Big Ten Hockey Conference

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

I think most of us assumed that Friday night would turn into college hockey night on the BTN once the conference is created. The real question is what they do on saturday night...or if they do regionalize it to show all the BigTen games somewhere, why not use the overflow channels to show whatever game I want to watch?

No. The Big 10 Network is only interested in Friday nights for hockey AFTER football season is over.

 

[Shirtless Guy]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

No. The Big 10 Network is only interested in Friday nights for hockey AFTER football season is over.

Why do you say that? There is no college football on Friday nights?

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Why do you say that? There is no college football on Friday nights?

Obviously there are very important reruns of Gopher Nation with Tim Brewster that need to be shown on Friday night, leading up to the Saturday games.

 

[Priceless]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Why do you say that? There is no college football on Friday nights?

Friday night tailgate!

 

[Clifton]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

No. The Big 10 Network is only interested in Friday nights for hockey AFTER football season is over.

Yes, and if a twenty game Big Ten season begins the week after Thanksgiving, that can provide the BTN with Friday Night Hockey through the end of February, and the Big Ten tournament in early March. Leading directly into Big Ten Friday Night Baseball if they choose to go that route.

Throw in the Big Ten Friday Night Tailgate, and that books up Friday night programming from Labor Day until Memorial Day. That sounds like a pretty good plan from the Big Ten's point of view if you ask me.

 

[scsutommyboy]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Can someone explain to me how 6 big ten teams are going to schedule 14 or 16 non conference games if all of the current league's play the same amount of conference games as they play now? That is of course assuming non of the conferences split up if/when a BTHC is formed.

 

[Clifton]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

if all of the current league's play the same amount of conference games as they play now?

They won't, at least in the WCHA and CCHA.

 

[moose97]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Can someone explain to me how 6 big ten teams are going to schedule 14 or 16 non conference games if all of the current league's play the same amount of conference games as they play now? That is of course assuming non of the conferences split up if/when a BTHC is formed.

The CHA made it work for the better part of a decade. It's not ideal, but it is do-able. Plus, the BTHC teams would have the cache of being, well, schools that other teams want to play, as opposed to, say, Findlay...

 

[Rover]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Content costs money in television but how a network/cable station receives revenue can differ significantly.

Over the air stations receive a bulk of their revenue from advertising.

ESPN, BTN & FSN's receive a lot of their money from fees charged to cable and satellite providers. So they may lose money on certain programming but as long as viewers pay their cable bills or order expanded sports tiers, they make money.

Sure, but if nobody's watching college hockey my theory still says that they'd broadcast something that cost less to set up. So lets say the cable sports channels make money from subscriptions which I don't disagree with. If the viewing audience for hockey isn't significantly different than that for wrestling let say, which can be filmed by one person with a hand held camera, I don't see why that wouldn't be on TV instead of hockey as they'd be a definite benefit to the cable networks for doing so (little drop off of viewership, but far less production costs and no change in revenue since they already have your money but can't sell ad space for a sport nobody's watching).

 

[scsutommyboy]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

They won't, at least in the WCHA and CCHA.

They won't if they do a scheduling alliance with those leagues.....I am sure the BTHC will happen, but everybody thinking it is going to be so easy are dead wrong. The big ten schools are going to have to play the game and give a little. If you think all the other conferences are going to change their schedule all around so the big ten schools can make more money without getting anything in return you are nuts. The only way they could have a BTHC is if other conferences reduce their number of games, otherwise there isn't enough games available to fill all the big ten schools schedules.

If the BTHC does a scheduling alliance with the WCHA and CCHA and those conferences move to 22 game schedule, Will those conferences really be hurt a ton by the forming of the BTHC? If the BTHC has it's own auto birth and so does the WCHA and CCHA things might actually be better for some of the lesser schools in those conferences. Of course it all depends on how the agreement is done, but those schools do have some tricks left in their sleeves on this issue.......

 

[dggoddard]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Sure, but if nobody's watching college hockey my theory still says that they'd broadcast something that cost less to set up. So lets say the cable sports channels make money from subscriptions which I don't disagree with. If the viewing audience for hockey isn't significantly different than that for wrestling let say, which can be filmed by one person with a hand held camera, I don't see why that wouldn't be on TV instead of hockey as they'd be a definite benefit to the cable networks for doing so (little drop off of viewership, but far less production costs and no change in revenue since they already have your money but can't sell ad space for a sport nobody's watching).

College hockey is a regional sport. So the numbers in Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis and Denver make it worthwhile to televise the sport.

Nationally the ratings may stink, but in certain markets (Minnesota) they do well.

 

[scsutommyboy]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Sure, but if nobody's watching college hockey my theory still says that they'd broadcast something that cost less to set up. So lets say the cable sports channels make money from subscriptions which I don't disagree with. If the viewing audience for hockey isn't significantly different than that for wrestling let say, which can be filmed by one person with a hand held camera, I don't see why that wouldn't be on TV instead of hockey as they'd be a definite benefit to the cable networks for doing so (little drop off of viewership, but far less production costs and no change in revenue since they already have your money but can't sell ad space for a sport nobody's watching).

You are correct. That is why showing the games at midnight does the network good.

 

[dggoddard]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

If the BTHC does a scheduling alliance with the WCHA and CCHA and those conferences move to 22 game schedule.

No way is the BTHC doing a "scheduling alliance." Every Big Ten team will have a different non-conference strategy.

 

[scsutommyboy]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

College hockey is a regional sport. So the numbers in Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis and Denver make it worthwhile to televise the sport.

If they can show in a good time slot. The example someone used the other day of showing the games at midnight makes no sense.

 

[dggoddard]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

If they can show in a good time slot. The example someone used the other day of showing the games at midnight makes no sense.

This is a very fluid situation that could spin a 100 different ways. Worrying about who plays whom three years from now, when they haven't agreed to form a conference yet is jumping the gun.

Barry Alvarez has hatched his Legacy, lets see if the Presidents take the bait.

 

[aparch]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

The CHA made it work for the better part of a decade. It's not ideal, but it is do-able. Plus, the BTHC teams would have the cache of being, well, schools that other teams want to play, as opposed to, say, Findlay...

 

[joecct]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

IF the WCHA and CCHA both went to 8 teams and a 28 game conference schedule all of them could then schedule 36 games due to the Alaska exception. May benefit all with the extra 2 OOC games.

 

[Sterling Cooper]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Keep in mind that all the experts said that The Big Ten Network itself was bound to be a failure of Hindenburg proportions. Fast forward less than a decade, and it's made the Big Ten the richest conference in college athletics.

With that kind of recent history, it wouldn't surprise me if the conference pushed ahead (rightly or wrongly) with Big Ten hockey telecasts despite what the experts are telling them.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

Keep in mind that all the experts said that The Big Ten Network itself was bound to be a failure of Hindenburg proportions. Fast forward less than a decade, and it's made the Big Ten the richest conference in college athletics.

With that kind of recent history, it wouldn't surprise me if the conference pushed ahead (rightly or wrongly) with Big Ten hockey telecasts despite what the experts are telling them.

It's possible.

Truthfully, I have my doubts that the BTN really will mean any extra revenue for anyone. If I had to pick one reason, and one reason only, for why the BTN might make extra money for hockey schools- I'd take blockski's reasoning:

This is the key point, however - hockey revenue doesn't have to drive the Big Ten Network. The network is already established. It's looking for more content.

This is a key difference between a non-RSN wanting to televise hockey and the BTN wanting to televise hockey. There is no middle man to take a cut of the revenue, that's the whole point. What the Big Ten Network sees is an opportunity to basically take the deals that Minnesota, Wisconsin (to a much lesser extent) and the CCHA (read - Michigan and MSU) have and internalize them. It's a Regional Sports Net deal, but with much broader potential application.

It's the same idea that the Big Ten Network pushed when they created the thing - national football and basketball games would still be on ESPN and CBS, but the lesser games - the ones that would be syndicated via ESPN Plus (and in hockey's case, the ones that are on separate RSN contracts) would instead be placed on the Big Ten Network. The BTN then cuts out the middle man, still delivers content to the same area as the old syndicated feeds, and has opportunities to expand the range of the broadcast much wider than ever before.

That's where the added value is.

Beyond that, the BTN would have to pray that hockey gets really good ratings whenever they decide to show it.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Big Ten Hockey Conference

IF the WCHA and CCHA both went to 8 teams and a 28 game conference schedule all of them could then schedule 36 games due to the Alaska exception. May benefit all with the extra 2 OOC games.

Who are you kicking out of the WCHA? Yeah, they're not going to 8 teams unless a complete realignment happens.