Big Ten Network vs. Cable - Big Winner? Marquette Basketball?

[RyDogg66]

I have only been able to see a few Badger football games this year and I doubt I'll be catching many Basketball games at all. However, FSN has had Marquette games on. Maybe they'll become the State's default "team" if nobody can watch Badger games anymore.

[owbc]

I don't see this happening. All of the important Wisconsin games are on major networks, most of the BTN games are blowouts that have little meaning. There's a few (like the Georgia game) that would be nice to see, but I can survive since I should be doing more important things than watching basketball all the time on TV.

 

As for Marquette...there will most likely be a "Big East Network" at some point down the line...and the same situation will likely occur again.

[endaround]

I really doubt that. Football is driving the Big Ten Network. Nobody cares about Big East football. Maybe the ACC could get a basketball centric network, that would be the only one though.

[RU Rah Rah]

Nobody cares about Big East football.

I do.

 

[temke]

I really doubt that. Football is driving the Big Ten Network.

i think basketball will be the turning point in the ridiculousness between BTN and cable companies. wisconsin plays something like 20 games on BTN

 

[dadofandrew]

I will be seriously unhappy with only a few games on ESPN...satellite may well be in my future...it already would be if Direct or Dish aired a separate FSN-WI channel, really my only reason for not switching.

 

My son learned how to do math watching Badgers' basketball. We've been spoiled for years seeing almost every game, especially conference ones. It'd be like next year the Crew giving us a package with 70 games.

[homer]

"It'd be like next year the Crew giving us a package with 70 games. "

 

When I was a kid that was about all you got. No home games on TV.

[dadofandrew]

That's what i meant Homer, 70 used to be fine, but now, no. I saw almost every Big 10 game last year, and now, most are hidden.

[brwrsfan]

I'm disagreeing with the statement that football is the driving force.

 

Football might be a large part of it, but for the most part, people don't mind going to a friends or a bar to watch the game on a Saturday afternoon. But having to do that for 20 basketball games, many of which are weeknights, is a completely different story.

 

The Big Ten Network is a huge success for the Big Ten both in terms of football and basketball games. It is providing games that would rarely be seen (Badger games against Eau Clair and Savanah St for example) to a nationwide audience. It also gets to display some of it's other sports (though I don't know who is watching the soccer games they put on). They also have classic games and other shows of that nature. I'm not sure how the commercial rights go, but I would venture a guess that they get a good portion of the advertising fees as well (which I'm sure is a good chunk of change).

 

I know the Mountain West already has a channel and I know for a fact that many other conferences were waiting to see how the Big Ten Network performed before launching their own stations, but I'd be shocked if all the major conferences didn't have their own station within the next 5 years. The only real issue they have is with the cable companies, which I'm sure will get resolved sooner or later, outside of that, I have absolutely zero complaints with the Big Ten Network (it's given me many more games, most in HD, and has excellent coverage).

[lcbj68c]

Switching the convo a little bit to who I think is at fault, and I have to go with the Cable Co here. From a business standpoint, seemingly the Big Ten Network would want to be in as many households as possible to gain more advertisers since advertisers want to be seen. I've already got DISH Network, so I can't say that I've missed out, but I dont see the big deal in heading over to a bar to watch a football game if I didn't have the network. It seems the simple solution is to switch networks if it means that much to you. You the consumer have a choice, exercise it. With the only exception being apartments with no-dish laws really, and even then you the consumer have a choice to move to a dish friendly conmmunity, I did. It's amazing the cable subscribers who won't watch the Big Ten network are crying over having to pay for something they won't use, and even more appaling that the Cable Co. is siding with them.

[Roscoe Chill]

I will be seriously unhappy with only a few games on ESPN...satellite may well be in my future...it already would be if Direct or Dish aired a separate FSN-WI channel, really my only reason for not switching.

 

I'm not sure what you mean, but Channel 642 is FSN-WI. It shows all the Bucks and Brewers games that are on. If you want the other programming it's still on FSN-NO. But there's really not a lot of specific programming on that channel anyway. If you're looking for Badger Basketball and football shows, it's on the Big 10 Network, which of course you also get.

 

You really can't go wrong switching from cable to DirecTv or Dish.

[JohnBriggs12]

As a longtime Directv subscriber I love the Big Ten Network and I don't understand the reluctance of cable system subscribers to get a dish.

 

I feel sorry for apartment dwellers that can't get dishes and some that might have trees blocking the satellite, but at least there are sports bars.

[logan82]

NDOG44 wrote:

I'm not sure what you mean, but Channel 642 is FSN-WI. It shows all the Bucks and Brewers games that are on. If you want the other programming it's still on FSN-NO. But there's really not a lot of specific programming on that channel anyway. If you're looking for Badger Basketball and football shows, it's on the Big 10 Network, which of course you also get.

 

You really can't go wrong switching from cable to DirecTv or Dish.

 

What about Wisconsin Hockey games?

[MJLiverock]

What about WI hockey games?

 

I have DirecTV and get every WI hockey game that cable does. Plus the very few that will be on Big 10 Network.