ThomasCostello
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Big Ten women’s basketball TV schedule: By the numbers
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Ohio State has more conference games on B1G+ than ever. That and more analysis of the upcoming conference season.
College basketball season is fast approaching and Land-Grant Holy Land is getting you ready with a series of player previews. Before the season starts this fall, check back regularly for more player previews, schedule news, features, and more heading into the 2024-25 Ohio State women’s basketball season.
Everyone watches women’s sports. That’s the famous shirt seen around the sports universe in the last two years, and it's true. Every week it seems like another viewership or attendance record gets broken in the world of women's sports and on the professional and amateur levels.
With the expansion of the Big Ten to 18 teams this offseason, it shifts the landscape of women’s basketball. It means the addition of the college level’s brightest star JuJu Watkins with the USC Trojans in a conference that now stretches coast-to-coast.
So, why doesn’t the television schedule reflect the same excitement? For all the positive marketing surrounding the conference’s first expanded television schedule, a look at the numbers tell a different story. It’s a tale that’ll cost fans money.
That’s the number of Big Ten conference games this season. All 18 teams have an 18-game schedule where everyone sees each other at least once, plus a single home-and-home against one of the 16 opponents based on geography or rivalry.
The talking point around the conference are the 16 nationally televised conference games. It’s four more than last season, with 15 falling during the Big Ten regular season and one for the conference tournament game, on NBC.
Of the 16, the Buckeyes feature in three, the same amount as last year when Ohio State split two with the Iowa Hawkeyes and lost to the Michigan Wolverines.
This season, the Scarlet and Gray face a Caitlin Clark-less Hawkeyes in Columbus, end the year against the Maryland Terrapins and travel west to face the USC Trojans, all three airing on FOX.
Speaking of Clark. There’s a subset of conference fans who are happy that the spotlight can now shine on other players with her departure for the WNBA. From the announced TV schedule, Watkins has taken her place and then some.
USC has zero conference games on the conference streaming service B1G+. While they have less conference national TV games than Iowa last season (four for the Hawkeyes compared to three for the Trojans), not having any conference games on B1G+ is surprising when looking across the conference.
Of the 17 teams with conference games relegated to B1G+, they split a share of 163 Big Ten matchups behind the paywall.
The Trojans are the only team with none. It’s the same treatment Iowa had with Clark last season, showing the obvious lean towards Watkins coverage. In terms of play on the court, it's warranted. Watkins’ NCAA career may end breaking the records set by Clark in her four seasons. Other new conference teams didn’t get close to the same treatment.
Coach Cori Close’s UCLA Bruins have three national games themselves, but also have three on B1G+. The Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks didn’t get so lucky, with 13 of their 18 conference games going on B1G+.
Overall, despite the increased eyes on the sport, B1G+ conference games jumped from 115 to 163. With the increased amount of games brought on by four new teams, it’s still a 5% jump.
That’s how many B1G+ games the Buckeyes have this conference season. Not to mention the six additional non-conference games on the streaming service. Of the seven Big Ten games though, the one that stands out the most is a Jan. 8 matchup against the Michigan Wolverines.
When opponents were announced this offseason, and the Buckeyes were matched up for two games with the Terrapins, some fans thought it odd that the Wolverines weren’t paired with Ohio State.
After all, it's the rivalry and the Wolverines bested the Buckeyes last season in Ann Arbor before the Scarlet and Gray had some revenge on home court to secure the regular season title against their rivals.
With the extended travel, and in-state rivalry with the Michigan State Spartans, there’s not a huge argument against the teams up north facing each other twice. But putting Ohio State and Michigan behind a paywall that most fans likely don’t have sets the rivalry back more than playing only once.
Of the 14 returning Big Ten teams, nine of them have more conference games on B1G+ this season than last. Iowa made the biggest jump from zero to six, with the Buckeyes getting four more than last year.
The service costs $12.99 a month or $89.99 for a calendar year, a new pay structure compared to previous seasons where you could purchase access to one sport for near $40 for a calendar year.
Missing a few games against more random opponents wasn’t a big deal in previous seasons, but now nearly half the Buckeyes’ games sit behind the B1G+ site. It’s a great deal if you also want to watch your favorite school’s other sports that air live on the site, but isn’t expanding women’s basketball to new audiences.
An area not facing a substantial jump are games streaming on Peacock. Only two more than last year’s introductory year on the NBC streaming platform, meaning each team is playing less games on Peacock in year two.
Ohio State has four this season, down from six last year, and the one grabbing the most attention is the other game the Buckeyes play in California in the new year — against the UCLA Bruins.
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images
Ohio State has more conference games on B1G+ than ever. That and more analysis of the upcoming conference season.
College basketball season is fast approaching and Land-Grant Holy Land is getting you ready with a series of player previews. Before the season starts this fall, check back regularly for more player previews, schedule news, features, and more heading into the 2024-25 Ohio State women’s basketball season.
Everyone watches women’s sports. That’s the famous shirt seen around the sports universe in the last two years, and it's true. Every week it seems like another viewership or attendance record gets broken in the world of women's sports and on the professional and amateur levels.
With the expansion of the Big Ten to 18 teams this offseason, it shifts the landscape of women’s basketball. It means the addition of the college level’s brightest star JuJu Watkins with the USC Trojans in a conference that now stretches coast-to-coast.
So, why doesn’t the television schedule reflect the same excitement? For all the positive marketing surrounding the conference’s first expanded television schedule, a look at the numbers tell a different story. It’s a tale that’ll cost fans money.
324
That’s the number of Big Ten conference games this season. All 18 teams have an 18-game schedule where everyone sees each other at least once, plus a single home-and-home against one of the 16 opponents based on geography or rivalry.
16
The talking point around the conference are the 16 nationally televised conference games. It’s four more than last season, with 15 falling during the Big Ten regular season and one for the conference tournament game, on NBC.
Of the 16, the Buckeyes feature in three, the same amount as last year when Ohio State split two with the Iowa Hawkeyes and lost to the Michigan Wolverines.
This season, the Scarlet and Gray face a Caitlin Clark-less Hawkeyes in Columbus, end the year against the Maryland Terrapins and travel west to face the USC Trojans, all three airing on FOX.
0
Speaking of Clark. There’s a subset of conference fans who are happy that the spotlight can now shine on other players with her departure for the WNBA. From the announced TV schedule, Watkins has taken her place and then some.
USC has zero conference games on the conference streaming service B1G+. While they have less conference national TV games than Iowa last season (four for the Hawkeyes compared to three for the Trojans), not having any conference games on B1G+ is surprising when looking across the conference.
163
Of the 17 teams with conference games relegated to B1G+, they split a share of 163 Big Ten matchups behind the paywall.
The Trojans are the only team with none. It’s the same treatment Iowa had with Clark last season, showing the obvious lean towards Watkins coverage. In terms of play on the court, it's warranted. Watkins’ NCAA career may end breaking the records set by Clark in her four seasons. Other new conference teams didn’t get close to the same treatment.
Coach Cori Close’s UCLA Bruins have three national games themselves, but also have three on B1G+. The Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks didn’t get so lucky, with 13 of their 18 conference games going on B1G+.
Overall, despite the increased eyes on the sport, B1G+ conference games jumped from 115 to 163. With the increased amount of games brought on by four new teams, it’s still a 5% jump.
7
That’s how many B1G+ games the Buckeyes have this conference season. Not to mention the six additional non-conference games on the streaming service. Of the seven Big Ten games though, the one that stands out the most is a Jan. 8 matchup against the Michigan Wolverines.
When opponents were announced this offseason, and the Buckeyes were matched up for two games with the Terrapins, some fans thought it odd that the Wolverines weren’t paired with Ohio State.
After all, it's the rivalry and the Wolverines bested the Buckeyes last season in Ann Arbor before the Scarlet and Gray had some revenge on home court to secure the regular season title against their rivals.
With the extended travel, and in-state rivalry with the Michigan State Spartans, there’s not a huge argument against the teams up north facing each other twice. But putting Ohio State and Michigan behind a paywall that most fans likely don’t have sets the rivalry back more than playing only once.
9
Of the 14 returning Big Ten teams, nine of them have more conference games on B1G+ this season than last. Iowa made the biggest jump from zero to six, with the Buckeyes getting four more than last year.
The service costs $12.99 a month or $89.99 for a calendar year, a new pay structure compared to previous seasons where you could purchase access to one sport for near $40 for a calendar year.
Missing a few games against more random opponents wasn’t a big deal in previous seasons, but now nearly half the Buckeyes’ games sit behind the B1G+ site. It’s a great deal if you also want to watch your favorite school’s other sports that air live on the site, but isn’t expanding women’s basketball to new audiences.
40
An area not facing a substantial jump are games streaming on Peacock. Only two more than last year’s introductory year on the NBC streaming platform, meaning each team is playing less games on Peacock in year two.
Ohio State has four this season, down from six last year, and the one grabbing the most attention is the other game the Buckeyes play in California in the new year — against the UCLA Bruins.
Continue reading...