Big 10 Network, all games televised?

Just a warning, some of your road OOC games might wind up on other networks/PPV since the Big Ten doesn't own the rights to those games. For example, Wisconsin's game at UNLV this fall is on Versus.

Remember that if you live out of market and your game is the regional 2:30 game on ABC, it will be mirrored on ESPN/ESPN2.

The HD on BTN is just about second to none, and everything the network produces is in HD. The campus programming is not, obviously.

Cheers! Glad to have you guys in the conference and I can't wait for our first game to determine which is the best RED!

 
badger79 said:
Just a warning, some of your road OOC games might wind up on other networks/PPV since the Big Ten doesn't own the rights to those games. For example, Wisconsin's game at UNLV this fall is on Versus.

Remember that if you live out of market and your game is the regional 2:30 game on ABC, it will be mirrored on ESPN/ESPN2.

The HD on BTN is just about second to none, and everything the network produces is in HD. The campus programming is not, obviously.

Cheers! Glad to have you guys in the conference and I can't wait for our first game to determine which is the best RED!
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Welcome to HuskerBoard, badger79! :thumbs

 
I live in Colorado and was thinking about getting the Big Ten, but you're saying I might have to pay PPV anyway for the weak OOC games? Would it make more sense to just not get it since a lot of the games are on ESPN/ABC etc. anyway?

 
Nexus said:
I'm old school when it comes to watching Husker football games. I just tune into AM 1400 KLIN on the radio and mute the TV.
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I do something similar. I tune in to 1460 online, a Columbus station, for Ohio State games. There is a bit of a lag, so I pause the DVR on the game and play when it lines up. Many television announcers are bad, though some are getting much better. I may be biased, but I like Spielman, who announces "lighter" match ups. He speaks much more about the Xs and Os and reality of the game than about Erin Andrew's good looks or the latest sob story going around.

For what it's worth, in NYC on Time Warner we get the Big Ten Network in HD with I think four other channels, though they typically broadcast the exact same programming unless a number of events are going on at the same time.

 
TheCheshireCat said:
I live in Colorado and was thinking about getting the Big Ten, but you're saying I might have to pay PPV anyway for the weak OOC games? Would it make more sense to just not get it since a lot of the games are on ESPN/ABC etc. anyway?
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No, definitely get the BTN. I'm pretty sure BTN has a requirement that they televise at least two games from every team each year. The road OOC games on PPV will only be a once-in-a-decade kind of thing, and it's only if you're going on the road to face a really crappy program -- and let's face it, how often does anybody do that.

As a Big Ten program, you automatically move up on ABC/ESPN's list to televise games. If we didn't have such a great television contract, there's no way I would have been able to watch Wisconsin nearly every week for the last 10 years (I live in Philadelphia). I think I've missed about three Badger games in that time, and those were before we had the BTN.

Plus the basketball, Olympic sports and behind-the-scenes and retrospective shows are awesome. Right now they're doing a series about football teams from way back when, the 1940s and '50s. Footage that probably hasn't been pulled out of the vault for decades, and it's really cool.

 
Every game is either on the BTN, ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

Virtually every spring game is televised as well (some over the web then tape delay), which is a wonderful blessing in the slow spring months.

The best part is seeing highlights from every game on the BTN sportscenter (which is mediocre but I want the clips not the comments, I can always flip on ESPN if I'm looking for spoonfed propaganda), and the coaches' shows walking us through each significant play.

VA Husker Fan said:
Dish as well as DirecTV.
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DirecTV has a financial interest in the BTN, so if you're looking for a safe bet, go with them. They'll always have it on their basic package. If you want some information on some discounts for DirecTV, drop me a PM and I'll walk you through some of them. I left cable two years ago and have been very happy ever since.

DirecTV carries the BTN and the overflow channels on its basic package. I believe Dish requires you to buy the sports package unless you live within the BTN footprint (a b10 state).

Igetbored216 said:
M I K E said:
I have the Cox digital cable package and I don't have the Big 10 network. How much does it cost per month to add it?
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I have Cox digital cable package and I had it during the 2009 season, but now I don't see all of the extra channels. Not sure what happened. My guess is that it will now cost additional money to see it. I don't know how much it costs though. Anyone?
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a number of providers moved it to a sports package (which generally run 8-10 bucks) after the first year.

huskerscott said:
Lyons in the Sea of Red. said:
Ive watched a few HD games on the Network, let me tell you, the HD is almost better than the larger networks, I was very suprised
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How does it compare to VersusHD??? VersusHD comes in so clear and crisp on my tv, it makes ESPN look like crap, but its still good.
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the quality of the BTN is excellent. The production isn't always great (they occasionally cut from commercial to a play), and the commentators are average, but they are competing with Fox Sports, what was once ESPN Plus, and that realm of broadcasts. The volume of games is worth the tradeoff in quality, which isn't bad, it just feels like the 2nd tier network it is.

 
Jwinslow I have a few questions and you seem pretty knowledgable and helpful with this BTN. Also welcome to Huskerboard and we all hope you stay here and talk football with us die hard Husker fans.

1. I have Dish and I live in Nebraska. Obviously right now Dish doesn't offer it in Nebraska yet but how long will it take till its added? I've thought about switching to DirecTV because I've been a member with Dish since last July with a 2 year and I've gone thru 4 DVR HD receivers so far (2 would allow me to use my remote with it and the other 2 fried on me....1 even fried on me during the 2nd quarter of the Big 12 championship game grrr.) I wonder if DirecTV will buy the remainder of my contract to get me to switch over....hmmmm.

2. The BTN has how many HD channels like for example channels 440, 441, 442, 443, 444, 445 are all BTN channels that are in HD so a total of 5 game presented in HD.

3. How many other schools showed their spring game on the BTN? Did all Big 10 schools show their spring game on the BTN or only a few?

 
Don't trust that jWinslow guy. I know him. He's shady. ;)

Trust me you'll get service soon. As Fox owns 49% of the Big Ten Network, and all of DirectTV, the ploy is to get so many people to switch to DirectTV for the games that eventually every other broadcaster adds the Big Ten Network. Shrewd and a bit callous, but that is how it has worked so far.

 
3. How many other schools showed their spring game on the BTN? Did all Big 10 schools show their spring game on the BTN or only a few?
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They re-aired these other times during the spring, but here was the schedule for the initial showing.
4/17 Saturday

Afternoon - Michigan & Wisconsin aired live online, tape delayed later*

8 pm - *Michigan

10 pm - Highlights of Iowa, Purdue, Indiana spring games

11 pm - *Wisconsin

4/24 Saturday

noon? - Ill & MSU aired live online, tape delayed later**

11 am - OSU Lacrosse in the Shoe

01 pm - Ohio State Spring Game

05 pm - Penn State " "

10 pm - Highlights of Northwestern & Minnesota spring games

11 pm - **Illinois " "

4/25 Sunday

05 pm - **Michigan State

 
huskerjock said:
1. I have Dish and I live in Nebraska. Obviously right now Dish doesn't offer it in Nebraska yet but how long will it take till its added? I've thought about switching to DirecTV because I've been a member with Dish since last July with a 2 year and I've gone thru 4 DVR HD receivers so far (2 would allow me to use my remote with it and the other 2 fried on me....1 even fried on me during the 2nd quarter of the Big 12 championship game grrr.) I wonder if DirecTV will buy the remainder of my contract to get me to switch over....hmmmm.
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Within the big ten footprint (school states), the BTN is included in the basic package. I would bet that cable providers (who haven't previously added the BTN) will hold out until at least 2011 to add it. TimeWarner & Comcast held out over a year (maybe more?) before airing games, meaning fans had to run to the sports bar or get satellite.

Dish offers a MultiSport Package for about $8, which has the BTN & overflow-, Fox Sports Regional-, Comcast regional-, NFL Network-, NBA TV -channels.

DirecTV has the Big Ten Network in their basic package, as well as NFL Network (which is far superior to ESPN for NFL highlights, draft, etc). The regional sports channels (beyond your local one) from Fox & Comcast are extra.

I've got a handful of DirecTV discounts I can pass along if you are interested.

$24/mo for 12 mo - is the standard promo discount

$10/mo for 24 mo

$10/mo for 10 mo

$05/mo for 04 mo

Which comes out to an average of 58/mo over the 2 year contract. That's the cost with HD & HD DVR (tack on 5/each for any extra receivers).

If you're interested, post a comment on my user profile page and I'll walk you through it. Good luck getting new equipment for your Dish or discounts, these companies only seem interested in helping the new ones. Oh well.

I'm still using my original HD DVR. It works just fine. Dish doesn't offer the same lineup of channels (FX, BTN & NFL are key channels for me) and they hit you with equipment fees to make up for the difference.

2. The BTN has how many HD channels like for example channels 440, 441, 442, 443, 444, 445 are all BTN channels that are in HD so a total of 5 game presented in HD.
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I believe they have 4 overflow channels + 1 standard channel, all in HD.
 
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Others have already covered this to one extent or another, but the BTN is great.

YES, there technically can be instances where a game will be on PPV - but only if you're on the road and playing against a team that won't warrant coverage on ABC/ESPN and won't lease the broadcast rights to the game to the BTN. That's really more of a concern for fans of schools like Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, etc. If Nebraska schedules like Ohio State does, the only OOC road game you schedule are marquee matchups that will be picked up by ABC/ESPN without a doubt.

It has also been mentioned that there is a guaranteed number of games that will be on BTN. That is also true. Each team will definitely have at least two games on BTN each season, and one of them will be a conference game. Sometimes too, the BTN will exercise their conference game option for your team in a pretty good matchup. Off the top of my head, I can think of at least one Ohio State-Wisconsin game that has been on BTN - one that you would normally think would be a lock for ESPN/ABC.

The overall TV deal is great for bigtime fans, which it appears Nebraska has no shortage of. I live in Cincinnati, so getting the Buckeyes every week is no problem. If you live outside of your schools regular viewing area, the options and availability are going to be much better than they ever were before. You can count on every game being broadcast nationally. As has already been mentioned, even the games that are regional on ABC/ESPN are mirrored on one of their other networks, essentially upgrading the regional games to national distribution. It's something that the other conferences don't really enjoy in their TV deals.

It's also great if you travel. I went to San Antonio for a week last year, and was still able to easily find a place to watch OSU-Indiana. As a bonus, I even got to see M*ch*g*n choke against M*ch*g*n State - all on BTN. I'll be out of town for the OSU-IU game again this year (if you have to pick one game to be out-of-town for, that's the one) and have very little doubt about being able to get my Ohio State fix while I'm in Hawai'i.

Finally, this being my first post here, I want to say welcome to the Big Ten! I've always had respect for Nebraska and especially the fans. I've always been impressed with the way Nebraska fans travel, and I'm sure I'll be seeing you guys in large numbers at The Shoe really soon.

 
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