Would you pay for a U-M Sports TV Network?
Just kind of board and saw an ad for LHN. If a network like Fox or ESPN were the parent company, I think a Michigan Network would be a goldmine.
Michigan has the most dedicated fan base in the country that supports every sport in the athletic department and then some. Just some general "survey" questions-
- Would you pay for a Michigan Athletics-only TV Network? Assume the network exclusively shows a few football games, non-conference basketball games and ALL hockey home regular season games? As well as showing Michigan Baseball, Softball, Lacrosse instead of showing reruns of football games (like BTN) while there are athletic events going on.
- What would be a good name for the network? (ex: Wolverine Sports Network, Michigan Athletics Network etc.
August 17th, 2013 at 9:51 PM ^
August 17th, 2013 at 10:07 PM ^
Let me guess Dave's next steps:
1. Float rumors about a Wolverine Sports Network as a Comcast exclusive at an extra $15/month subscription.
2. Wait for MGoMeltdowns and general outrage on the MLive comments boards.
3. Allow said general outrage to simmer for 18, maybe 24 hours.
4. Announce network launch with basic package deals with all cable providers.
5. Pat himself on the back for another MGoWOW FACTOR success story while gazing adoringly at the picture of the MMB forming the Block M at Jerryworld hanging above his desk
August 17th, 2013 at 11:01 PM ^
This is why I wish we could still upvote posts.
August 17th, 2013 at 9:54 PM ^
August 17th, 2013 at 9:55 PM ^
I'd stream it :D
August 17th, 2013 at 9:55 PM ^
Outside of Footbal and Basketball what would be worth paying for? They are called non revenue sports for a reason but yes I would buy it because I suck.
August 18th, 2013 at 2:52 AM ^
make them revenue sports then? DB is a genius!
August 17th, 2013 at 9:55 PM ^
August 17th, 2013 at 9:56 PM ^
August 17th, 2013 at 9:57 PM ^
No. Sorry. There's plenty of ways to get news and stay current with the athletic department. Sooner or later (and probably sooner) you're going to run out of things to air and we're going to be seeing the same dozen or so old games.
August 17th, 2013 at 10:04 PM ^
My life would be complete.
Imagine all the alums that could come back and do games. Marcus Ray doing football color and Jalen Rose doing basketball color.
August 17th, 2013 at 10:09 PM ^
August 18th, 2013 at 9:21 AM ^
And most of their big opponents refuse to be broadcast on LHN since they know their fan bases probably don't have access to the Network. It was considered a 'coup' that Ole Miss agreed to have their game shown on LHN this year.
August 18th, 2013 at 10:24 AM ^
The Texas- Kansas game will be on the LHN too, but ESPN is in so deep and is so desperate they seem to be pulling out all stops and throwing good money after bad to attract teams to have their games on the network. This is what Texas Tech turned down when they decided it was not in their best interest to have a game air on the LHN:
Tech reportedly was told the UT game would unlikely be carried by ESPN or its partner ABC, thus trying to make the LHN option more attractive. ESPN's pitch also included televising at least two non-conference football games over the next four seasons for $5 million and and some other non-football-related programming. There was also some discussion of ESPN putting together a home-and-home series with a high-profile BCS conference school.
http://amarillo.com/blog-post/jon-mark-beilue/2011-08-08/tech-says-no-longhorn-network
At this point, LHN is a money pit and a collossal failure for ESPN.
August 17th, 2013 at 10:20 PM ^
August 17th, 2013 at 10:23 PM ^
Let's be honest. A Michigan network would be about 10% sports we care about, 50% sports most of us probably don't care about, and 40% stupid promotional shows about theater productions, inspirational professors, and science experiments. Don't get me wrong, that remaining 90% of content is important and all, but I probably won't ever watch it.
As far as I'm concerned, BTN is good enough.
August 17th, 2013 at 10:22 PM ^
I would pay the monthly fee to stream hockey, otherwise I can watch Michigan games at my convenience. Even tennis has live webcams available for FREE online!
August 17th, 2013 at 10:25 PM ^
I've heard ESPN is pulling the plug on the LHN. I kind of doubt Michigan has a big enough fan base to support it's own network. Only two schools on the country that could get away with it are Texas and OSU...and maybe Florida....and Texas tried and is failing...probably because they've sucked lately and are bad in basketball too.
August 18th, 2013 at 9:04 AM ^
you are missing one very large point. Michigan has the largest Alumni Association on the planet. The Alumni are in the top 10% of wage earners as well. I dont think a Texas degree garners much excitement outside Texas and surrounding areas.
An OSU network would not work IMO because after paying the trailer lot payment, cigarettes, Busch Light, and porno mags; there is not enough left of the welfare check to pay $15/mo. They steal cable anyway so they would probably get it for free.
I personally have written DB about this. I offered to pay 9.95 + TAX per month. I am not sure if I would pay $15/mo but probably would. I would find a way to make it tax deductable anyway.
August 18th, 2013 at 9:32 AM ^
we should totally swap handles.
August 18th, 2013 at 10:00 AM ^
second screen name very close to yours. :o)
The truth is the truth and the facts are the facts. Many people I know mistake this data for arrogance. I think it is just jealousy. We are one of the greatest institutions known to man. Why should be down-play this fact? I am proud to be a Wolverine and I display my pride every day. I make no applogies for it.
I am sure that DB is three steps ahead of us. Afterall, he did go to Michigan.
August 17th, 2013 at 10:37 PM ^
August 17th, 2013 at 10:40 PM ^
If it was exclusively internet, and I knew that no matter where I was in the world, that I'd never have to miss a MI game again regardless of the sport, I would relinquish a twenny twen-twen a month.
August 17th, 2013 at 11:09 PM ^
August 18th, 2013 at 12:01 AM ^
August 17th, 2013 at 10:57 PM ^
I'm already annoyed at "dynamic pricing" and other efforts to make money. If it can't be a free channel in MIchigan, where it's a public university, then screw it.
August 18th, 2013 at 9:08 AM ^
50 years ago the state actually paid for most of the teaching that went on at Michigan, but today they're down to 4% of the budget.
August 17th, 2013 at 11:09 PM ^
I would love for a 'Mgoblog type' show on TV. Cover recruiting and daily/weekly things. Football games, baseball, basketball, hockey...
Sportscenter, but Michigan sports would be absolutely amazing.
Go Blue Network. Or The Victors.
August 18th, 2013 at 10:02 AM ^
I wonder if Brian has thought about doing some "original content" exclusively for the MgoBlog faithful. Hell I would join in for some softball talk.
August 17th, 2013 at 11:13 PM ^
Yes, because I pay for a lot of stuff throughout the day and this would be worth it
August 18th, 2013 at 1:02 AM ^
The Michigan Athletics Network = The MAN Channel. While I would be ok with this, something like MGoBlueTV seems more likely if it were going to broadcast womens athletics.
Get it....BROADcast....?
I'll just go back to my sexist hole in the earth.
August 18th, 2013 at 1:24 AM ^
a previous commenter mentioned jalen rose doing color commentary. i would pay for it if they got jalen rose to do color commentary of fab 5 games, along with a lot of other stuff like that. e.g., perry doing play by play on the 51 carry game at state, biakabatuka doing play-by-play of his 313 yard game against osu, etc.
August 18th, 2013 at 1:40 AM ^
August 18th, 2013 at 1:41 AM ^
I might pay for it, but I certainly wouldn't pay for it year round. If I were to get it, I would pick it up at the beginning of football season and drop it as soon as the bowl games are done or perhaps earlier. I might keep it just enough to watch whatever pre-conference football game happened to be on the network.
August 18th, 2013 at 10:24 AM ^
I so miss Mgovideo for live games and replay. Football is about the only sport that is on some kind of cable or OTA channel.
I'm not on cable TV, so I vote for streaming only and avoiding the expense/effort in trying to get it on cable. It would be easy enough to expand the mgoblue multimedia page and the mobile app(s) they already have may be robust enough to support it.
I would pay a modest subscription fee for expanded coverage there. I'd even pay a pay per view for the FB and BB games BTN is broadcasting so that UM could reimburse BTN. Fans of the opponents in those events could see their teams on a pay per view/or free basis. (Sometimes the links on opponents' sites have been offered to our fans on the mgoblue schedule, but I've found that the access on their websites doesn't always work smoothly.)
The BTN replays some programs endlessly when they could do better by showing more student-produced athletic events. I know they do some and I enjoy watching them.
The Michigan site could give priority to live BB, FB and hockey when scheduling OR just give us multiple streams (!!!), so we would be able to see the others at the times they are scheduled particularly M and W's gymnastics, softball, baseball and volleyball.
The BTN tends to OD on wrestling. There are lots of soccer, baseball, track and field, as well as swimming and diving fans. Many times, it is hard to find NCAA championship matches in the non-revenue sports and BTN usually doesn't carry any of it. A big portion of the video on CBSSports (BTN subscription) consists of clips and highlights we already see on Mgoblue. Clips from Michigan athletes competing for berths/medals on US teams, national or Olympic performances would be terrific. (I'm looking at you, Beryl and Charlie!)
This would be a wonderful opportunity for students to gain experience in taping, producing and doing the play by play.
The channel could do other topics like highlights/news of Michigan Alumni Athletes competing somewhere in the world each week; coaches review of the games with clips...
BYW there are a lot of lifelong fans, older men and women of all ages, who follow this blog.
August 18th, 2013 at 11:54 AM ^
Now why would you ask a dumb question like that?
August 18th, 2013 at 3:43 PM ^
August 18th, 2013 at 4:00 PM ^
The Wolverine Historian already has a decent UM network on youtube. With the BTN around, why would I want to pay more money just to see the least competitive M games?
August 20th, 2013 at 1:52 PM ^
Of course I would.