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ESPN-Too Powerful?

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Taosman

Taosman

Your Cousin In New Mexxico
I think we've reached the point where ESPN is too powerful.
ESPN is, in my mind more powerful than the NCAA.
The NCAA just doesn't have the money to compete with ESPN.
Money drives TV coverage.
In ESPN's perfect world, Notre Dame plays USC for the National Championship and a ND player like Brady Quinn wins the Heisman.
 
I am CERTAINLY not going to speak up for ESPN at all...however the "good old days" also featured a lot of teams going undefeated with no chance to compete for a title way back when in the days of completely locked bowl associations. Whoever finished #1 was routinely a regional popularity contest many years. At least the drive for ratings and money associated with TV has led to an attempt (albeit a crappy one) to pit the two best teams at the end of the year, and better matchups during the regular season too. The flip side of that is of course that controversy creates cash (sorry Eric Bischoff) so the times where it isn't cut and dry gives the pundits something to talk about on the studio shows.

That said, of course ESPN is too powerful, because no one can compete with them...as evidence by them buying ABC sports.
 
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akronbuck;640465; said:
does anyone think pay to view is coming on all college TV sports in the future with that espn power? That espnu pissed a ton of people off.
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It will be interesting to see if they start moving important games to ESPNU. I thought the Gameplan thing was going to make them a lot of money with the "regional" games (of coure they may start making ESPN and ESPN2 games regional too, I suppose), but apparently they may be trying to move in that direction. I don't think it will move to PPV, because they make way, way too much on advertising, but any way they can figure to make a little more by shifting games around and starting new channels, they will.
 
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I still believe this was an attempt to get ESPNU into as many households as possible before basketball season starts up. There is no way that ESPN would be thinking 44-3 blowout football games will allow that channel to succeed. In B-ball, however, there's more of an opportunity to get some good matchups on there, with the amount of games available for broadcast. JMHO...
 
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It's hard to bring ESPNU into your household when your cable company doesn't even offer it. :(

ESPN is going to continue to be too powerful until another powerful sports station comes along. It probably won't happen.
 
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OSUsushichic;640494; said:
It's hard to bring ESPNU into your household when your cable company doesn't even offer it. :(
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Yes, the arm twisting, IMO, is aimed at those cable companies first and foremost. If ESPN can generate interest in it's new channel by relegating a few blowout college football games (of large fan bases) to ESPNU, they are hoping the cable companies see it's in their interest to offer the channel. It doesn't make sense to me looking at it any other way. Why would non-tOSU fans (in this case), care if they got to see a blowout? It just seems to me that this is really about basketball...But what the hell do I know? :biggrin:
 
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akronbuck;640500; said:
espnu only works with satelite right but, if you have an satelite do you still have to pay for each game or is that just monthly cost like cable?
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It's a monthly cost like Starz or anything else. I added it just for this game and it costs $11.99 a month for espnU, CSTV, and one other sports channel through Directv. Watch out when you try to order it though...the first guy I spoke to said you can only buy it in a $100 package. When I called back later, they told me you can order just the 3 channels.
 
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akronbuck;640465; said:
does anyone think pay to view is coming on all college TV sports in the future with that espn power? That espnu pissed a ton of people off.
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Yes, and hell yes. And then see how many people in Ohio sign up to watch Clemson - Wake Forest. And likewise, how many people in Charleston sign up to watch OSU - BGSU.

In the meantime, I understand that next year is the launching of a separate Big 10 network, A network in direct competition with ESPN. I see problems with that also... in Michigan, Illinois and Indiana who will get which markets? You could see them pushing teams to play on Thursday and Friday, 12/4/8 on Saturdays to max income. Indiana - Northwestern on Thursday in direct competition with Ohio U vs Buffalo... hmmmmm
 
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