1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

College Athletics- When Does the Bubble Burst?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by LanceyHoward, May 4, 2019.

  1. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    I live in Big Ten country and am amazed how often I see BTN turned on at a restaurant or bar just as a default channel. I think it's in part because there's always a game on -- granted, it might be a replay of Minnesota-Illinois softball that few cared about the first time around, but it's actual activity and not just a screen of talking heads like ESPN or Fox Sports at lunchtime.
     
  2. exmediahack

    exmediahack Well-Known Member

    The Big Ten is good at making money and that's about it.

    When the BTN came to be a dozen years ago, it was highly-priced for the time ($1.10 a subscriber, I believe) but it was able to hold cable systems hostage throughout the Midwest because people in what I call the "high-intensity" markets: Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State wanted to see their team's September non-con games. (Ohio State is rarely on BTN after the first game or two.)

    So the cable companies caved to BTN in the day or two before the season would start, the rates would go up and no one would really notice.

    The Big Ten universities are very snotty about their finances.

    "Well, unlike some of the other Power 5 programs, we don't take any taxpayer money to sustain our athletic department..."

    That's true but what they really get is a bit sketchy. BTN makes its money off of Grandma Edna, one of millions of grandmas in Big Ten country who lives alone since Mildred passed away and only watches The Weather Channel. She pays for BTN (and probably ESPN at $7 a month) and not really knowing it and never watching it.

    The Big Ten makes its money off of people who don't even know (or care) they're paying $15 a year for it. That is freaking brilliant.
     
    maumann likes this.
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page