College Sports

The Southeastern Conference is considering starting it’s own network, much like the Big Ten has done.

Based on the reviews of the BTN, I hope the SEC reconsiders, or at the very least learns from the mistakes of their northern sports brethren.

The Big Ten Network is a huge disappointment to fans of those teams. Why? Because so few cable companies picked up the network that most fans never get a chance to see the games.

Oddly enough, I get the Big 10 Network here in the south on my cable company. My husband, a card-carrying Big 10 fan, was thrilled when we got the channel. He gets to watch his beloved Michigan State Spartans much more often, and he also gets to catch the coaches shows in both football and basketball. But I venture to say that he is one of about 20 people in town who watch the channel, and it is rarely watched, at that. Talk about niche programing!

Then we were shocked when we visited his family in East Lansing, Mich. (home of the Spartans) and found out that not only do they not get the BTN, most of the state doesn’t!

So I looked deeper into the whole thing and found out some interesting facts:

• The Big Ten Network is 51% owned by the Big Ten, and 49% owned by Fox.
• Fox also owns part of DirecTV, which is the only major video provider with an agreement to carry the Big Ten Network.
• Cable companies in the eight-state Big Ten region are being asked to pay $1.10 per customer per month. At that rate, the Big Ten Network could conceivably make $237 million each year from the Big Ten states alone! As a comparison, ESPN-U costs 10 cents per viewer per month, ESPN costs $2.49, and CSTV (College Sports TV) costs 18 cents per viewer.
• Cable companies outside of the Big Ten region are being asked to pay 10 cents per customer, per month. (this explains why I have the network and my hubby’s family doesn’t)
• Many of the games that the Big Ten Network carried this past season were previously carried free on broadcast television or cable networks already in place.
• The Big Ten Network is asking to be carried as part of the standard cable package, so viewers will pay whether or not they want the channel.

(NOTE: The figures above were gathered from various sources, and may have changed… although not greatly)
Just a quick look around various fan boards online and you will quickly see that the Big Ten Network is not fan-friendly. For the most part, the fans who matter hate it.

And as much as I hate to admit it, I think this is just another brick in the wall of college sports. Money is the driving force behind so many decisions made in the AD’s offices. Stadiums that sell out every game, every year are being “remodeled” and ticket prices shoot up. I’m sorry, but if the stadium seats 90,000 to 110,000 fans, at anywhere from $35-$55 a pop seven times a year, well, you do the math! A conservative estimate would be $30 plus million at the “big dog” schools. Oh, and that isn’t taking into account parking, concessions, memorabilia, etc. (and to be fair, I’m not taking into account the outlay such as scholarships, salaries, insurance, etc.)
I realize that football funds most other sports on campuses. But this is getting way out of hand… out of the fans hands.

What happens when a stadium is renovated? They take out 10 or 20 thousand seats and put in “luxury boxes” that seat a lot less, but cost a lot more. You ever look in those boxes at games? Heck, most the time the folks aren’t even watching.

And what happened with the Big Ten Network deal. More money, less availability to the average fan.

So folks, we were being priced out of the stadiums, and now we are being priced out of even watching the games at home.

Being a fan just costs too much!

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