Dish Network and the Big Ten
- Thread starter treyball3
- Start date
krill
Special Teams Player
July 1st is just a rumor for Nebraska Dish subscribers getting BTN. They are trying to sell you the regional multi-sports package that includes BTN outside the current Big 10 region (we join July 1st) and a couple dozen other regional sports channels. I am confident Dish will upgrade Nebraska subscribers to BTN included...but when that is, nobody knows. Dish has a history of carriage disputes to control cost. Just last year FSN was temporarily dropped and I think ESPNU doesn't come in HD because of a dispute. This happens because sports channels spend huge sums of money for exclusive broadcast rights and then dump the cost right back into carriage fees.
VectorVictor
Heisman Trophy Winner
Krill--just to clarify, the FSN debacle with Dish Network last year was about Media Corp. (who owns Fox OTA, Fox Sports, Fox News, and DirecTV) using their television channels to whack their competition in the kneecap more than anything else.
Considering the FCC was firmly in the grasp of corporate interests then (and now, by extension), no one was going to step in and help Dish Network unless they paid whatever Media Corp wanted. But Media Corp had already done its damage by the time Dish Network came around, as scores of people were switching to DirecTV.
Frankly, if there were more satellite providers, then I would simply applaud this as a shrewd, yet unsavory business move and go on. Since there are only two providers, these actions would have to be considered monopolistic in nature. And to clarify, I prefer DirecTV's service over Dish--I had DirecTV for years with a TiVo DVR until Verizon FiOS (and 50/50 Mbps internet connections to my home) came to town.
You're partially right about carriage fees, though--with the Big 10, it uses carriage fees to keep the lights on/run things day to day at the BTN. But advertising fees, especially for an audience which is considered in its core footprint, is what keeps the Big 10 Conference soaked with funds.
It's this very reason that Georgia Tech (Atlanta) and Maryland (D.C./Baltimore) were up for discussion in the media re: potential Big 10 expansion targets. Personally, the former is a stretch, but the later is entirely feasible and likely in the next 5-10 years.
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LouisianaHuskerFan
Starter
Actually no. Media Corp doesn't own DirecTV. They haven't for a couple of years at least. And BTN gets most of their money from subscriber fees. Believe they get around 91 cents a subscriber. They don't rely on advertising fees to make their money.
BOJ
Special Teams Player
I can only add this for you guys. The first season the BTN came out you could not see OSU games on the network unless you went to a bar that had the satellite. So moral of the story is don't worry, if your package doesn't have it this year it will the next. Every state in the BiG footprint has it on basic cable and it will make it there in Nebraska too. This first year you may have to go to a bar or order dish, but that is a far cry from the pay per view i understand you used to have to do. The BiG lawyers will have this all settled by the next football season an the network will be on basic cable there too and by basic cable I mean if you get the minimum package that ESPN comes on the BTN is there. Right now in Cleveland the channels go ESPN, ESPN2, Fox Sports Net, and BTN; all basic cable with no extra charge, we had to go with the time of the asshat cable companies not wanting to come up with the money to pay for basic, but it will be even easier in a state like Nebraska where everyone is watching the channel on gameday. If it doesn't happen this year, sux but you will have to suck it up and hit BW3 for the big screen till next year when the lawyers get it fixed. When the lawyers do get it fixed it means more money for all of us too, b/c the network gets paid much more for being on basic package than a sports package. Good things are to come. I imagine this is but one part of their main goal to get it on basic on all programming throughout the nation.
VectorVictor
Heisman Trophy Winner
My understanding is they still do, but it's a shell game: Liberty Media picked up all of the shares News Corp. dropped. Liberty Media is, in turn, the second biggest shareholder in News Corp. Eventually, Liberty Media (2008 or so) spun off DirecTV control into a separate entity, but that entity's largest shareholder was Liberty Media.HuskerFan118 said:
Now, that was, what, 2009-10ish, so if something has happened recently, then I may be unaware.
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C N Red
All-American
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say everything will be worked out by the season. Why?? Because Time Warner is doing the best they can to get as good a deal as they can, but when push comes to shove, they can't afford to not have the BTN by seasons opening. They will lose money, and lose it BIG if they don't. People will cancel and switch. They cannot afford that to happen!!!
NebraskaShellback
Starter
Does anyone have BTN now? I get it on 333 Time Warner Cable. B. Rudd today was was featured as one of the top 10 linebackers in the 2000's. He was #9 on the list.
Now I am wondering if this is a free view until season starts and I will have to pay for it to get games.
:bonesflag:
Now I am wondering if this is a free view until season starts and I will have to pay for it to get games.
:bonesflag:
talaricohusker
Starter
NebraskaShellback
Starter
Atbone95
All-American
What package do you get on Direct TV that you have BTN already? 610 isn't even an option for me... it skips from 600 to 625. :/
HuskerTrucker
All-Conference
What needs to happen is we need to get a campaign going including fans from all the Big Ten schools...if everyone started switching in mass, I bet they would get this fixed within a week or so. We need support from the Big Ten offices, AND the other schools and their fans. If Dish is going to cover the Big Ten, then they should cover the whole Big Ten. Period. chuckleshuffle
VA Husker Fan
All-Conference
If this link has already been reported, I missed it:
http://www.omaha.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011706099772
The Sept 3 and 10 games as well as unnamed one conference game may not be shown by some providers, apparently because those providers don't carry the Big 10 network on a low enough tier. 17 providers in the state, plus Directv, are in. Dish, Cox, and TimeWarner are not as of yet.
Interesting, but not in a good way.
http://www.omaha.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011706099772
The Sept 3 and 10 games as well as unnamed one conference game may not be shown by some providers, apparently because those providers don't carry the Big 10 network on a low enough tier. 17 providers in the state, plus Directv, are in. Dish, Cox, and TimeWarner are not as of yet.
Interesting, but not in a good way.