Why oh why did the former commish sign the bone-headed deal he signed with CSS Sports? It would not surprise me at all if the viewership numbers actually decreases in the southeast for games shown on that network. It doesnt reach any real numbers in terms of households, and the fact that they then black out throughout the southeast (even in aread where comcast and charter are not avilible) is mind boggling.
I was hopeing the NBC - Comcast purchase would have some benifit as it relates to our CSS deal - but so far i have seen no added value.

(10-19-2012 08:52 AM)playfailstogain Wrote:  Why oh why did the former commish sign the bone-headed deal he signed with CSS Sports? It would not surprise me at all if the viewership numbers actually decreases in the southeast for games shown on that network. It doesnt reach any real numbers in terms of households, and the fact that they then black out throughout the southeast (even in aread where comcast and charter are not avilible) is mind boggling.
I was hopeing the NBC - Comcast purchase would have some benifit as it relates to our CSS deal - but so far i have seen no added value.

The only thing that really pisses me off about CSS is that DirectTV doesnt carry it. I love to watch SBC football, but Im not poping for an extra cable bill to do so.

(10-19-2012 09:09 AM)OwlFamily Wrote:  

(10-19-2012 08:52 AM)playfailstogain Wrote:  Why oh why did the former commish sign the bone-headed deal he signed with CSS Sports? It would not surprise me at all if the viewership numbers actually decreases in the southeast for games shown on that network. It doesnt reach any real numbers in terms of households, and the fact that they then black out throughout the southeast (even in aread where comcast and charter are not avilible) is mind boggling.
I was hopeing the NBC - Comcast purchase would have some benifit as it relates to our CSS deal - but so far i have seen no added value.

The only thing that really pisses me off about CSS is that DirectTV doesnt carry it. I love to watch SBC football, but Im not poping for an extra cable bill to do so.

Comcast quit carrying CSS here in Houston. Sucks.

Dish also does not have CSS, or atleast I haven't found it.

Funny that I was thinking that same thing this morning.

Pretty much the only time I don't get to watch MTSU is when they are on the road and playing the "SBC Game of the Week", which seems counter of the way it should be.

I understand why Comcast/Cox does the blackout thing, but one Sun Belt game a week on a channel that wasn't HD until this year is not enough to make me switch providers. It just doesn't seem like a good fit to put our showcase games on a channel with such limited distribution.

Living in Colorado, the only way I get to see ULM is if it is picked up by Gameplan or we are playing one of our SEC annual opponents. I can get just about any of those games. I have to rely on ESPN3 (if I am lucky) or a home game that I can see over the internet.

I have been fortunate this year with the number of televised games. The only one I have missed is the Tulane game (CSS carried but to a very small market) and Tulane didn't have any video feed.

Sitting in front of the computer for the ULM WKU game this weekend although this should be the SBC game of the week as opposed to our game against FAU last week. No offense to FAU but there were better match ups, IMO.

(10-19-2012 10:14 AM)InjunJohn Wrote:  Living in Colorado, the only way I get to see ULM is if it is picked up by Gameplan or we are playing one of our SEC annual opponents. I can get just about any of those games. I have to rely on ESPN3 (if I am lucky) or a home game that I can see over the internet.

You should be able to get most of the CSS games on ESPN3 living in Colorado; they usually only blackout the states with Sun Belt teams.

WKU fans take a different view on this....

We had 90% of our games shown on TV...a real TV that you hit the power button (not that my TV needs one) click the remote to the Directv or CSS channel the game is on and there's the game.

Now you have to hope that your internet provider will allow you to connect to espn3 and if you have Time Warner you also need to get their cable package if you want to see any games on espn3.

Then you have to make sure your internet is fast enough or the picture will not be great. Then you have to log on, then connect your PC to the TV if you want to watch the game ...ON TV.

Lets see watch 90% of the WKU games on a real TV by just clicking a button or espn3...if you can get it. Looks like Topper fans giot screwed in the deal.

(10-19-2012 10:17 AM)tyler90wm Wrote:  

(10-19-2012 10:14 AM)InjunJohn Wrote:  Living in Colorado, the only way I get to see ULM is if it is picked up by Gameplan or we are playing one of our SEC annual opponents. I can get just about any of those games. I have to rely on ESPN3 (if I am lucky) or a home game that I can see over the internet.

You should be able to get most of the CSS games on ESPN3 living in Colorado; they usually only blackout the states with Sun Belt teams.

Usually yes. And ULM has had a very good year of getting games televised (all but one). The only one so far has been Tulane, which was carried on CSS but not on ESPN3. I couldn't even get gamecast or live updates. Stictly radio.

Let's look at it like this...what commish of a startup league that has zero television exposure would not sign a deal with a regional provider that has the capacity to televise games within your conference's footprint? All commishes would sign such a deal. However, they would make sure the deal is filled with tons of out provisions to ensure that the league will be able to move to another provider if the opportunity comes.

Our new TV deal has to address this issue. Given our footprint, we should be able to ink a collaborative agreement with ESPN and another network that will be able to provide national and regional coverage for us. I am still of the opinion that we should attempt to sell whatever content we possibly can to Turner Broadcasting.

(10-19-2012 09:19 AM)Usajags Wrote:  Dish also does not have CSS, or atleast I haven't found it.

I'm pretty sure that Comcast likes to keep that channel an exclusive cable product -- no Dish, no DirecTV. They've been able to do the same with their Philly channel, but have not had the same kind of luck with other Comcast sports channels in other regions.

Why would they not want that on more service providers??? More viewers means more money.

U-verse doesn't have CSS either, Comcast won't sell it to competitors. That is B.S. and it hurts our league.

The FCC solved the problem for us. They repealed the terrestrial exception (sports nets distributed by landline rather than satellite didn't have to sell to other providers).

The problem is Comcast has sued the FCC and there is an injunction on enforcing it until the case is resolved.

If/when the case is resolved Comcast will have to sell CSS to Direct, Dish, Verizon, ATT.