OT BTN inks deal with Comcast for NJ and MD
So there's some vindication for the Rutgers/Maryland addition. If by vindication I mean money, then yes, you are correct.
The Big Ten Network and Comcast have finalized an agreement for distribution in New Jersey and Maryland, as the Big Ten prepares to officially welcome new members Rutgers and Maryland on July 1.
Big Ten Network president Mark Silverman and Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany confirmed the Comcast deal to ESPN.com on Wednesday. BTN announced similar agreements with both Time Warner Cable and Cablevision in May, so the Comcast pact means the network will be available on the three major cable distributors servicing the New York and Washington, D.C., markets.
"It indicates that the Eastern initiative is moving forward in the direction we hoped it would," Delany said, "and that it means that Big Ten fans and college sports fans will be able to access 24/7 BTN on basic or digital basic carriage. Our goal was to achieve distribution in New York and D.C., Maryland and New Jersey.
"That's good news for the fans and good news for BTN and Rutgers and Maryland and all Big Ten fans in that region."
BTN's distribution will slightly vary from state to state, but it will be available to many more Comcast customers rather than appearing strictly on a separate sports tier. Although launch dates aren't finalized, Silverman said all three cable distribution agreements will go into effect before the football season starts in late August.
"That was an important priority for both distributors and BTN," he said.
Silverman didn't expect all three agreements to be finalized before July 4, and said BTN now can focus on providing original programming for its new audience of Rutgers and Maryland fans, as well as other Big Ten alumni living in New Jersey, Maryland, New York and Washington, D.C.
Silverman will try to get distribution deals with smaller cable carriers in the next few months.
BTN had a much harder time reaching distribution deals during its launch in 2007, as there were drawn-out, at-times-nasty negotiations with Comcast in Chicago and with providers in other league markets. But the network has been a major success, helping the Big Ten generate record revenues and reaching more than 52 million homes.
"The negotiations, nothing's ever easy," Silverman said. "You always try to present your case to why the network should be distributed as you'd like, but it's always the most difficult to get going initially.
"We're on a good path, a little ahead of where we thought. It now enables us to focus our attention on what will actually be airing on the network."
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/11134857/big-ten-network…
LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Money is fine, in and of itself. And not ALL evil, just all KINDS of evil. #Biblenerd
So pumped we have more money for more buildings and more athletic department staff and all at the small price of having to be associated with Rutgers until the end of college sports
I know this is a sarcastic post and all, but isn't having the best facilities a good thing? Those go a long way with a lot of recruits, and it will help the play on the field. Remember when we redid the entire football weight room? That wasn't just for show. And having a facility like Glick allows us to do a lot of things we couldn't do without it. And yes, the recruits dig it.
I don't know if it's DB or the NCAA trial or what, but at some point within the last 5 years or so it became a bad thing for our athletic department to bring in (and then spend) a bunch of money. People talk about how recruits want to go to Oregon because of all that Nike money. But when we make our own money, people are upset about it. I don't get it.
I definitely think facilities helps out, but kids would probably go to Alabama if their practice field was a gravel parking lot.
I guess I'm bitter toward the feeling that many big time athletic departments now view their purpose as getting the most money out of their fans that they can. Part of what always made college sports endearing for me was the fierce loyality of both players and fans and that was about it. Money didn't seem like a big deal even 5 years ago. Part of why I like college sports so much more than pro is because it isn't / wasn't all about the money and old guys in suits wanting to make more money and players wanting more money.
At some point, many athletic departments will be printing money but they'll have alienated a significant part of the next generation of fans by doing so. Ime of course.
FIrst of all - I completely disagree with your first post. Alabama has facilities that are incredible, and they also had the money to hire Saban. So without big money, they aren't the Alabama they are right now. When LSU and Florida and every other team recruiting the kids Alabama is has great facilities, Bama would lose out on those kids if they didn't keep pace.
And this TV contract isn't ADs taking money from fans, it's ADs positioning themselves to take money from TV providers (which people in NJ and MD were going to pay anyway). It's smart business on hehalf of our conference so that we can stay competitive.
I think that it's always been that way although it is more intense in recent years. Look at Ohio with their Value City Arena or whatever it's called and their endzone expansion. MSU with Breslin Center. Wisconsin with the Kohl Center. After those projects were completed their teams got much better and become more powerful. They didn't build themselves. We didn't really do anything with Michigan Stadium, Crisler, or Yost during that same time period and we suffered because of that. Of course it is mostly coaching but I think part of the reason MSU bball has returned to the rest of the pack in the big ten instead of leading it is that Breslin is now becoming run down.
I don't have the precise numbers in front of me right now, but when Rutgers and Maryland first announced that they were joining the Big Ten, there was a great article out on how even if they managed to get subscriber fees from only half the available homes in the DC and NYC markets, it would easily come out to about $100 million in extra revenue for the Big Ten Network, so yeah, what did Calloway sing about again? Ah yes, "I want money....lots and lots of money...."
Just to clear something up - you mean "a part." the word "apart" actually means the opposite of what you're trying to say. A part means included, apart means separated.
How long until BTN2 launches?
when they add 2 more teams. in 20016 , 20017