Big Ten Network

They don't make the money they want by being on the digital tiers.
ESPN makes sure that ESPN and ESPN2 are on basic. They need the money.
ESPNews is usually on digital because they care less. No rights fees, and their product is cheap to produce.
Big Ten Network is doing things cheaper than normal on live remotes, but the fact remains, they have both studio and remotes to deal with.

 

And ad rates are much less on a digital tier.

 

Big Ten Network makes Leni Reifenstahl look objective and balanced with their non-stop propoganda.

You see these testimonials by Big Ten coaches during "commercial" breaks (with virtually no paid commercials) that look like they were taped at gunpoint.

The broadcasts are amateurish because the Big Ten Network went cheap on analysts and just hired whoever happened to be local ... not that much different from the old Raycom days. I know I'm going to get objectivity when Kenny Battle is doing color for an Illinois game. :

It's useful to me for only one reason ... I've seen a lot of games that gave me a frame of reference for my beat. But now that I'm in conference play, that doesn't mean shit.

It's a lamentable, cynical exercise in money-grubbing. And shittily-executed one at that. Big Ten Network can't die soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

 

On Dish Network, I not only get the Big Ten Network, but several BTN alternate channels. Sometimes I'll have several BTN game offerings.

 

Call YOUR cable provider today and tell them YOU want the Big 10 Network!
Living in the South as a Big 10 alum, I'm happy to have it on my DirecTV because it means I don't have to pay $200 per year for the ESPN GamePlan and Full Court packages to see all the regional games I got used to seeing in God's country.
But I'm sure as hell not tuning in for "Big 10 Tonight" or Iowa-Northwestern field hockey.

 

i agree. i live in fort lauderdale and i get it. at first it seemed fascinating to watch a women's soccer game in HD. but that thrill lasted about seven minutes. i checked it every saturday to see which game is airing - i think the illinois upset over ohio state was on the BTN, but i'm not sure - and that's it. maybe once the conference season starts it'll have a men's basketball game every night, which would make it worthwhile. i was hoping for hockey coverage of the big ten teams (i know there's no big ten hockey league but i thought when starting it up they planned on showing hockey involving big ten teams) but i haven't noticed them airing any hockey so far.

 

They are far down in the pecking order for hockey -- they have to wait for whomever has CCHA/WCHA packages, the CSTV national packages to pick first, probably. I just checked the network's Web site and it does say they are airing games such as St. Cloud at Minnesota on Jan. 11 and Michigan State at Ohio State on Jan. 18.

 

Even without BTN or NFL Network, DirecTV is better than cable. And I assume the same is true for Dish Network. Never will I go back to cable. Same price, more options, better customer service. Not even a competition in my mind.

 

Big Red -- Iowa is NOT God's country.
That is all.

 

Well, it's close. He just left out one word...

 

The channel alone might not be worth a switch for most people, but we are big fans of DirecTV with our HDTV and get our wireless Internet through Time-Warner (no phone landline so no need to bundle services). If your dwelling is able to receive satellite signals, I say make the change.