AP Article on Big Ten Network

Submitted by Wolverine In Exile on

Generally easy to read AP story on the success of the Big Ten Network... noteworthy for some actual quotes from Big Ten Net execs, the Texas Assoc AD in charge of getting the Texas Network up (good luck with that if you don't have live football at all), and some numbers thrown around from cable operators about how much BTN is charging...

http://www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/ohio-state-buckeyes/big-ten-network-making-money-because-of-fans-915334.html

MGoShoe

September 14th, 2010 at 8:28 AM ^

...the Big Ten conference will succeed while other conferences will fail:

[BTN President] Silverman won't handicap the odds of the other conferences succeeding. But he admits that he has a hard time imagining the Big Ten Network without one of the conference's powers like Ohio State.

"That's just not the way the conference works — I would imagine that would have caused issues," he said, noting that a big reason his network works well for the conference is that the schools — from top dogs Ohio State and Michigan all the way down to Indiana and Purdue — share the money equally. And that model, he said, is something that clearly not all conferences can follow.  

"It's not a one size fits all," he said. "Some are going to find it may be something for them to explore, and others are going to find that maybe it's not."

The conference's insistence on treating all of its members as equals ensures its long term viability.

jb5O4

September 14th, 2010 at 9:27 AM ^

Doesn't the Big Ten havesomething along the lines of 4-5 million alumni. That hasto dwarf all the other conferences. Plus Big Ten alumni go to all the big tv markets.

Maizeforlife

September 14th, 2010 at 9:36 AM ^

that's because all the big TV markets are where the jos are.  We all know that the people graduating from Big Ten schools have good degrees and are probably more likely to get a better job (real stats are not at my disposal, this is just a biased perspective)