Big Ten Network (BTN)

[jlb1705]

The BTN has one job: Show the games. How do you screw that up?

I've been behind the idea of BTN and have found ways to get by as a TW customer - but stuff like this makes it difficult. I know the BTN could be a great thing for the conference and the institutions, but as a fan, I want to see the games and I want a quality product. Today, I did not get that.

I went to BW3 to watch this game, and they were showing the pregame show on BTN. They're showing the band doing Script Ohio and they get down to the best part, and right as the I-dotter breaks away from the "o" they cut away and go back to the f-ing studio!!! What the hell is that? Once again, I can understand a move like this from an ESPN or ABC - but the BTN - who has pretty much "planted the flag" and said that they're all about highlighting those kind of things at member institutions? They should know better!

I know it would suck for out-of-market fans, but I think at this point I would be happier as a local fan if they just reverted to the old model. I got a better product from ESPN+

 

[buck1973]

DirecTV's "intelligent" HD DVR won't even let me start recording just in case the broadcast suddenly starts...it assumed since the channel is "unavailable" there's no use in recording it. So now I have sit and stare at the screen and push the record button as soon as the program starts. Nice...

Hope DirecTv is ready to have their phone lines blown up!!

The fact that it never showed that a game was to be played on this channel should have been the first tip off something was wrong. I can't DVR it when it says "To be announced" for what's coming up on the channel!

We just got the game. OSU already scored a touchdown. And I can't get the game to record because it's not officially on the guide (I tried the Michigan game and that works fine). Grrr :(

Fuck...game's finally on but I can't record it because they haven't changed the program listing from "To be announced".

In case this happens again, you can record on a Directv DVR when it says "To be announced," just not with the record button.

Here's how you do it on the HR20:
1. Push the List button.
2. Push the yellow button to bring up the to do list.
3. Scroll down to manual and set up a manual recording.

I recorded the game this way today because I had drill at my Air Guard unit. Of course I pissed when I realized I had missed the first drive.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

In case this happens again, you can record on a Directv DVR when it says "To be announced," just not with the record button.

Here's how you do it on the HR20:
1. Push the List button.
2. Push the yellow button to bring up the to do list.
3. Scroll down to manual and set up a manual recording.

I recorded the game this way today because I had drill at my Air Guard unit. Of course I pissed when I realized I had missed the first drive.

I've already scheduled to record the HD rebroadcast tomorrow night, but I'll keep your post in mind for future reference...thanks.

 

[heisman]

I've already scheduled to record the HD rebroadcast tomorrow night....

Good choice!

 

[Thump]

The BTN has one job: Show the games. How do you screw that up?

This screw up wasn't on the BTN, but DirecTV.

It worked on other systems, DirecTV was the one who didn't get the game early on.

 

[BuckeyeFlorida]

DREW SHARP: Big Ten Network is failing by not helping teams crack Top 25, plus U-M, MSU picks

October 13, 2007
BY DREW SHARP
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
The Big Ten Network has failed one of its primary objectives -- broadening the product brand.


The diminished television distribution of Big Ten football has cost the conference in the national rankings. You could always count on one or two Big Ten teams filling out the bottom of the Associated Press media and USA Today coaches polls, but there isn't one Big Ten team ranked 20th through 25th in the AP poll.


How is that possible when you've got a 5-1 Purdue and 5-1 Indiana? It's primarily because voters don't have as much access to those games as previously under the conference's old cable arrangement with ESPN. The Big Ten had the exclusive national window noon-3 p.m. Eastern on ESPN or ESPN2. That window is now shared with the Big East and the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Mid-American Conference has taken over the noon ESPN regional network position that weekly put Michigan or Michigan State on a local non-cable channel.


That's valuable exposure that the Big Ten willingly -- and foolishly -- sacrificed for the sake of exerting more control over product distribution.
As a former AP football voter, I remember the value of that noon national game because you'd rather watch teams perform as much as possible rather than merely relying on the Sunday morning summaries for your pertinent information. When you're looking for teams to fill out your ballot, you're more inclined to vote for the team that you saw play -- even if it was only for a half.


The Big Ten's broader exposure compensated for its periodically poor on-field quality. The BTN, with its limited access, doesn't provide that benefit. The conference insists the BTN has been a rousing success -- despite the Big Ten's ongoing distribution feud with Comcast, the largest cable provider in the Big Ten states. The BTN is only available to 30% of Detroit-area households.


It took ESPN2 several years to build the 30 million subscribers that the Big Ten Network has accrued since its debut two months ago. The Saturday football ratings are strong relative to other cable programming. But exactly what are the BTN numbers when there isn't live football programming? What are numbers for the other fall sports, archival game footage and institutional propaganda that basically comprises 90% of BTN programming?


The Big Ten won't say.


The conference inevitably loses the longer this grudge match among the greedy between it and Comcast continues. An early casualty of this stalemate is the conference's presence at the bottom of the national rankings.

 

[sandgk]

Poor Drew Sharp - evidently he needs to switch from cable, and see that he can then watch 3 Big Ten games on the prime and rollover channels. :)

All kidding aside though, there is a kernel of truth to his screed. What is written between the lines is that sports journalists are, for the most part, lazy MFs who would rather be spoon-fed content fodder than actually go out and seek the same. Thus clowns like Wilner in California can opine about the weakness of the Big 10 without bothering to see a single game.

 

[Taosman]

Purdue laying an egg in Ann Arbor doesn't help things one bit!
And the new media darling, Illinois, folded like a cheap tent at Iowa! :(
It's going to come down for us and the conference to at State Penn and at Ann Arbor! We need to win out and play great!

 

[jwinslow]

Strange. Watching rebroadcast of Purdue-OSU... they seem to have resampled the sound to make the crowd deafening, and the announcers barely audible. This became readily apparent during the player introductions, where the sound was normal. Upon completion, you could hear them ratchet up the crowd noise.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

I wonder if they show the whole game or just an edited-down version...

They usually show the entire game. At least they have in past weeks.

The Purdue re-broadcast being shown now is edited way down. I hope this is because the game is over a week old, and that they show the Kent State game in its entirety...

 

[jwinslow]

Some of the rebroadcasts have been truncated... but I didn't pay attention to whether those were same week rebroadcasts.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Some of the rebroadcasts have been truncated... but I didn't pay attention to whether those were same week rebroadcasts.

They made some big jumps going from last 1st qtr to early/mid 2nd qtr, but now seem to be showing the rest of the first half without editing...

 

[cincibuck]

DREW SHARP: Big Ten Network is failing by not helping teams crack Top 25, plus U-M, MSU picks

How is that possible when you've got a 5-1 Purdue and 5-1 Indiana? It's primarily because voters don't have as much access to those games as previously under the conference's old cable arrangement with ESPN. The Big Ten had the exclusive national window noon-3 p.m. Eastern on ESPN or ESPN2. That window is now shared with the Big East and the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Mid-American Conference has taken over the noon ESPN regional network position that weekly put Michigan or Michigan State on a local non-cable channel.



The Big Ten's broader exposure compensated for its periodically poor on-field quality. The BTN, with its limited access, doesn't provide that benefit. The conference insists the BTN has been a rousing success -- despite the Big Ten's ongoing distribution feud with Comcast, the largest cable provider in the Big Ten states. The BTN is only available to 30% of Detroit-area households.

Well, yes and no. What I've noticed is that I can no longer count on damn near every Ohio State game to make it to a channel I get. How that hurts Northwestern and Indiana I'm not sure. It's not like they were media darlings before. In the short run the MAC, Big East and ACC aren't going to supplant the Big 10 as the top conference in the PA to St Louis area. The cable company knows that, but it certainly gets the Big 10 fan off their back if they can say, "It's not our fault, it's that new network."

What I have noticed is the stacking of games you want to watch up against each other and the continued limited coverage of the Pac 10. My guess is that the guys selling commercials have figured out that the best time to shill a product is between 3:30 and 10 PM.

Things could get even more exciting when the SEC moves to a network next year. We could be seeing a lot of Vanderbilt here in Big 10 Territory.

 

[Taosman]

Recorded the whole game last night. That's one good thing about BTN.
And I haven't had to buy a game yet. DirecTV.

 

[OSU SPORTS]

Recorded the whole game last night. That's one good thing about BTN.
And I haven't had to buy a game yet. DirecTV.

The fact that Directv gives you every overflow game is great. Even if OSU is not in HD the day of the game(ch 220) you get a 3 hour replay in HD after the game. Living outside of Big Ten country, this is the first year I haven't had to buy gameplan. I can't wait until basketball season starts. The BTN will even televise the ex games.