024 at 1:26 PM, nodak651 said:

I think Midco is going to go after the CCHA streaming rights.  As far as I can tell, the CCHA contract with Flo expires at the end of this year, and Midco would probably like the streaming rights to Augie games if they are going to be producing and broadcasting them.  There are a bunch of other synergies as well.  This would align with their comments about investing in streaming. 
CCHA announces streaming partnership, beginning with 2021-2022 season
CCHA launches all-new CCHA TV on FloSports (first paragraph says 3 season)

I'm trying to think of other potential leagues, but the MVFC, MIAC, and NSIC just announced new streaming deals of their own, in August 2023.  Curious about the NCHC, but I'm not sure a Midco deal would make sense, financially, for the NCHC.  NCHC.TV seems to be doing well well, but perhaps a deal with Midco would allow the other schools to siphon off some of the streaming revenue that UND is currently generating through the existing NCHC.TV arrangement, which sends about 85% of revenue to member schools based on fan affiliation.

Streaming for both the CCHA and NCHC is $30 a month, 3 times the price of Midco, so I'm curious how that would be handled. 

It'd be great to see some advertisements on NCHC.TV and cut the cost a bit.

[FSSD]

To be honest, the Midco Plus app and site need some work.  The app was very disappointing from a UX (user experience) point of view.  And the app is impossible to find.  I tried to get it on my Samsung Frame TV and I could not find it.  But to be fair, not sure which one was worse from a UX PoV the Samsung TV app or Midco Plus.  As an example here is the landing page - what? - I am at a loss for words.  The search capabilities are marginal.  In general it just needs a lot of work.  NCHC TV isn't bad.  Atleast you can do picture in picture and multiple game views.  

[nodak651]

35 minutes ago, FSSD said:

To be honest, the Midco Plus app and site need some work.  The app was very disappointing from a UX (user experience) point of view.  And the app is impossible to find.  I tried to get it on my Samsung Frame TV and I could not find it.  But to be fair, not sure which one was worse from a UX PoV the Samsung TV app or Midco Plus.  As an example here is the landing page - what? - I am at a loss for words.  The search capabilities are marginal.  In general it just needs a lot of work.  NCHC TV isn't bad.  Atleast you can do picture in picture and multiple game views.  

I think we will eventually see some improvements, but I don't have any first hand knowledge, so I haven't posted anything about this and I don't know if or how much this will affect the streaming platform, but this is what I think I know.......  I think the software comes from a company called Accedo (their case study on Midco here)   (their discription of their OTT sports streaming product here).  Why I think we may see improvements is because Accedo recently purchased Easel TV, which appears to have a better streaming platform that is available through pretty much every app store, including Samsung, LG, AndroidTV, Tivo, Chomecast, etc.  Accedo says the Easel brand name will be phased out, and and operations will be continued under the Accedo brand name, out of the same office.

I think Accedo purchased Easel TV, in part, to utilize the company's existing technology, which could potentially be used to improve Accedo's sports streaming product, and therefore, Midco Sports Plus.  I don't know that for certain, however, and I haven't seen any reporting on this, but it's something I've kept an eye on.

[FSSD]

3 hours ago, nodak651 said:

I think we will eventually see some improvements, but I don't have any first hand knowledge, so I haven't posted anything about this and I don't know if or how much this will affect the streaming platform, but this is what I think I know.......  I think the software comes from a company called Accedo (their case study on Midco here)   (their discription of their OTT sports streaming product here).  Why I think we may see improvements is because Accedo recently purchased Easel TV, which appears to have a better streaming platform that is available through pretty much every app store, including Samsung, LG, AndroidTV, Tivo, Chomecast, etc.  Accedo says the Easel brand name will be phased out, and and operations will be continued under the Accedo brand name, out of the same office.

I think Accedo purchased Easel TV, in part, to utilize the company's existing technology, which could potentially be used to improve Accedo's sports streaming product, and therefore, Midco Sports Plus.  I don't know that for certain, however, and I haven't seen any reporting on this, but it's something I've kept an eye on.

Interesting, thanks for the information.  I do think given Midco's track record that they will address much of what I noted.  And I am looking forward to see what they come up with...  I assume that they will have major changes coming out in late summer for MicoSports Plus and the Summit League Network (SLN).

[FSSD]

Midco is expanding to include CCHA.

https://www.siouxfallslive.com/sports/college/sources-midco-finalizing-contract-to-acquire-broadcasting-rights-for-ccha

Sources: Midco finalizing contract to acquire broadcasting rights for CCHA

The conference was previously engaged in a multi-year deal with FloSports, which ended following the 2023-24 season.

[Kab]

Midco drops a lot of local teams and employees and picks up the ccha 

‘not impressed 

[FSSD]

1 hour ago, Kab said:

Midco drops a lot of local teams and employees and picks up the ccha 

‘not impressed 

They picked St. Thomas and Augie hockey (already had Augie home games)

[Nodak78]

3 hours ago, FSSD said:

They picked St. Thomas and Augie hockey (already had Augie home games)

Midco is ahead of the curve.

[gfNDfan]

Not rocket science...Sioux Falls is a giant (largely) untapped media market.   Imagine if Fargo didn't have NDSU and Bismarck and GF had the "big" colleges in the state.   How much could they pull out of Fargo for ad $$?   Answer: NOT ENOUGH!

UND Hockey is Midco's cash cow for ad revenue.  Highest rates and highest demand.  FB and other sports at all schools don't  even come close.  Midco realizes the future of actually making money off local sports depends on cultivating Augie into a D1 Hockey school to sell the SF Market and that means bringing the entire CCHA league into the mix just to secure Augie as the anchor.  

FloSports was an epic disaster.   I subscribed for a UND game at Bemidji and I would have rather had my grandma streaming the game on her phone from the cheap seats.  It was hideous.  Midco just wants to be able to OFFER the games to Sioux Falls businesses.  By firing all their talent it means they don't care about the end product.   It only means they will be able to sell it on a short term basis.   If it's more than 2 cameras and a hack announcer it will be better that what they had.  The cautionary note is UND's production level will suffer on many levels from the cuts as they bring up 1 program from nothing and bring down their premiere program to save them some money.  

[FSSD]

8 hours ago, gfNDfan said:

Not rocket science...Sioux Falls is a giant (largely) untapped media market.   Imagine if Fargo didn't have NDSU and Bismarck and GF had the "big" colleges in the state.   How much could they pull out of Fargo for ad $$?   Answer: NOT ENOUGH!

UND Hockey is Midco's cash cow for ad revenue.  Highest rates and highest demand.  FB and other sports at all schools don't  even come close.  Midco realizes the future of actually making money off local sports depends on cultivating Augie into a D1 Hockey school to sell the SF Market and that means bringing the entire CCHA league into the mix just to secure Augie as the anchor.  

FloSports was an epic disaster.   I subscribed for a UND game at Bemidji and I would have rather had my grandma streaming the game on her phone from the cheap seats.  It was hideous.  Midco just wants to be able to OFFER the games to Sioux Falls businesses.  By firing all their talent it means they don't care about the end product.   It only means they will be able to sell it on a short term basis.   If it's more than 2 cameras and a hack announcer it will be better that what they had.  The cautionary note is UND's production level will suffer on many levels from the cuts as they bring up 1 program from nothing and bring down their premiere program to save them some money.  

I should have mentioned this is my previous post.  In addition to St. Thomas and Augie it does bring in Mankato St and Bemidji St also.

[Kab]

I liked the Friday night football show on midco

highlights and scores from both SD and ND plus they did some high school games

BEK sports has some high school football games and other sports but it depends on what cable you have and a lot of the production was from school kids where they televised from 

 

[NeutralObserver]

On 4/4/2024 at 11:27 AM, FSSD said:

To be honest, the Midco Plus app and site need some work.  The app was very disappointing from a UX (user experience) point of view.  And the app is impossible to find.  I tried to get it on my Samsung Frame TV and I could not find it.  But to be fair, not sure which one was worse from a UX PoV the Samsung TV app or Midco Plus.  As an example here is the landing page - what? - I am at a loss for words.  The search capabilities are marginal.  In general it just needs a lot of work.  NCHC TV isn't bad.  Atleast you can do picture in picture and multiple game views.  

I have a Samsung smart TV, and a lot of apps are missing compared to other brands of smart tvs.  The apps have to develop one for each vendor, and some of them pick and choose which ones are worth it.  You may need to get a Roku stick to fill in the apps that Samsung doesn't provide.