gordonearl
Well-Known Member
The problem with watching on line is that a great many fans are older people who do not have a computer or could not figure out how to watch the games. What really ticks me off Barta will not address this issue.
BTN
- Thread starter gordonearl
- Start date
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
This is the fan base you really do not want to **** off. You would never be able to convince my grandpa that less Hawkeye games on TV is progress.
But on the other hand I cannot imagine BTN not realizing this is a problem and do something about it. I find it hard to believe that they get more off the $20 online subscription fees than they do farming out these non conference games to the local/regional stations.
TritonHawkeye
Well-Known Member
BTN sucks balls when it comes to men's basketball coverage.
That is all....
That is all....
Honestly, it sounds bad, but they already have the cotton tops. They shouldn't be building a product for them. People 35 and younger are alright streaming the games.
IMO the bigger problem by far is the crappy scheduling because of the BTN. Conference play starts way, way too early and there are way too many 6:00 and 8:00 weekday games. Makes it really difficult for the people that you know, spend hundreds of dollars on attending these things.
IMO the bigger problem by far is the crappy scheduling because of the BTN. Conference play starts way, way too early and there are way too many 6:00 and 8:00 weekday games. Makes it really difficult for the people that you know, spend hundreds of dollars on attending these things.
MisterLucky
Well-Known Member
Take some of the bagload of $ that the BTN makes, hire a few TV crews for a month or two and record the games. I wouldn't even care so much if they would televise them on a delayed basis instead of showing the fifth replay of the latest OSU blowout.
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
Ah, for the good old days when my buddies and I would cram into my office, call WHOs toll-free number, and they would patch us into the broadcast. Good as it got in Orlando, when ABC affiliate AND ESPN only put us on when we were undefeated or had one loss. Then we got sports bars and satellite dishes. Then, WHO would direct you to call "TeamLine Sports" for about $.50 per minute. And of course, the sports bars in Orlando liked these odd characters from Iowa, so we got a little local love.
2002 football is the last season where I remember--until BTN and "overflow" and ESPNU, etc., where we were on every week as almost a "novelty".
BTN is good for the B1G as a whole. Sure, we may miss games against UTSA or UMES (That's Texas-San Antonio and Maryland-Eastern Shore for the acronymically-challenged). But on the whole, between cable, satellite, internet streaming and "gamecasts", it's pretty hard to actually "miss" a game.
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
That's my concern about BTN. If/when OSU is nationally ranked, it becomes de-facto OSUTN instead of BTN.
hawkeyebob62
Well-Known Member
I hate the Sunday games, especially the early ones. Not a big fan of Sunday late afternoon games, for that matter.
Herkyalert
Banned
I miss Mac and Larry Morgan doing Iowa games.
gordonearl
Well-Known Member
When will we know for sure which games will be only on line. High speed internet just became available to me. I need the higher speed because I get buffering during the game. If the games are on TV I do not need the high speed. I keep hearing the rumors BTN may pickup some more games.
1977Hawkeye
Well-Known Member
Regarding streaming, a few points on why I hate what's happening:
1. I would rather watch the game on my 50" Hi-Def TV than on a computer monitor, even if the game isn't actually televised in HD. Not to mention the choppiness you get watching the game online. And what if you want to have friends over for the game? Are you going to crowd around a computer screen? Awesome.
2. Internet streaming on BTN.com was free a couple years ago. Now it is not. And now it seems like MORE non-conference games are going to BTN.com - at least in Iowa's case. Then, the rates will start creeping upwards, I suspect. It's a slippery slope once you have to start paying for stuff that used to be free.
3. I actually decided to try and pay for streaming last year, and guess what? The stream simply didn't work. So I paid money for NOTHING. So I cancelled my subscription right away.
4. Regarding "getting my a$$ to carver" - I live 1500 miles away from the arena. Thanks for the suggestion, but it ain't happening.
5. I don't want to hear about "The BTN loses money to televise our games". Unless somebody can show me that the BTN runs in the red every time it televises one of our games, then I have to call BS on that. Besides, they have aired some our games against Cupcake State - is the BTN losing money on those games too? I really doubt they would air these games if they literally lost money on it. And if they do lose money, then it was a horrible business idea to start the network IMO, if it can't fund it's own product.
If the BTN wants me to pay for online streaming, well, my choice is not to pay it, and wait for the games that are televised.
1. I would rather watch the game on my 50" Hi-Def TV than on a computer monitor, even if the game isn't actually televised in HD. Not to mention the choppiness you get watching the game online. And what if you want to have friends over for the game? Are you going to crowd around a computer screen? Awesome.
2. Internet streaming on BTN.com was free a couple years ago. Now it is not. And now it seems like MORE non-conference games are going to BTN.com - at least in Iowa's case. Then, the rates will start creeping upwards, I suspect. It's a slippery slope once you have to start paying for stuff that used to be free.
3. I actually decided to try and pay for streaming last year, and guess what? The stream simply didn't work. So I paid money for NOTHING. So I cancelled my subscription right away.
4. Regarding "getting my a$$ to carver" - I live 1500 miles away from the arena. Thanks for the suggestion, but it ain't happening.
5. I don't want to hear about "The BTN loses money to televise our games". Unless somebody can show me that the BTN runs in the red every time it televises one of our games, then I have to call BS on that. Besides, they have aired some our games against Cupcake State - is the BTN losing money on those games too? I really doubt they would air these games if they literally lost money on it. And if they do lose money, then it was a horrible business idea to start the network IMO, if it can't fund it's own product.
If the BTN wants me to pay for online streaming, well, my choice is not to pay it, and wait for the games that are televised.
to my knowledge there are only two ways that a btn.com game is produced- 1) someone like mediacom buys the rights and BTN picks up the feed or 2) it is a Student U production. in iowa's case (1) is probably a result of mediacom getting dibs on the rights due to their huge sponsorship, but we will never know because learfield manages it. (2) is a huge recruiting tool for iowa and any other school with a journalism/electronic media program. otherwise we just get the video feed from inside carver without a normal game production.
its really not that big of a deal. people who complain about missing or paying for games are mis-remembering the old days. plus, i will happily pay 9.99 so that we continue to get a huge check from the BTN every year.
its really not that big of a deal. people who complain about missing or paying for games are mis-remembering the old days. plus, i will happily pay 9.99 so that we continue to get a huge check from the BTN every year.
1977Hawkeye
Well-Known Member
Not mis-remembering at all. I'm not sure about you, but when I was growing up, the Hawks were ALWAYS on TV. The only exceptions were may an exhibition (and those were often televised too), or maybe a game in one of those tournaments somewhere in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, etc. may not have been televised. Otherwise, there was TV for each game.
rschneider
Well-Known Member
[/QUOTE] But on the whole, between cable, satellite, internet streaming and "gamecasts", it's pretty hard to actually "miss" a game.[/QUOTE]
I haven't missed any games, if you want it bad enough you will get it. My mother and father on the other hand will only get to see the games broadcast on local channels. My grandma buys cable just to cheer on Iowa when they are on, in her mind they should all be on regular cable. Good luck talking her into upgrading her cable to get more sports.
I haven't missed any games, if you want it bad enough you will get it. My mother and father on the other hand will only get to see the games broadcast on local channels. My grandma buys cable just to cheer on Iowa when they are on, in her mind they should all be on regular cable. Good luck talking her into upgrading her cable to get more sports.
docholihawk
Well-Known Member
The big 10 network should be called the Ohio State, Michigan network. After they get their 50% of air time, Nebraska, MSU, Penn State and Wisky get their 40%. That leaves 10% for everybody else and when they do show classic football they replay Indiana's win over Iowa in football and let us have a victory in field hockey or something of that nature. They do their best to bring the big 10 back to the big 2 and little 10 (used to be 8).
TecmoSuperHawk
Well-Known Member
Regarding the old days, clearly you weren't alive in the 80s and 90s.
Regarding the 9.99 comment, that is not what gives us a huge check from BTN. This provides very little revenue. It's the cable/satellite bill and advertising $$$ that provides the big check.
Thawki
Well-Known Member
Actually, you should be a little more honest in your assessment. In only the last few years before BTN were all games available to anyone around the country, through ESPN's Fullcourt Package. Before that, all of the games you are referring to we're really available only in Iowa. The fact that the amount of games offered now are available to anyone in the country that has cable TV makes Iowa basketball accessible to many more people than it was before. Teams can be marketed across the country better now than they were before and teams whose programs were relative Davids to the Gloiaths are in a better position to compete. At least that could be one argument.
And if you don't want to go down without a fight (in your words you want to behead) do you really think that is happening when you post on HN.com? I don't disagree with everything you are saying. But I do think whining on this board is just being done to make you feel good and not really accomplishing anything. I don't think posts of this nature really add anything to this community, either, to be honest.
Additionally, as someone that lives in Kansas City I am better served in every way now than I was before BTN with the exception of the fact that the ESPN Fullcourt Package may very well have shown virtually every Iowa basketball game and right now BTN is not there. But in terms of overall coverage of Iowa in all aspects I am better off now, as there are many things on BTN that would never be seen on ESPN's pay packages during the week. Additionally, for schools that, unlike Iowa, did not have every game televised, this is a better setup for them. Realistically, there is probably a relatively small sliver of people that are less well served by the current setup than they were before. If you happen to be one of them than I will keep your whining in my thoughts as I watch pre and post game shows and all kinds of Big Ten programming I would otherwise not be seeing.
Dean, you can't be serious? Yes, when Iowa plays on BTN it gives us more national exposure than we previously had. However, the current setup is giving us significantly less exposure in our own state. There are tons of fans now that don't even have a clue when these non conference games on, because they are not televised and there is no advertisement of the games whatsoever. And most fans are not willing to stand in front of a computer screen to watch a game. Many fans, like myself, have kids or other obligations that no longer allows them to sit down for 2 hours straight and watch a game, particularly on a pay website. However, if it is on tv you can at least watch bits and pieces of it and keep an eye on the score. The new setup is a step back for Iowa fans. There is no doubt about it.
No person living in the state of Iowa can say they were better off under this setup than the previous one. So if the entire state of Iowa is a small sliver of people, then you are correct.
