Can this be true? Do I really not get to watch the Sparty game?
I know this can't be true. I must have misinterpreted something. But I thought I saw that next week's game against the Spartans would only be televised on the Big Ten Network, which is unavailable to us poor saps in SEC country. Am I wrong about this? How can I see the game? I might as well scoop out my liver with a spoon if I can't watch.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:21 PM ^
Tis true. Happy scooping. I'm sure there will be a stream somewhere or as always, the bar.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:23 PM ^
Sorry to hear the news, suicidal is how I would be. Does the gameplan package not give you BTN games? If it does and you don't have BTN, you pretty much have to pop for the gameplan.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:26 PM ^
find a michigan bar with directTV
get directtv installed by gametime.
Been with DirectTV for 2 years now, never going back to cable. You get all the big10 network games even if you're out of market for that matchup, i.e. you get all the overflow channels as well as the main channel.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:57 PM ^
I've been with DirecTV since 2005 and it's so much better than cable. I just realized last week that I've had the Big Ten Network. All this time, I thought you had to buy the sports package. I'm so glad that the Big Ten Network decided to be on the regular DirecTV packages and not the special bundles.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:26 PM ^
I've had BTN since it came on the air.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:28 PM ^
Yeah, I'm in California. This sucks big time. I basically got the same answer from some suit at Time Warner, they only offer ESPN Gameplan. And I don't exactly have the money to drop on that right now.
The BTN is making the claim that they're trying to go more national, but it isn't happening quick enough. Looks like I have to find a sports bar somewhere. Son of a...
September 24th, 2009 at 4:41 PM ^
Time Warner is a dinosaur. I switched to DirecTV on moving to Columbus and have access to almost any televised sporting event. Sports Pack gives you every regional network - you could watch Kent Hrbek's fishing show on FSN north! If you're truly serious about watching sports, there isn't another option. Kent Hrbek fishing.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:48 PM ^
If you can switch to DirecTV at some point, do it and tell Time Warner the reason you switched is because they don't carry BTN.
Seriously, I didn't do cable in my current place because the building wasn't wired for HD or digital or some crap like that allegedly and my landlord (it's someone's condo) said I should just do DirecTV. I don't ever want to go back to cable now.
And I think DirecTV is a must-have for any soccer fan.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:06 PM ^
I have Time Warner and just added the sports package ( I could have had it all along but they auto-enrolled me in the Variety package and I was too lazy to change) and that includes all the BTN channels in HD. I don't like TW but will keep it for now since I have Louis CK stand up saved on my DVR.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:37 PM ^
baleted, thought you were talking about this week.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:41 PM ^
I thought with like the super-duper package that DirectTV AND Dish Network carry the BTN... Maybe I am completely off base...glad to be a homer
September 24th, 2009 at 4:50 PM ^
by carrying it I mean in other places then just Big Ten country
September 24th, 2009 at 5:05 PM ^
all across the USA.
DirecTV packages
The Choice Package, currently $34.99/mo. gets you BTN; I don't know anything about Dish.
One current drawback, Versus is not on DirecTV currently, due to a fee squabble between DirecTV and Versus' owner, Comcast. I'm really hoping this is resolved before Hockey regular season starts.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:36 PM ^
If you're in Big Ten Country it's on the Silver package (37.99 a month) and if you're not in Big Ten Country it's part of the $6/month sports package.
In a bit of a nerdy note here there's a reason DirecTV is the best - they use MPEG-4 compression on their video whereas cable uses MPEG-2. That's like comparing DVD vs Blu-Ray except you can actually tell the difference on any TV set (as for Dish I'm not sure, sometimes it looks good, sometimes it looks "cabel-y").
Also, there's a reason every sports bar in America has DirecTV :)
September 24th, 2009 at 5:09 PM ^
Call all of your local bars. I was in Texas for the eastern game and managed to find a buffalo wild wings that could get it. I was the first person there so they played my game with sound everyone else was glued to other games but they wouldn't change the sound station because i was there first.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:12 PM ^
I've been in North Carolina for 2 weeks and found a sports bar
that had the BTN, so I got to watch the EMU game.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:27 PM ^
I'm a Dish Network man myself, mainly because I'm cheap. It's about $15 less per month than DTV for roughly the same channels. Plus, DTV pissed me off after years of being a subscriber by saying they couldn't find the signal at my new house (which is crap, there are plenty of angles) and Dish had no trouble.
Both have BTN no matter where you live.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:39 PM ^
Dish has it but it's not part of the package if you're in non-Big Ten Land (just went over to a friends house who had Dish and was sorely disappointed when I called Dish and they told me you had to pay the extra $6/month to get the sports pack if you're not in the Big Ten area and you want the BTN despite what the website says - I was less than thrilled).
However it's only $6/month, I think pretty much anybody on this forum would willingly pay that to get all the games - BTN is the best for basketball, it seemed like every single UM game was televised last year - totally awesome!
September 24th, 2009 at 5:48 PM ^
You'll never now how you lived before. It's completely worth the money IMO.
HDTV + DirectTV is probably one the greatest decisions I've ever made as far as money spent on entertainment. Legal entertainment anyways.
September 24th, 2009 at 5:58 PM ^
I live in AR and have BTN through dish. At first it was a free trial but now I have it as part of the sports package. $6 per month and I also get Fox Detroit with it. I have almost every channel there is including ESPNU as well as a few of hte movie groups. Less than $100 per month so all in all not too bad. DVR included plus 3 rooms. When first I got it I had a lot of problems with losing signal in the rain but it has gotten a lot better and now I could not tell you the last time I lost signal. Direct may be cheaper. I would definitely shop around but the last time I checked Dish was cheaper for what I wanted.
September 24th, 2009 at 6:54 PM ^
It just doesn't make any sense to me that the game is even being televised on BTN in the first place. I was just looking at the schedule for the noon timeslot on Saturday and there's not even any games that I can see being televised on ABC. I say ABC, b/c at the very least, the game should be televised on ABC regionally. Just doesn't make sense. There's not a single game in the Big Ten at noon that is any bigger than the Michigan, MSU rivalry. Absolutely ridiculous. The game should be on another channel. At the very least it should be regionally.
September 24th, 2009 at 7:05 PM ^
Did you not read the posts explaining the selection procedure?
1. ABC gets first pick - They picked Illinois-PSU
2. BTN/ESPN alternate by some scheme who gets 2nd pick. BTN had the 2nd pick that week and selected UM@MSU, probably a good decision for them
It happens, it sucks (for some), deal with it
September 24th, 2009 at 6:57 PM ^
Sparty will be on ESPN and Michigan on ESPN2. Probably because the MSU game looks like it will be better. BigTen will be showing Minn v. NW.
September 24th, 2009 at 11:02 PM ^
ESPN and ESPN2 broadcast the same content everywhere. Everyone will see this weekend's games on those channels. That's not what this thread is discussing. The OP was talking about our game against MSU two weekends from now, which is on the BTN (which not everyone gets).
September 24th, 2009 at 8:23 PM ^
They don't have Comcast up in 'Bama? They carry the BTN even for us poor saps down here in Florida.
September 24th, 2009 at 10:59 PM ^
Verizon has BTN on its regular lineup. There's no way I'd get satellite with being in the lightning capital of the US (Tampa). Storms here damn near every day. Hell, it lightnings even when it doesn't storm.