Big East basketball on FoxSports

[zls44]

zls44 who has access to the numbers said that head-to-head the ESPN2 game versus the much hyped Fs1 game showed that ESPN2 was mediocre at best while FS1 were beyond abysmal. They were bottom of the barrel.

I never said I saw the FS rating for that day. But I have no reason to believe it isn't low based on every CBB rating for everyone the last 5 years.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Maybe there's no thing as a GOR either.

Just answer this, has any contractual decision/ agreement gone in the AAC or UConn's favor in the past few years?

I'm being irrational, I'll admit it, but the idea that AAC hoops will be featured on ESPN and ESPN2 is just something I can't believe until I see.

Upstater, you win this argument on contract details and facts. I admit that. Just saying how I feel.

Though I am interested in seeing how you argue a debate that's already been conceded

 

[upstater]

Here are the top college basketball ratings for the week that ended Sunday midnight:

1. ESPN: 8 pm Friday: Georgetown v. Oregon, .5 rating, 679,000 viewers
2. ESPN2: 6:30 pm Friday: UConn v. Maryland, .4 rating, 584,000 viewers
3. ESPNU: 8 pm Friday: Duke v. Davidson, .2 rating, 264,000 viewers

....

?. FS1: 6 pm Friday: PC v. BC, .1 rating, 182,000 viewers.

There were four more Big East games on Fox Sports this week. This is how they did:

GAME 2: 8 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 39,000 viewers
GAME 3: 6 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 15,000 viewers
GAME 4: 8 pm Friday: .0 rating, 14,000 viewers
GAME 5: 4 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 6,000 viewers

At this point, Ackerman, the BE commissioner, screamed, No Mas.

Basically, twice as many people watched the UConn game as watched the first 5 Big East games ever shown on Fox. COMBINED.

The UConn game on ESPN2, by the way, was the 7th highest ranked show on the channel this week.

The big Baylor-Oklahoma football game was the highest rated show for Fox in eons, and it did a 1.23, with 2,113,000 viewers. The next highest rated show was UFC Fight Night with a .5 and 722,000 viewers. But the 2nd highest rated show on Fox was lower than NBCSN's Premier league game with 803,000 viewers.

 

[upstater]

Just answer this, has any contractual decision/ agreement gone in the AAC or UConn's favor in the past few years?

I'm being irrational, I'll admit it, but the idea that AAC hoops will be featured on ESPN and ESPN2 is just something I can't believe until I see.

Upstater, you win this argument on contract details and facts. I admit that. Just saying how I feel.

Though I am interested in seeing how you argue a debate that's already been conceded

By the contract, they can end up on ESPNU. Aresco was absolute that the number of games promised would not end up on ESPN3. So, actually, the pessimistic viewpoint that most games will be on ESPNU does not go against the contract.

Nonetheless, UConn is playing the former CUSA teams on ESPN2 this year, and I imagine once the two 5-star players end up at SMU, ESPN will feature those kids, at least twice against UConn. You have to weigh this against whatever teams in the ACC not named Duke and UNC are getting. NC State, for instance, is getting 4 games. You also have to weigh it against the teeny audiences for BE basketball on Fox.

 

[upstater]

I never said I saw the FS rating for that day. But I have no reason to believe it isn't low based on every CBB rating for everyone the last 5 years.

I posted the ratings below.

 

[zls44]

I posted the ratings below.

The BC-PC number is higher than I thought it'd be, but if that's the high-water mark until PC-UK, it's a major problem.

Do you have which games are which? I'm curious how many of the FS1 games had more people in the stands than viewers at home.

If you're curious, those are comparative to the worst numbers on ESPNU. The worst. This proves the known truth that big name programs draw viewers. Despite its conference train-wreck-ness, UConn is a big name audience program. Nobody in the Big East is. Nobody. Not even Georgetown or Butler.

Small schools, small fanbases. Their intense loyalty and devotion doesn't change the reality that they're very, very small. As a hoops junkie, I wish I got FS2, even if it was just in SD. But there's probably not going to be any sort of immediate change on Comcast's end if the games are drawing between 10-20k viewers.

 

[upstater]

The BC-PC number is higher than I thought it'd be, but if that's the high-water mark until PC-UK, it's a major problem.

Do you have which games are which? I'm curious how many of the FS1 games had more people in the stands than viewers at home.

If you're curious, those are comparative to the worst numbers on ESPNU. The worst. This proves the known truth that big name programs draw viewers. Despite its conference train-wreck-ness, UConn is a big name audience program. Nobody in the Big East is. Nobody. Not even Georgetown or Butler.

Small schools, small fanbases. Their intense loyalty and devotion doesn't change the reality that they're very, very small. As a hoops junkie, I wish I got FS2, even if it was just in SD. But there's probably not going to be any sort of immediate change on Comcast's end if the games are drawing between 10-20k viewers.

I didn't bother looking up the BE teams. I'm sure someone who can synch up the game times with the ratings I gave can figure out the teams.

 

[zls44]

GAME 2: 8 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 39,000 viewers Lamar vs. Butler
GAME 3: 6 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 15,000 viewers Niagara vs. Seton Hall
GAME 4: 8 pm Friday: .0 rating, 14,000 viewers Lehigh vs. Villanova
GAME 5: 4 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 6,000 viewers Grambling vs. DePaul

 

[noeynox]

GAME 2: 8 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 39,000 viewers Lamar vs. Butler
GAME 3: 6 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 15,000 viewers Niagara vs. Seton Hall
GAME 4: 8 pm Friday: .0 rating, 14,000 viewers Lehigh vs. Villanova
GAME 5: 4 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 6,000 viewers Grambling vs. DePaul

Wow, those numbers don't even seem believable. Not exactly kicking ass.

 

[zls44]

https://twitter.com/stevelepore/status/401418035849736192

@stevelepore
Minnesota-Notre Dame hockey on NBCSN drew the same number of viewers (182,000) as FS1s debut Big East basketball broadcast of Providence-BC.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Would Depaul/Grambling have been a national TV game without Foxsports?

This is the most ridiculous argument in board history. DEPAUL IS MAKING MORE MONEY OFF ITS TV DEAL THAN UCONN DOES FOR BOTH SPORTS!!!!!!!

They win, we lose. ESPN has destroyed our athletic program, is paying us peanuts, and will eventually stop broadcasting those stellar midseason matchups against Tulane and ECU. The AAC is getting drowned in the bathtub by ESPN.

 

[metsfan2323]

Would Depaul/Grambling have been a national TV game without Foxsports?

This is the most ridiculous argument in board history. DEPAUL IS MAKING MORE MONEY OFF ITS TV DEAL THAN UCONN DOES FOR BOTH SPORTS!!!!!!!

They win, we lose. ESPN has destroyed our athletic program, is paying us peanuts, and will eventually stop broadcasting those stellar midseason matchups against Tulane and ECU. The AAC is getting drowned in the bathtub by ESPN.

There you go changing your argument. Your original assertion was that the Big East would kick ass on Fox, now you are just touting the money which is a different argument. Sure they get more money but they are getting fewer eyeballs. Isn't sports supposed to be about marketing the school? and what will the long term effects of the lower ratings be? Will they continue to get top recruits or do they risk becoming the Atlantic 10?

BTW we are doing just fine living off of the exit fees for now, which the C7 would have shared in.

The C7 are now on par with college hockey. Good for them.

 

[noeynox]

Would Depaul/Grambling have been a national TV game without Foxsports?

This is the most ridiculous argument in board history. DEPAUL IS MAKING MORE MONEY OFF ITS TV DEAL THAN UCONN DOES FOR BOTH SPORTS!!!!!!!

They win, we lose. ESPN has destroyed our athletic program, is paying us peanuts, and will eventually stop broadcasting those stellar midseason matchups against Tulane and ECU. The AAC is getting drowned in the bathtub by ESPN.

Does it matter if no one is watching? Yes, they're making more money. How long is the contract? I know the numbers will get a lot better in terms of viewers, but Fox will not continue to pay a premium in the future if the numbers don't get dramatically better. I mean those are atrocious.

 

[billybud]

I will continue to use and teach the Oxford comma, in large part because it helps to clear up ambiguity:

Commas save lives.

"Let's eat, grandma."

Let's eat grandma."

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Almost every single Big East intra conference game will be on national TV, with the mid week games in prime time. And by national, I mean on a television and not online. Yeah, that would suck.

 

[upstater]

Is there any UConn fan here who would trade the 16 times UConn appears on ESPN for $1.7m more and Fox Sports?

 

[upstater]

Almost every single Big East intra conference game will be on national TV, with the mid week games in prime time. And by national, I mean on a television and not online. Yeah, that would suck.

Many on FS2, which few even get.

 

[upstater]

GAME 2: 8 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 39,000 viewers Lamar vs. Butler
GAME 3: 6 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 15,000 viewers Niagara vs. Seton Hall
GAME 4: 8 pm Friday: .0 rating, 14,000 viewers Lehigh vs. Villanova
GAME 5: 4 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 6,000 viewers Grambling vs. DePaul

The shocking one for me is Lehigh and Villanova. At prime time on a Friday night. Villanova actually has a pretty big fanbase.

 

[Hoophound]

The shocking one for me is Lehigh and Villanova. At prime time on a Friday night. Villanova actually has a pretty big fanbase.

Most fans don't watch crappy games that involve their team. That's why the Big East is in trouble. Casual Nova fans aren't tuning in to the Seton Hall game on FS1 or 2 like they would Espn.

As a general basketball fan, I'm not watching either because even if I wanted to (which I don't), I have no idea what channel FS1 is.

However, I trip across all kinds of football and basketball games on Espn and watch them. I've watched like 4 Ball St games and that started before I even started thinking about hiring their football coach. I never even checked what was on the other sports channels.

The general population is not composed of avid fans who seek out the product. They just see what's on Espn and the big networks and pick something.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Flipping through the channels today 13 time zones from ET, ... upchucked a bit when a faux Big East broadcast ad popped up for a game involving an ex-CUSA team (Marquette) versus our future BiG conference opponent (Ohio State).

 

[whaler11]

GAME 2: 8 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 39,000 viewers Lamar vs. Butler
GAME 3: 6 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 15,000 viewers Niagara vs. Seton Hall
GAME 4: 8 pm Friday: .0 rating, 14,000 viewers Lehigh vs. Villanova
GAME 5: 4 pm Saturday: .0 rating, 6,000 viewers Grambling vs. DePaul

Those are FS2 games I'm guessing. They have no chance with no carriage on those games.

 

[baggerbob]

The what ever they want to call themselves, has exactly one nationally ranked team, Marquette who no-one even cares about. By the end of the season the conference SOS will be so bad they will be lucky to get 3 teams in the tournament. They will quickly fade into obscurity, and UConn will be in a power 5 conference within 3 years.

 

[noeynox]

I don't think UConn is going anywhere in the near future, but aside from rivalries, I don't know that we are really all that worse off in a basketball conference with Temple, and Memphis, and UCF. This league should produce about 4 bids a year to tournament. I will miss games against GTown, Villanova, St. Johns, and PC. I will also miss games against SU, and Pitt. I just won't miss any of the others in basketball, not RU, WVU, Marquette, none of them.

I know that argument is that they're making more money, but the exit fee money should offset that and the non conference schedule should offset the RPI hit of playing the likes of Tulsa and Tulane. If in six years, when the exit fee money dries up, were still in this league and still making less money than Big East schools, then were hit. Even if we don't get aP5 invite, I think this conference will eventually make more money than the lastest Big East.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The Catholic 7 CHOSE to become mid-major.

Yes, they absolutely did.

I cannot speak for how the administrations of the schools involved felt but the lion's share of most of the fan bases were convinced (when this started going down) that we (UConn) would come to our senses, drop football and join them (and be the anchor that conference needed for hoops). What I find disappointing is the number of UConn fans who held the same opinion.

 

[upstater]

Most fans don't watch crappy games that involve their team. That's why the Big East is in trouble. Casual Nova fans aren't tuning in to the Seton Hall game on FS1 or 2 like they would Espn.

As a general basketball fan, I'm not watching either because even if I wanted to (which I don't), I have no idea what channel FS1 is.

However, I trip across all kinds of football and basketball games on Espn and watch them. I've watched like 4 Ball St games and that started before I even started thinking about hiring their football coach. I never even checked what was on the other sports channels.

The general population is not composed of avid fans who seek out the product. They just see what's on Espn and the big networks and pick something.

Still, though. The UConn men on SNY (i.e. lower tier games like Lehigh) were pulling 8 ratings in the Hartford/NH market. That's 16% of the 700k TVs in the state. So, in the market alone, you had 135,000 TVs tuned in. A far cry from 14,000 nationally.